Pacific Films At the Hawaiian Film Festival 2024

The Hawaiian Film Festival proudly celebrates its 44th year of promoting, educating, and showcasing filmmakers from the Asia-Pacific region. This year, the Festival will take place from October 2nd to November 10th across eight locations and islands.

The 2024 lineup features a star-studded selection of Pacific and local talent, including the highly anticipated world premiere of TINĀ, directed by Samoan-born, Aotearoa-based filmmaker Miki Magasiva.

TINĀ

is an inspiring, light-hearted yet rhythmic tear-jerker that tells the story of Samoan teacher Mareta Percival. Struggling after the death of her daughter in the Christchurch earthquakes, Mareta reluctantly takes on the role of substitute teacher at an elite, all-white private school. She finds that the seemingly privileged children are crying out for guidance, inspiration, and love. Drawing from her cultural roots, Mareta empowers her students by forming a choir, all while facing bias from a privileged community intent on keeping her in her place.

Samoan actor Anapela Polata’ivao (ONE THOUSAND ROPES, THE BREAKER UPPERERS) shines as Mareta, while HAWAII FIVE-O’s Beulah Koale portrays her hānai nephew, encouraging her to take the role and restart her life.

WATCH The last short film Miki Magasiva & Anapela Polatai’vao directed together

Myths & Maidens

This love letter to Pasifika women, features fafine from around the Moana in this International premiere.

Moana women have long been sold to the world as light skinned South Seas sirens, ever welcoming of the white man. But our true stories will take you down a rabbit hole of reality that is far removed from this postcard of paradise..

In this love letter to Moana women, we look at the collective trauma, challenges and inequities for women across Pasifika, and how in the face of this, our celebration of ourselves is an act of colonial resistance .

‘MYTHS AND MAIDENS’ is a rich tapestry of stories from women in Samoa, Hawaii, Tahiti, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Fiji and Aotearoa. A Coconet TV original, the hour long documentary delves into the sticky issues of colourism, fat phobia, and how our societies have been taught to view women of colour across the ages.

Also by Award Winning Director/Producer Lisa Taouma

Lea Tupu'anga

After a hugely successful run at Sundance Film Festival - Tongan filmmakers Vea Mafile’o and Lucianne Buchanan bring their beautiful shortfilm ‘Lea Tupu’anga’ to HIFF. Lea Tupu’anga follows Katherine, a young speech therapist of Tongan and European heritage who has lied about her Tongan language skills to work with Siaosi – an elderly Tongan patient with aphasia who has lost his ability to speak English.

Siaosi resents Katherine’s presence and is resistant to her speech therapy sessions. Katherine unwittingly offends Siaosi and is left feeling disconnected and insecure about her identity. Under pressure to complete her report, Katherine returns to Siaosi’s house. When Siaosi catches Katherine trespassing on his property, he berates her and Katherine breaks down in tears. Katherine’s vulnerability catches Siaosi off-guard and an amusing miscommunication leads to a heart-warming moment. Katherine bonds with Siaosi and just as they start to make progress in their speech therapy, Siaosi suffers a medical emergency. Panicking and out of her depth, Katherine must find a way to communicate with her patient, or risk Siaosi’s life and have her professional mistruth revealed.

The Tongan Fillmmakers spoke to us about their experience as Polynesians at Sundance! - Article Here:

Ema I’u - Flower of life

Written and Produced by Samoan filmmaker Ema Barton make’s it’s North American Premiere this year at HIFF.
In a not-too-distant future, Tāmaki Makaurau, Aotearoa is the last inhabitable place on Earth following climate catastrophe. A mysterious and powerful agent of change (Ema I’u) escapes a forgotten facility to reclaim and reconnect with her home. Seeking to recover an ancient artefact from remaining world leaders, she unlocks her ancestral knowledge to activate a hidden code, the Flower of Life, which triggers a new era of balance and harmony.

GRAFTED

Tongan actress Sepi To’a makes her feature film debut in GRAFTED, a gripping story of resilience and revenge.
The film follows Wei, who faces a traumatic beginning marked by her father's violent death as he struggles with a hereditary facial disfigurement. Years later, still burdened by loss and her own disfigurement, Wei is rejected by her family in China. She earns a scholarship to study in New Zealand, where she moves in with her aunt and cousin Angela, who treats her with disdain.

As Wei immerses herself in her father’s scientific work, she becomes excited when a professor mentors her, only to realize he intends to steal her research. Frustrated by her circumstances and the bullying from Angela and her mean-girl friend Eve, Wei embraces her inner mad scientist, leading to a wild quest for revenge in this body horror homage inspired by Mean Girls and Face/Off.

Get to know Sepi More here: WOMEN OF THE ISLANDS: SEPI TO’A

Check out all films playing at this year’s HIFF!