CHILDREN OF THE MIGRATION

“The children of the families who migrated to New Zealand from the Pacific in the ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s and even the ‘80s talk about growing up as Pacific Islanders in New Zealand in Lala Rolls’ lively and moving TV One documentary. Rolls, a Fiji-born European who arrived in New Zealand in 1981, describes her film as ‘an ode to our parents’. When her interview subjects express their amazement at the deprivation and culture shock their parents endured, her allusion to poetry is justified. There’s a casual formality to each interview, as though the participants approached their encounters with the filmmakers with a sense of occasion. The filmmakers have returned the compliment by posing and lighting each of them beautifully, as if for a portrait. The parade of well-known faces testifies to the impact of Pacific Island culture on New Zealand identity in the 21st century, but so does the parade of the not-so-famous. Though not every memory recalled is a happy one, the film is essentially a celebration.” - 2004 NZ Film Festival Guide.

Interviews: Vela Manusaute, David Sa’ena, Maurice Newport, Lefau Paniani Sa’ena, Alan Sa’ena, Venasio-Lorenzo Crawley, Catalina Crawley