Festival
Thursday, September 17th
Opening Night: Pasifika On Air Launch
đPlaywrights Horizon
â±ïž 5:00pm - 8:00pm
Global debut of Pasifika On Air, a wave-making new platform dedicated to celebrating and amplifying Pasifika stories, voices, and creativity.
Be part of this landmark event as we unveil the platform, hear from special guests, and celebrate this milestone with the Pasifika community.
Join us for an evening of short films followed by a Q&A with filmmakers and a cocktail hour, offering the chance to continue the conversation and connect with fellow audiences and guests.
Malo aupito (thank you) to PCBL and Pasifika On Air for making this possible.
Films: Love and Kastom, Descendants of Niue, Dollar to Dreams
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Pasifika On Air (POA) is a funding programme for Pacific broadcasters to create and tell their own stories. Funded by Pacific Cooperation Broadcasting Limited (PCBL), it is the first initiative of its kind, empowering Pasifika broadcasters to share local stories on a global stage.Â
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â±ïž 5:00pm - 8:00pm
Global debut of Pasifika On Air, a wave-making new platform dedicated to celebrating and amplifying Pasifika stories, voices, and creativity.
Be part of this landmark event as we unveil the platform, hear from special guests, and celebrate this milestone with the Pasifika community.
Join us for an evening of short films followed by a Q&A with filmmakers and a cocktail hour, offering the chance to continue the conversation and connect with fellow audiences and guests.
Malo aupito (thank you) to PCBL and Pasifika On Air for making this possible.
Films: Love and Kastom, Descendants of Niue, Dollar to Dreams
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Pasifika On Air (POA) is a funding programme for Pacific broadcasters to create and tell their own stories. Funded by Pacific Cooperation Broadcasting Limited (PCBL), it is the first initiative of its kind, empowering Pasifika broadcasters to share local stories on a global stage.Â
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Presented by
Friday, September 18th
Dreams to Screens
đSmithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian
â±ïž 6:30pm - 9:00pm
Returning for a third year in a row, the Smithsonian's Museum of the American Indian will host a screening and talk back with New Zealand's first gothic horror, MÄrama. Grounded in the colonised history of Aotearoa, New Zealand; MÄrama was chosen in 2020 imagineNATIVE Indigenous Screenwriting Intensive program, supported by Netflix then for further development in the 2021 Toronto I.F.F. âWritersâ Studioâ, the inaugural 2021 âBlack List New Zealand Projectâ and the 2022 Zurich F.F. âAcademyâ. MÄRAMA was an Official Project in the 2023 Berlinale Co-Production Market.A bold reimagining of gothic horror, MÄrama follows a young MÄori woman confronting the violent legacy of colonialism through ancestral power, spiritual awakening and righteous vengeance. Writer-director Taratoa Stappard crafts a visually stunning and culturally resonant film that has been praised for its atmospheric storytelling, unforgettable lead performance and powerful emotional catharsis.
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â±ïž 6:30pm - 9:00pm
Returning for a third year in a row, the Smithsonian's Museum of the American Indian will host a screening and talk back with New Zealand's first gothic horror, MÄrama. Grounded in the colonised history of Aotearoa, New Zealand; MÄrama was chosen in 2020 imagineNATIVE Indigenous Screenwriting Intensive program, supported by Netflix then for further development in the 2021 Toronto I.F.F. âWritersâ Studioâ, the inaugural 2021 âBlack List New Zealand Projectâ and the 2022 Zurich F.F. âAcademyâ. MÄRAMA was an Official Project in the 2023 Berlinale Co-Production Market.A bold reimagining of gothic horror, MÄrama follows a young MÄori woman confronting the violent legacy of colonialism through ancestral power, spiritual awakening and righteous vengeance. Writer-director Taratoa Stappard crafts a visually stunning and culturally resonant film that has been praised for its atmospheric storytelling, unforgettable lead performance and powerful emotional catharsis.
