Director’s Statement

"The Burning of Broken Beak" is an allegorical story about a Māori woman confronting the generational trauma of colonization, framed within the language of a horror-fantastical thriller. The film’s antagonist exists in two forms: an admiral from the early colonial era of Aotearoa and a contemporary billionaire CEO whose investment empire is built upon resource extraction. Though the parallel is not subtle, it is deliberate. I wanted to draw a clear line between the violence of early colonization and the unchecked greed of late-stage capitalism—two forces that continue to shape our world and drive the destruction of the natural environment.

I am a member of the Mississippi Choctaw tribe. My ancestors were forcibly removed from their homelands in the 1800s under Andrew Jackson’s Trail of Tears and resettled in present-day Oklahoma, where I was born. When the opportunity arose to make a film in New Zealand—a place my wife and producer, Christie O’Loughlin, is from, and a place where I’ve spent significant time—I knew I wanted to tell a contemporary story centered on an Indigenous character. What inspired me most during my time in Aotearoa was how alive, present, and celebrated Māori culture is today. That vitality informed the heart of this film.

With The Burning of Broken Beak, I set out to create a “popcorn” genre piece in the spirit of early Cronenberg—at once visceral and entertaining—while also ensuring the story itself serves as a thesis. A thesis for a way forward in these dark and uncertain times. As one character says, “We need monsters to scare us and keep the world alive.” The monsters in this film are not simply spectral; they are born from our histories, our systems, and our ongoing choices.

The future we need—one that is sustainable, just, and alive—requires listening to Indigenous leadership and challenging the romanticization of modern greed and infinite accumulation. If this film can entertain while also nudging audiences toward that recognition, then it has done its work.

-Christian Carroll