Pollywood Pasifika Film 23

Twenty-three meaningful years of programming, hundreds of important Pasifika short films, thousands of delighted viewers inspiring countless unique Polynesian stories that are yet to be told. Pollywood Pasifika Film 23 returns, equipped to confront and captivate audiences from all walks of life.

‘Relevant, real and provocative’ says Pollywood Director Craig Fasi. ‘My passion for Pasifika film is evident in my dedication and service to the Pasifika film community – our Pasifika journey in film is necessary to encourage our development and challenge the stereotyped narrative. My selection of films this year empowers a view of strength and certainty that I know will create conversation long after audiences have left the screenings.’

In the heartfelt Hawaiian film Dear Aloha, directed by Cris Romento, visual taonga depicting cultural detachment speaks of retention and reclamation in an environment plagued with experiences of displacement that continue to dilute the mana of Hawai‘i and its people.

Puti, by first-time director Aroha Awarau, offers a controversial perspective on the life of a sex worker on Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland’s K Road. A film of courage, necessity and compromise, the point of view is real – as is the complicated path to a possible outcome.

Veteran filmmaker Vea Mafile‘o offers her latest short film, I Am Not Your Dusky Maiden, written by Nora Aat. The short includes an award-winning performance by Aati, who plays the main character of Ala. Ala is a Samoan woman with Dissociative Identity Disorder. Confronting past trauma, she attends a therapy session that entangles the audience in an unlikely conclusion.

You can enjoy six short films in total in the programme, which is only available here in Auckland. Pollywood Pasifika Film 23 will conclude with a Q&A hosted by Craig Fasi with available film representatives.

M - Suitable for mature audiences 16 years of age and over. Sexual Abuse themes and offensive language. Sexual references.

Image Credits: Nora Aati