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Presented by
Saturday, September 19th
Pacific Cinema all day long
đAngelika Film Center
â±ïž 2:00pm - 10:00pm
đïž Seven curated screenings
Experience a full day of extraordinary Pacific cinema, featuring award-winning documentaries, feature films and short film collections from across Oceania.
Discover powerful stories of identity, culture, resilience and community that celebrate the voices and traditions shaping the Pacific today. Join us at the Angelika Film Center for an unforgettable celebration of Pacific storytelling.
â±ïž 2:00pm - 10:00pm
đïž Seven curated screenings
Experience a full day of extraordinary Pacific cinema, featuring award-winning documentaries, feature films and short film collections from across Oceania.
Discover powerful stories of identity, culture, resilience and community that celebrate the voices and traditions shaping the Pacific today. Join us at the Angelika Film Center for an unforgettable celebration of Pacific storytelling.
SUNDAY, September 20th
The Met Museum Community Screening
đSacerdote Lecture Hall, The Met Museum
â±ïž 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Experience a full day of extraordinary Pacific cinema, featuring award-winning documentaries, feature films and short film collections from across Oceania.
Q&A Special Guest: Ambassador Seid, Nia Tero CEO Aulani Welheilm
Films: Remantahu, Te Ara - The Path
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â±ïž 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Experience a full day of extraordinary Pacific cinema, featuring award-winning documentaries, feature films and short film collections from across Oceania.
Q&A Special Guest: Ambassador Seid, Nia Tero CEO Aulani Welheilm
Films: Remantahu, Te Ara - The Path
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Presented by
Closing Night Gala
đSacerdote Lecture Hall, MET
â±ïž 5:30pm - 10:00pm
Let us bring Pacific hospitality to you. Celebrating a week long of indigenous story-telling from across the Pacific, Melanesia and Micronesia. The strength of our communities and the voices shaping storytelling into the future.
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â±ïž 5:30pm - 10:00pm
Let us bring Pacific hospitality to you. Celebrating a week long of indigenous story-telling from across the Pacific, Melanesia and Micronesia. The strength of our communities and the voices shaping storytelling into the future.
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Presented by
Film Blocks
Tidal Waves
Dasher
LOCATION
Village East Angelika - Theater 1
TIME
2:00 pm
RUNTIME
26 minutes
A down-and-out food delivery driver and a wayward restaurant worker team up for a chaotic night of deliveries on Christmas Eve in Honolulu.
DIRECTEDÂ BY
Alexander Bocchieri
ORIGIN
Hawaii
Donât
LOCATION
Village East Angelika - Theater 1
TIME
2:00 pm
RUNTIME
44 mins
This show follows comedian Bubbah Olo as she is turning 30 and goes to conquer the challenges of adulthood. She dives into the major life topics like homeownership, marriage, and parenthood along with other comedians and real world experts.
DIRECTEDÂ BY
Aidee Walker
ORIGIN
Aotearoa
O Alofa Nei, O Alofa Na
LOCATION
Village East Angelika - Theatre 1
TIME
2:00 pm
RUNTIME
9 mins
Manaia, a young woman caught between expectation and self-acceptance, finds herself confronting her repressed sexuality when a chance reunion with her first love stirs old feelings.
DIRECTEDÂ BY
Giselle Ilaoa
ORIGIN
Samoa, Aotearoa
Fresh Waves
Cereal Killers
LOCATION
Village East Angelika - Theater 2
TIME
2:00 pm
RUNTIME
30 mins
Private Detective-turned-High School Principal James Bundy interrogates three students while trying to solve what he believes to be a serious crime.
DIRECTEDÂ BY
Conner Yoshioka
ORIGIN
Hawaii
Cuppa' Joe
LOCATION
Village East Angelika - Theater 2
TIME
2:00 pm
RUNTIME
8 mins
Beneath the canned laughter of a 1950s sitcom, an Asian-Native Hawaiian couple navigates a dystopian allegory of diaspora, identity, and the cost of belonging in America.
DIRECTEDÂ BY
Pono Wong
ORIGIN
Hawaii
Denial
LOCATION
Village East Angelika - Theater 2
TIME
2:00 pm
RUNTIME
7 mins
A young man struggles with Bipolar Disorder as he begins a new job and flirtation.
