Siapo Cinema 2016
11 – 21 May
Talofa lava | Kia orana | Malo e lelei | Fakaalofa lahi atu | Bula vinaka | Namaste | Malo ni | Halo ‘ola keta | Mauri | Fakatalofa atu | Kia ora | Warm Pasifika Greetings
Join us for Siapo Cinema 2016, a festival of moving images by, for and about Pasifika people and communities here and abroad.
Showcasing films, documentaries, live performance, panel discussions, creativity and multimedia exhibitions by local artists, Siapo Cinema has something for everyone.
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Festival Programme
All events will take place at Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision, 84 Taranaki St, Wellington. All tickets $10 / $8 concession, unless otherwise noted.
10 – 21 May
Tautai Contemporary Pacific Arts Trust Exhibition
Showing continuously in the TV Lounge: a selection of emerging and established Oceanic artists present their video art. Curated by Faith Wilson, Artists: Christopher Ulutup, Phoebe J Smith, Elyjana Roach, Sarah Jane Parton, Pot Luck Webseries, Jasmine Te Hira, Robert George, and Reina Sutton.
2.30 - 5pm, Wed 11 & Sat 14 May
Hawaiian Lei Making
Learn the art of lei making with artists from the Hawai'i Culture Centre. $5 donation appreciated, or a gold coin for children.
6pm, Wed 11 May
Siapo Cinema’s Hawai'i Night
Presented by the Hawai'i Culture Centre. The evening includes Mauna Kea – Temple Under Siege (Hawaii, 2006, 57 min, Exempt), a documentary of the Hawaiian struggle for cultural survival; Stones (Hawaii, 2009, 20 min, PG), a mystical film set in ancient Hawai'i; along with food, drinks and entertainment.
7pm, Thur 12 May
Siapo Cinema’s Ete fia siva? (Would You Like To Dance?)
Presented by Dance Aotearoa New Zealand, Black Grace: From Cannon’s Creek to Jacob’s Pillow (NZ, 2004, 57 min, Exempt), a documentary on Black Grace, a dance troupe of Pacific Islander and Māori men, who burst onto the New Zealand stage in 1995. Follow their journey from a group of mates in Canon’s Creek, Porirua, to the world stage in the USA. Preceded by the short documentaries (20 min, Exempt), Islands of Light and Bro’s being Bro’s.
5.30pm, Fri 13 & Fri 20 May
Siapo Shorts
(International, 68 min, PG – Low level violence)
An array of short films by Pasifika filmmakers from Hawaii, Samoa and Aotearoa. The line-up includes: Dreams of a Pagan Tattooed Savage (Robert Pennybacker, 2011), The Lawnmower Men of Kapu (Libby Hakaria, 2012), O A'u O Taupou (2010), Ka Haka Rongo (Sergio Mata'u Rapu, 2013), I'm Going to Mums (Lauren Jackson, 2013), Keao (Emily Ann Kaliko Spenser, 2008), Ipo Lei Manu (Daniel L. Boulos, 2011), and MA (Nikki Si'ulepa, 2016).
7pm, Fri 13 May
Tongan Ninja
(NZ, 2003, 85 min, PG)
A comedy cult classic befitting a living legend that will live long after all other living legends have died. The film you didn’t know you wanted, until you wanted it.
4.30pm Sat 14, 7pm Wed 18 & 4.30pm Sat 21 May
In Football We Trust
(USA, 2015, 87 min, Exempt)
Four young Polynesian football players in Utah struggle to overcome gang violence, family pressures and near poverty as they enter the high stakes world of the NFL and the promise of professional sports.
6pm, Sat 14 May
Plastic Paradise: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch | Kava Club Chop Suey Hui
(USA, 2014, film: 57 min + discussion, Exempt)
Every single piece of plastic ever created since the 19th century is still SOMEWHERE on our planet. So if it never goes away, where does it go? After the film, join us for an open discussion on Pacific environmental issues with speakers Pala Molisa, Teanau Tuiono, Non Plastic Māori - Tina Ngata (via Skype), Ahilapalapa Rands, and the Kava Club.
5.30pm, Wed 18 May
Jonah Lomu – Dare to Dream
(NZ, 2005, 69 min, Exempt)
New Zealand’s sporting legend Jonah Lomu and his battle to overcome kidney failure and return to rugby.
6pm, Thur 19 May
Siapo Cinema’s Solid Ink: Tep Tok | Savage Symbols
A screening of two documentaries on Tattoo traditions in Papua New Guinea and Samoa: Tep Tok (Australia, 60 min, 2015, Exempt) and Savage Symbols (NZ, 2002, 55 min, Exempt).
7pm, Fri 20 May
Mark II
(NZ, 1986, 72 min, M – Violence)
Three streetwise Māori teenagers hit the road in a two-tone Mark II Zephyr, in New Zealand’s first ever telefeature.
7pm, Sat 21 May
Three Wise Cousins
(NZ, 2016, 89 min, PG)
Ask your cousins, they know everything... A romantic comedy about a 22-year-old Samoan-Kiwi looking to impress a woman, so he journeys to Samoa to get advice from those who can teach him best.
Siapo Cinema is proudly presented by Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision, with the support of Wellington City Council Creative Communities, in partnership with:
