Pasifika Film

Hawai’i International Film Festival has curated a selection of short films from festivals past and present. Watch a number of Pasifika Short Films for free right from the comfort of your own home by visiting HIFF @ HOME.

Mauka to Makai (2018) directed by Alika Maikau and Jonah Okano

Kaipo loves his cousin Akamu, but worries when he notices him begin to slip and sell hard drugs again, after a period of sobriety. Other members of his family and community try to influence him as well but ultimately it will be Akamu's decision on how to continue to live his life.

This short film follows Mahina (Bella Shepard) and her main companion, her dog Po. As Mahina's struggling father David (Jason Quinn) rejects her pleas to keep her beloved pet out of the ring, she realizes how far he may go. But will a daughter's sorrow be enough to sway a father's greed? 

“At the start, people used to look at me, you know, in utter disbelief when I talked about filming and I think it was because there are not only no Māori filmmakers in the country, but the fact that I was also a woman. 

I always have this desire to do things not well, but as brilliantly as possible. Once the work shows that you’re capable of doing something, then all of the other prejudices about race and sex may, perhaps, fall away.”⁠— Merata Mita

Misadventures of a Pacific Professional is a six part web series created by wife and husband duo Tupe Solomon-Tanoa’i, and Esera Tanoa’i.

The series centres on Alofa Williams (played by Lagi Farani) - a young Pasifika woman climbing the corporate ladder. Alofa is constantly bumping up against unconscious bias in the workplace, and must find an authentic way of dealing with it. This prompts an internal struggle between the part of Alofa that was raised to be humble, and the part of her that descended from warriors.

“We have two main goals in telling this story. The first is to diversify the narrative around Pacific women,” says Solomon-Tanoa’i. “The second is to hold a mirror up to NZ society so that people might become more aware of their unconscious bias and be better placed to do something about it.”

Director of Misadventures Reina Va’ai says “As more Pacific people gain access to opportunities in education, our narrative is beginning to change. We are making valuable contributions in so many different spheres of society. As we enter these spaces, predominantly occupied by Palagi people, we are disturbing the status quo. This story is one that encourages us all, regardless of your background, to acknowledge the issues that minorities face. To not be a passive bystander but to stand up and be part of the solution.”

Vai is a portmanteau feature film made by nine female Pacific filmmakers, filmed in seven different Pacific countries: Fiji, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Kuki Airani (Cook Islands), Samoa, Niue and Aotearoa (New Zealand). It is about the journey of Vai, played by a different indigenous actress in each of the Pacific countries. In each of these Pacific nations ‘vai’ means water. Watch the trailer here.