DIRECTEDÂ BY
Erek Elliott
ORIGIN
Hawaii
Falling
LOCATION
Village East Angelika - Theater 2
TIME
2:00 pm
RUNTIME
16 mins
Alone in the suffocating quiet of his surrogate sisterâs apartment, fifteen-year-old Analu clings desperately to memories of his lost loved one, Iolani, the one person who made him feel seen. The night becomes a battleground of haunting flashbacks and quiet suffering, as Analu teeters between holding on and letting go. Malu, his surrogate sister, fights to reach the part of him still holding on. Falling is a raw, intimate journey through trauma, where the weight of the past threatens to eclipse the connections that remain.
DIRECTEDÂ BY
ORIGIN
Hawaii
Ka PoÌ LoÌÊ»ihi
LOCATION
Village East Angelika
TIME
2:00 pm
RUNTIME
12 mins
Ka pĆ lĆÊ»ihi is an experimental short film about Kekai, a native Hawaiian born into a broken family where violence, drug abuse, and corruption rob him of his innocence. When his single mother passes away, Kekai is left to his own devices and struggles to break free of the generational curse of systemic drug abuse and incarceration. Kekai, a defeated and will-stricken adult, is forced to face his childhood trauma alone in his cell. Will Kekaiâs ignorance prevent his journey through the vast darkness to Hoâoponopono?
DIRECTEDÂ BY
Josiah Jordan Castillo
ORIGIN
Hawaii
The Whimsical Tale
LOCATION
Village East Angelika - Theater 2
TIME
2:00 pm
RUNTIME
5 mins
Two roommates clash over differing views.
DIRECTEDÂ BY
Emi Catanzariti, Kasen Isa
ORIGIN
Hawaii
Mana WÄhine
Adi (Girl Chief)
LOCATION
Village East Angelika - Theater 1
TIME
4:00 pm
RUNTIME
1 hr 5 mins
A narrative set in the present time, the story follows two siblings of chiefly status in the province of Ra. The natural order of things is that the older sibling takes the role of chief when called upon. Through an unexpected turn of events and retribution of the older sibling, the role of chief ends up falling on the younger sibling, his sister. What unfolds is the struggle of identity and role acceptance within a chiefly household, the courage to own up to one's mistakes and the power of forgiveness.
DIRECTEDÂ BY
Adi Tulia Nacola
ORIGIN
Aotearoa, Tahiti, Tokelau, Samoa
I Am Not Your Dusky Maiden
LOCATION
Village East Angelika - Theater 1
TIME
4:00 pm
RUNTIME
16 mins
A narrative set in the present time, the story follows two siblings of chiefly status in the province of Ra. The natural order of things is that the older sibling takes the role of chief when called upon. Through an unexpected turn of events and retribution of the older sibling, the role of chief ends up falling on the younger sibling, his sister. What unfolds is the struggle of identity and role acceptance within a chiefly household, the courage to own up to one's mistakes and the power of forgiveness.
DIRECTEDÂ BY
Vea Mafile'o
ORIGIN
Aotearoa, Samoa
Lady Shaka: Sonic Sands
LOCATION
Village East Angelika - Theater 1
TIME
4:00 pm
RUNTIME
24 mins
A poetic essay film that moves through the rhythms, bodies, and atmospheres surrounding Lady Shaka, tracing how diasporic nightlife becomes a site of cultural return and reinvention. The film drifts between dancefloors, oceans, memory, and lineage, where sound and movement carry histories that refuse to be erased. At its centre is Lady Shaka, not as a fixed subject, but as a conduit through which ancestral knowledge, queer identity, and Pacific futurity flow. Choreography becomes genealogy, basslines echo whakapapa, and the dancefloor transforms into a space of collective remembering. Here, joy is not escapism but resistance, an assertion of presence in worlds that have long sought to marginalise or silence Pacific bodies.
