My Letter to the South 2026

What the South Taught Me

Directed by Josh Tavita

This wasn’t meant to be a documentary. I’d always had an appreciation for the American South, but I’d never actually experienced it for myself. Aotearoa/New Zealand has always had a deep respect for Black American culture especially Southern Black American culture and I wanted to show people back home the things we don’t always get to see or fully understand. So I went. "My Letter to the South" is about the journey that followed, something I never expected. There was no script. No plan. Just two Kiwi fellas exploring a place we have always loved that we are seeing for the first time.