Jared Flitcroft
Jared Flitcroft is an award-winning Deaf Māori filmmaker from Aotearoa New Zealand whose work bridges te ao Māori, the Deaf community, and cinematic storytelling. He works across New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL), te reo Māori sign frameworks, and English, bringing a strong visual and multilingual approach to screen production.
He co-directed the internationally recognised short film Tama (2017), one of the first NZSL-led films to screen at the New Zealand International Film Festival, as well as Show Me Shorts and imagineNATIVE in Toronto. The film received multiple awards at the Wairoa Film Festival and is noted for its expressive visual language and emotional impact.
His recent work includes The Kids of Kōrero Lane (2023) and Being Turi (2024), which have screened across Aotearoa and Australia and gained recognition at festivals including Sydney Web Fest and NZ Web Fest. Across his practice, he focuses on identity, sensory experience, and culturally grounded storytelling.
Alongside filmmaking, he works as an access coordinator and mentor, advocating for Deaf and disabled inclusion throughout all stages of production and supporting more accessible screen environments in Aotearoa.
Photo credit Beth Van Hulst
Verb Readers & Writers Festival 2026 events Jared Flitcroft features in:
The Politics of Disabled Joy