DIRECTEDÂ BY
Ursula Grace Williams
ORIGIN
Aotearoa, Tahiti, Tokelau, Samoa
Deep Currents
Distant Roots
LOCATION
Village East Angelika - Theater 2
TIME
4:00 pm
RUNTIME
15 mins
In New Zealand, a Tongan father in his seventies labours through the unchanging rhythm of construction work, long after his children have grown and moved on. As the days blur together and time slips away, he is haunted by distance, from his roots in Vavaâu, Tonga, and from the family he is still trying to hold onto.
DIRECTEDÂ BY
ORIGIN
Tonga
Ei
LOCATION
Village East Angelika - Theater 2
TIME
4:00 pm
RUNTIME
19 mins
Rebecca escapes her abusive marriage in Aotearoa and returns home to the Cook Islands with her son, where they struggle to reintegrate with the small island culture and her familyʻs tradition of ei (floral garland) making.
DIRECTEDÂ BY
Aukai Ligairi
ORIGIN
Cook Islands
Grey
LOCATION
Village East Angelika - Theater 2
TIME
4:00 pm
RUNTIME
9 mins
A woman's flirtatious encounter at a bar explores the grey area between connection and danger.
DIRECTEDÂ BY
'Ana Ika
ORIGIN
Tonga
Tamai
LOCATION
Village East Angelika - Theater 2
TIME
4:00 pm
RUNTIME
5 mins
A son faces his biggest fear of reuniting with his distant father, who spent 15 years in prison, and now faces a new lifetime sentence - deportation.
DIRECTEDÂ BY
Enoch J Lui
ORIGIN
Tonga
What We Carry
LOCATION
Village East Angelika - Theater 2
TIME
4:00 pm
RUNTIME
15 mins
After years of heartbreaking miscarriages, a woman is ready to abandon her dream of motherhood- until she uncovers a secret that forces her to make an impossible choice about becoming a mom.
DIRECTEDÂ BY
Lindsay Watson
ORIGIN
Hawaii
'Onipaâa
LÄhainÄ: Voices of Change Documentary
LOCATION
Village East Angelika
TIME
6:00 pm
RUNTIME
53 mins
On August 8, 2024, the town of Lahaina was devastated by a massive wildfire, leaving most of the historic town in ruins. It became one of the deadliest wildfires in U.S. history, displacing thousands of residents and claiming many lives. A year later, this small, close-knit community continues to struggle with rebuilding. The disaster has revealed deeper issues, including the impacts of climate change, land management challenges, dependence on tourism, and the housing crisis. Once the capital of the Hawaiian monarchy, Lahaina holds deep ancestral ties, with families tracing their roots back multiple generations. Now, as the town starts the long process of healing.
DIRECTEDÂ BY
Ty Sanga
ORIGIN
Hawaii
Pacific Giant
âPacific Giantâ Lomu
LOCATION
Village East Angelika - Theater 1
TIME
7:30 pm
RUNTIME
2 hrs
Jonah Lomu was rugbyâs first global superstar, and for good reason - he was absolutely unstoppable. A sporting warrior who battled all odds to become the All Blackâs youngest ever player, he was a superhuman talent who captured the hearts of fans worldwide. Ten years on from his untimely passing, and with exclusive access to his family, friends and teammates, LOMU is the definitive, final chapter on the greatest rugby player the world has ever known.
DIRECTEDÂ BY
Gavin FitzGerald, Vea Mafile'o
ORIGIN
Tonga, Aotearoa
TOITĆȘ: Visual Sovereignty
TOITĆȘ: Visual Sovereignty
LOCATION
Village East Angelika - Theater 2
TIME
7:30 pm
RUNTIME
1 hr 41 mins
TOITĆȘ is a documentary that explores the creation of the largest MÄori art exhibition in New Zealandâs history. It illustrates the indigenous self determination challenging institutional power. Highlight the tensions that arrive when challenging those traditional colonial institutions. Q&A Reuben Patterson and Dan Taulapapa McMullin two featured artist in the films, and Chelsea Winstanley.
DIRECTEDÂ BY
Chelsea Winstanley
ORIGIN
Aotearoa