Bellbird first ever NZ film to offer Te Reo Māori subtitles to cinemas

Cinema goers will be able to attend sessions of Bellbird with Maori subtitles. Photo / Supplied

The Kiwi film Bellbird will be the first New Zealand film to make Te Reo Māori subtitles available to cinemas upon release.

Bellbird is written and directed by Hamish Bennett and stars Annie Whittle, Marshall Napier, Cohen Holloway and Rachel House, Stephen Tamarapa and Kahukura Retimana.

The film's distributor Transmission films are making the subtitles available for cinemas.

"Bellbird is a film that at its heart is about community and whanau connection," says Bennett. "Being able to acknowledge the importance of the indigenous language of Aotearoa, by providing subtitles for Bellbird in Te Reo Māori fits this kaupapa perfectly."

Mark Chamberlain, the general manager of Transmission Films NZ says it is "a responsibility as distributors to respect the wishes of our filmmakers to make this beautiful story accessible to as wide an audience as we can."

Cinema goers will be able to attend sessions of Bellbird with Maori subtitles. Photo / Supplied

The movie is set over four seasons on a Northland dairy farm and tells the heartwarming story of a farmer's journey in the aftermath of his wife's sudden death.

Cinema-goers can check cinema listings for a session available in their area when the film is released on November 7. It is at the cinema's discretion to offer sessions with Te reo subtitles.

Fans can keep an eye out on the official Bellbird movie Facebook page for updates.