WAIHEKE COLLECTIVE FILM FESTIVAL
RANGINUI: Call of the Ice
Host: PutiPuti Productions, with Professor Rangi Mamatua
Māori astronomer Rangi Matamua and language expert Mataia Keepa travel into Antarctica at the height of winter, braving -50°C temperatures and months of darkness to watch the ice and sky. Their journey weaves science and mātauranga Māori together, honouring a grandfather’s promise and reading a rarely seen world in a new way.
Director
Julia Sartorio
CAST
Rangi Matamua • Mataia Keepa
RATING
VA
Documentary content
RUNTIME
1h 20m
COUNTRY
Aotearoa/NZ
GENRE
Documentary, Adventure, Science, Environment
LANGUAGE
English, Te Reo Māori
LOADING...
WATCH TRAILER
FILM NOTES
A rare, immersive journey to Antarctica’s winter darkness, guided by stars, stories and shifting ice.
Filmed in some of the harshest conditions on Earth, RANGINUI: Call of the Ice follows Professor Rangi Matamua and Mataia Keepa deep into Antarctica in mid‑winter, when temperatures plunge, sunlight disappears and the ice never fully rests. Answering a wero handed down from Rangi’s grandfather, the pair carry Māori starlore to the far south, placing ancestral knowledge alongside cutting‑edge research on climate, space and the polar environment. The result is a portrait of Antarctica that feels newly alive: auroras flicker, constellations wheel overhead and pressure ridges grind past their tiny outpost.
For audiences, this is an absorbing, quietly awe‑inspiring cinematic experience. Rather than treating Antarctica as a distant backdrop, the film invites viewers to feel it as a living entity that reveals itself slowly to those who know how to watch. Moments of wry humour, close whanaungatanga and everyday problem‑solving balance the epic landscapes, while the conversations between science and mātauranga Māori offer a hopeful, future‑focused take on how we might navigate a warming world. It’s an ideal choice for viewers drawn to kaupapa Māori storytelling, climate and space science, and big‑screen journeys into places few will ever visit in person.