Director: Taratoa Stappard
Cast: Ariana Osborne, Toby Stephens, Umi Myers
Marama is a 2026 New Zealand–British drama-horror film directed by Taratoa Stappard, blending Maori Gothic mythology with Victorian-era revenge thriller. Set in England in 1859, the film follows a young Maori woman who travels across the world to reclaim what was stolen from her people — and herself.
What is Marama about?
In the year 1859, a Maori woman from the other side of the world arrives in the fog-laden streets of Victorian England, carrying grief and a purpose that cannot be denied. She moves through a society that neither recognizes her humanity nor understands her power, navigating a world of rigid class structures and colonial violence. As she closes in on those responsible for a deep and personal wrong, the line between the living and the spiritual world begins to blur. Stappard's film refuses to let its protagonist become merely a victim — instead she is a force shaped by tradition, memory, and an ancestral justice that Victorian England has no framework to contain.
Cast & crew
Director Taratoa Stappard brings an indigenous New Zealand perspective to an English Gothic canvas, creating one of the more distinctive genre films of 2026. Ariana Osborne leads the cast as Marama, anchoring the film with quiet ferocity. Toby Stephens plays a key figure on the British side of the story, and Umi Myers rounds out the principal cast in a role that deepens the film's emotional register.
Context & significance
For Persian-speaking viewers in the diaspora, Marama offers something genuinely rare: a horror film built around the experience of a woman from a colonized culture who refuses to accept the terms of the society that displaced her people. That dynamic of displacement, survival, and cultural identity resonates across many diasporic experiences — including the Iranian one. The film is available on K-Time with a Persian dub and Persian subtitles, so viewers can follow the story in full comfort regardless of their English level. Gothic horror with serious emotional weight, rooted in non-Western mythology.
Where & how to watch
Marama is available now on K-Time with Persian dub and Persian subtitles. Watch on the web, on your TV, or on your phone — no VPN needed, no geo-blocking, no extra download required. Start watching anytime and cancel anytime.