MAYA NEWELL
Maya is an Australian filmmaker with a focus on social impact documentary. She has directed award-winning short documentaries, "Two" (AFI Docs, Slamdance) and "Growing Up Gayby" (ABC TV) and her feature documentary "Gayby Baby" (2015). "Gayby Baby" was selected for GoodPitch² Australia 2014, premiered at Hot Docs, screened at London BFI, Doc Leipzig, Doc NYC, is on Netflix US and reached No.1 on iTunes doc charts during its UK release. In Australia, the film famously caused a national stir when it was banned by the Australian State Government and is acknowledged as significant in the fight for Marriage Equality and Adoption Equality in Australia. "In my Blood it Runs" was selected for Good Pitch Australia 2016, the Sundance Documentary Fund and Sundance Skywalker Music and Sound Design Labs and is due for release in 2019.

Director's statement
"Over the last decade, I have had the privilege to be repeatedly invited to make films with two Arrernte-led organisations in Alice Springs, Akeyulerre and Children’s Ground. These films showcased the empowering work families are doing to educate their children and keep their language and culture strong. Over these years, I have sat with Elders as they recorded songlines for their grandchildren for fear they may be lost, seen kids visit their country for the first time and heard children speaking confidently and fluently in their first, second or third language. I was shocked to learn that our mainstream education system perceives these same children as failures at school. And it’s no surprise, when in Australia and in many Western countries, First Nations children are only taught in English and their successes are measured by western values. Rarely do we see into the inner lives of First Nations children growing up as they navigate the rich and complex bicultural society they are born into. In My Blood It Runs is a film to dispel the conventional myths of failure, trauma and dysfunction of First Nations families and instead amplify the resilience, strength and love that is often exempt from our screens".