Our Own Image
A Story of a Māori Filmmaker
In Our Own Image, Barry Barclay details his views on the process of filmmaking within his own Maori community and discusses how his work differed from popular cinema, advocating for indigenous control, participation, and perspectives in media.
In Our Own Image, Barry Barclay produced a manifesto for indigenous cinema. Both intellectual exhortation and community document, it is driven by a ferocious critical intelligence and a commitment to a practice and understanding of cultural representation based on principles of justice and self-determination. It deserves to be seen as a major contribution to global film studies.
Stuart Murray, University of Leeds
Acclaimed Māori filmmaker Barry Barclay’s Our Own Image relates the experiences of making his documentaries and his critically acclaimed feature-length film Ngati (1987), widely credited as the first fiction feature by a member of an indigenous community. Barclay details his views on the process of filmmaking within his own Māori community and discusses how his work differed from popular cinema, advocating for indigenous control, participation, and perspectives in media.
Our Own Image gives an in-depth depiction of the changes Barclay’s approach contributed to the field of documentaries, as well as displaying the respect for community Barclay brought to his filming technique. His insistence on letting people speak for themselves demonstrated authenticity to audiences, creating awareness of indigenous cinema in New Zealand and worldwide.
In Our Own Image, Barry Barclay produced a manifesto for indigenous cinema. Both intellectual exhortation and community document, it is driven by a ferocious critical intelligence and a commitment to a practice and understanding of cultural representation based on principles of justice and self-determination. It deserves to be seen as a major contribution to global film studies.
Stuart Murray, University of Leeds
