Mike Jonathan, Director

Mike Jonathan is a freelance director/DOP based in Rotorua, New Zealand. 
Jonathan produced and directed his second short film, Nga Taumaru - Shadows, an independent short film. A story based on true events, shows a young Maori man, Tommy, a paranoid schizophrenic retelling his life story to a video camera. This film was awarded the Silver Lei at the Honolulu Film Festival in 2009 for outstanding filmmaking.

 Jonathan also directed the heart warming short film, Hawaikii that has screened at over 30 countries around the world. Hawaikii won best short film at ImagineNATIVE 2006 and best film and best overall film at Magma Film Festival and was also a finalist at New Zealand's Screen Awards 2007. And today Hawaikii continues to travel the world festival circuit.

 Jonathan has worked in the TV and film industries for 20 years as a cameraman, editor and director. His skill and knowledge is an asset to any project. His most recent is directing/shooting The Road to the Globe for the Pakipumeka Series on Māori Television and International release. His passion to tell Māori stories to the world is evident in everything he does.

Alexander Behse, Producer:

Alexander Behse is an award-winning creative producer who’s eclectic body of work has resonated across the wider Pacific. From high-end documentaries to celebrated prime-time series, Behse’s drive for risk-taking treatments, engaging subjects and his eye for talent have made him one of the most innovative and prolific young producers of indigenous, factual and adventure programming in the region today.

Born and raised in Germany Alexander Behse settled in New Zealand in 2002. After fast building a reputation as an editor at one of New Zealand's leading production houses Behse turned his hand to producing. The result was three award winning documentaries The Flight of Te Hookio (2009),  Allan Baldwin: In Frame (2011) and The Road to the Globe (2012) all for leading indigenous broadcaster Maori Television.

Behse exploded into mainstream programming with Radar across the Pacific – a prime-time factual TV series that took top NZ presenter Te Radar on a playful journey inside the many communities, cultures & histories of the wider Pacific Islands. This celebrated series was a ratings success on local screens and won Best Factual TV Series award at the 2012 New Zealand TV Awards and established Behse as a major producer. Behse is currently producing a second series of this hit show and has a feature film in development with Telefilm Canada.

Behse is a hands-on producer committed to excellence in storytelling. Behse will continue to tell the most interesting stories in the most interesting ways, holding dear his boutique brand borne of an innate ability to challenge while captivating viewers with out-of-the-box visual and narrative treatments. 

Tearepa Kahi, Executive Producer:

Tearepa Kahi wrote and directed and edited the short film Taua, which won the best short film award at the 2007 National Geographic All Roads Festival (USA) and was awarded honourable mention at the 2007 ImagineNATIVE Film and Media Arts Festival in Canada. His other short film, The Speaker, won the Friends of the Civic Award for Best Short Film and the 2006 Wairoa Māori Film Festival Short Film Drama (Aotearoa) Award.

He has also directed TV documentaries The Flight of Te Hookioi, which earned him a best director nomination at the 2010 Qantas Film and Television Awards; and First Time in Prison for TV3’s prestigious Inside New Zealand slot in 2008. His two most recent documentaries Allan Baldwin: In Frame and The Road to the Globe have just won prizes at the FIFO documentary festival.

Kahi is a former member of Te Paepae Ataata – the Māori  Script Development Board and Chairperson of Nga Aho Whakaari – the Māori  TV and Film Body.

Of Ngati Paoa and Waikato descent, he grew up in Christchurch in a musical family. At age 17 he was selected to perform in a play at the Christchurch Arts Festival. He was spotted by actor/director and Maori theatre pioneer Jim Moriarty, who asked him to join the theatre troupe Te Rakau Hua o te Wao Tapu. The troupe toured New Zealand, performing in schools, universities, prisons and marae. Kahi left the group after two and a half years to settle in Auckland, where he completed a degree in History and Maori at Auckland University.

He also worked as an actor playing Roroneto (Lorenzo) in Don Selwyn’s landmark te reo Maori feature film Te Tangata Whai Rawa o Weneti (The Maori Merchant of Venice) and roles in Shortland Street, the television series Mataku. Mt. Zion is his first feature film.

PRESS RELEASE

Rawiri Paratene and his theatre company make history in THE ROAD TO THE GLOBE, a new, emotionally raw award winning documentary.

THE ROAD TO THE GLOBE documents the first professional Te Reo Māori Theatre Production staged at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre – in April of last year.

Commissioned by Māori Television and produced by Alexander Behse (Allan Baldwin: In Frame, The Flight of Te Hookioi) and Executive Produced by Tearepa Kahi (Mt. Zion), the documentary captures the Ngākau Toa theatre company on their journey to open the Globe to Globe Festival in London with a historic performance of Troilus and Cressida in Te Reo Māori.

Rawiri Paratene says the opportunity to take Te Reo Māori to the other side of the world and perform at one of the most famous theatres was a life-long dream.

“This is singularly the most important and fulfilling project I have ever been involved in. To have taken te reo Maori to Globe was... special indeed.”

“We did our language, our culture and New Zealand proud,” says Paratene, who is currently in London rehearsing for an upcoming tour of King Lear.

Executive Producer, Tearepa Kahi describes the documentary as a physical, insightful behind the scenes journey which “…documents Te Reo Māori’s greatest journey in 2012. Like the Bard said, cometh the hour, cometh the man. Here we see an example of, ‘cometh the hour, cometh the ope (troupe).”

In THE ROAD TO THE GLOBE, Rawiri and theatre director Rachel House lead a 12 week rehearsal boot camp starting in Rotorua, where the cast begins a journey of transformation, stepping deeper and deeper into Shakespeare’s characters.

“We see the actors confront their fears, struggle with their lines, reo and choreography and ultimately lift each other up to face their opening curtain on the Globe stage together,” says Alexander Behse of Monsoon Pictures.

Director Mike Jonathan says capturing Rawiri’s life-long dream of taking te reo Maori to the home of Shakespeare was a special experience.

“It was such an honour and privilege to have been able to be alongside Ngākau Toa during their preparation for the Globe Festival,” he says. 

“It’s the first time in my career that I felt like I was on the inside looking in, rather than being on the outside.”

To watch a trailer: https://vimeo.com/63799760