Coco Talanoa — Coco News / Page 49

Island royalty met with British royalty yesterday as one of the most esteemed queens of Kuki Airani tivaevae told the Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton about this unique Pacifica art form. 

Yesterday Buckingham palace was host to some unique Pasifika flavour and flair as mamas from the Tuvalu Artists collective and traditional Kuki Airani artists took their creations to the big house along with other Pacific designers from Samoa, Tonga and Melanesia. 

The innovative new Commonwealth Fashion Exchange project saw indigenous artists around the world pair up with some of the most famous creatives in the business. 

Its aim of the project was to promote cross-cultural exchange and raise the profile of “devalued and vulnerable” handwork skills, something that has been the perfect kaupapa for the Kuki Airani mamas and the Tuvaluan Arts collective alike.

73 year old Tukua Turia, a renowned tivaevae artist made her co-pro gown creation with noted kiwi designer Karen Walker, which was on show at the Buckingham Palace event yesterday.…more

The latest addition to the Marvel Universe is out... and it is lit!! Black Panther (even the name is cool) is in cinemas now and is a must see for any one over the age of 5. Besides the fact that this Marvel superhero has the baddest name in town, everything about this movie is.... Black. And it’s glorious!! 

Black Panther is King of Wakanda, a land somewhere in Africa that is hidden from outside eyes by technology. So advanced, it makes Tony Starks Iron Man look like a Hologram from Red Dwarf. Wakanda is like Charlie’s Chocolate Factory... for blacks only. A place untouched since time began by the meddlesome white hands of James Cook or Christopher Columbus. Everyone in Wakanda looks like they could walk onto a catwalk or a vogue cover, even the fashion design is light-years ahead.…more

With Cyclone Gita leaving a trail of destruction through the Pacific Islands and still on it's way to Vanuatu & New Caledonia, many Pacific Islanders living here in New Zealand are asking what they can do to help ...

Many aid workers say that the most effective way that you can help is to donate to New Zealand Red Cross’ Pacific Disaster Fund. This Fund allows the Red Cross to respond quickly and effectively to the most urgent needs when a disaster hits anywhere in the Pacific.

100% of the money donated to this ongoing special appeal goes towards supporting communities in the Pacific affected by a disaster. New Zealand Red Cross has already released NZ$10,000 from our Pacific Disaster Fund to support Samoa Red Cross in its response.…more

Directing a second film is like writing a second album for musicians. No one forgets the first film or first album, like no one forgets the first time they bit into a keke pua’a...

And so it is with this latest installment from director Stallone Vaiaoasa. Hibiscus and Ruthless (Suivai Pilisipi Autagavaia and Anna-Maree Thomas) deliver compelling performances as two young woman in their final year at university. Hibiscus plays the obedient daughter whose familiar life is go to uni, go to church, eat, prayer, sleep, repeat. Add in to that progression “Boys” and suddenly the whole world goes crazy coconuts for Hibiscus. With guys hitting on her from everywhere but Tinder and Craigs list, Hibiscus relies on her good palagi friend Ruth (Ruthless) with the straight hair and all the jokes to keep tanked up, lynx deoderant boys at bay.

The film itself does feel a little more slick than 3WC but none of the whizz bangs mean anything without a good script. And besides a few speed bumps, the story gets a pass mark.…more

Jona and Henrietta Nabalarua knew very early on that they would spend forever together. They celebrated their love with family and friends not once, but twice, at a ceremony in Auckland and then in Suva, Fiji. Both ceremonies, vastly different in protocols, brought two beautiful cultures and families together. 

Jona was considered a bachelor at 26 and his parents Diba and Roko were very excited to start planning the wedding in Suva, Fiji. For Henrietta’s parents, their engagement after three months came as a surprise, but ultimately both families were extremely happy and supportive of the couple.

Hosted by Jona’s family, the ceremony in Fiji took place over three days. For the Adams family, this would be their first ever authentic experience in Fiji, seeing first hand how a traditional Fijian ceremony is carried out. The first day saw Jona’s family bring food and gifts to his parents’ home.…more

Celebrating our Pasifika Female Directors on #FemaleFilmMakerFriday!

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SIMA URALE 

Sima Urale has worked in the creative industry from theatre to film and television for more than 30 years, initially as a professional actor in theatre, and then in the last 25 years as a freelance filmmaker. She is a highly regarded filmmaker with extensive experience in drama and acting, writing and developing screenplays, to directing numerous films from drama to documentary, TV commercials, music videos, and corporate videos. She has also been a mentor for emerging filmmakers, and a part time Senior Lecturer at Unitec’s Film & TV School. From 2012 to 2015, she was Head Tutor at the New Zealand Film & Television School in Wellington.

Sima has been the recipient of several international awards, as artist in residence at Hawaii University, McMillian Brown Center at Canterbury University, and the COCA arts residency at Massey University. Sima is currently developing various feature length projects with producers and hopes to embark on another feature film in the near future whilst taking care of her elderly mother.…more

The Greatest Showman.

Whats better than seeing your aunty, I mean a bearded lady at your family xmas party?

Seeing a bearded lady at the movies!  In this case in "The Greatest Showman", The PT Barnham tale of how the modern day circus came to be.

Hugh Jackman returns to his musical roots with a performance worthy of White Sunday praise. Not only does he play the lead in this sometimes funny and sometimes exciting musical, but he also reminds you of just how white teeth can be. It makes you close your lips for the whole movie.
Dental whites aside, Hugh "Whiteteeth" Jackman and cast do a wonderful job of stitching together 90 mins of song and dance.  

Ironically it does feel like one of Jackman’s earlier movies, the X men - A group of misfits come together to find a place where they can belong and call home, a bald man in a wheel chair houses them all and calls them the Xmen - Which is exactly what PT Barnham did to create the first ever circus.…more

So many golden moments for our Pasifika communities across the diaspora in 2017 from the Golden Globes to the streets of Manurewa and the sports fields of Teufaiva in Tonga, starry Islanders have made their mark on the world in a dazzling variety of ways.

Some of the Coco highlights this year have included: - 

FIAO'O FA'AMAUSILI & THE BLACK FERNS

Led by their Samoan Captain Fiao'o Fa'amausili it was the year of the Black Fern for Rugby highlights this year, as the kiwi team beat out the All Blacks and England to scoop the pools as World Rugby Team of the Year. 

The New Zealand women dominated at the World Rugby Awards ceremony held in Monaco, with three awards going the way of kiwi teams and players.…more