Vincent Ward's feature docu-drama Rain of the Children received the Wairoa Maori Film Festival Prize on Saturday night. Vincent's documentary was a 'sequel' to his 1978 film In Spring One Plants Alone about the life of Puhi, Tuhoe kuia and former wife of the son of Maungapohatu Prophet Rua Kenana.

Film makers and the Wairoa community gathered on Sunday night for the closing screening double feature of Vincent Ward's films at Taihoa Marae, Wairoa.

Other award recipients on the evening were Warbrick by brothers Pere Durie and Meihana Durie, which received the Aotearoa short film audience award, Tnorala Baby Falling by Aboriginal film-maker Warwick Thornton that received international indigenous entry prize, and Taking the Waewae Express by Andrea Bosshard and Shane Loader, which won Aotearoa feature drama/documentary prize.

Brothers Pere Durie and Meihana Durie were present at their film's screening on Friday night, where they acknowledged the support of the Wairoa Maori Film Festival in 2005 via the festival's scholarship programme. The brothers mentioned how the funding from this scholarship went into the development of the film Warbrick which had now become a reality.

Festival Chairperson Huia Koziol confirmed the success of the ongoing project that is the Wairoa Maori Film Festival which made its presence felt in Wairoa and in the indigenous film world.

The date of the next festival is Queen's Birthday Weekend 2010, June 3rd to 7th 2010, venues Kahungunu Marae, Taihoa Marae and Wairoa War Memorial Hall.

Festival organisers in the coming year are also planning to assist film-makers to develop their film projects, supporting emerging Maori Directors in their vision, and helping local film-makers tell local stories.

"A Producers Pod has been established," says Festival Director Leo Koziol, "with agreement by independent Waikato film-maker Garth Watene as the first participant in this programme." There is also the concept of a Wairoa Music Video project on the drawing board, building on the huge ongoing success of Wairoa College students at Pacifica Beats.

The theme of the 2010 festival will be "Waka," and it is hoped to have waka on the Wairoa River as part of the festival celebration next year.