Oscar hopeful Lea Tupu’anga's māfana captures global support

A wave of excitement is sweeping across the Pacific as Lea Tupu’anga/Mother Tongue, a poignant short film co-created by filmmaker Vea Mafile’o and actor/writer Luciane Buchanan, embarks on an unprecedented journey towards the Academy Awards.

Speaking with John Pulu on PMN Tonga from Los Angeles, the Tongan pair shares the emotional highs, logistical hurdles, and overwhelming community support behind their Oscar campaign.

The path to Oscar recognition is notoriously complex. As Mafile’o explains, the film has officially entered the running, kicking off a demanding campaigning process.

“It is quite a complicated process,” Mafile’o says. “You have to do a whole lot of campaigning. Then it goes through one voting stage, then there’s a shortlist, then another voting stage, and then it’s down to five.

“Obviously, you’ve cracked it if you make the last stages. Yeah, it’s pretty exciting and it’s a bit of a journey as well.”

Lea Tupu’anga/Mother Tongue is being considered in the Live Action Short Film category.

Watch Vea Mafile'o and Luciane Buchanan's full interview below.

For Buchanan, the Oscar consideration was unexpected. She began writing Lea Tupu’anga/Mother Tongue out of frustration with the lack of Tongan narratives on screen and the limited opportunities to portray her own ethnicity as an actor.

“I had no intention of it going any further than a draft that sat on my desktop for years,” Buchanan says. “I just noticed that there weren't that many Tongan films at all...it kind of called me to write my own.

The 17-minute film follows a young speech therapist who must conceal her limited Tongan language skills while working with a patient who speaks no English. The story resonates with themes of identity, culture, and connection.

“This started off as like a love letter to my grandma, Tiueti, who passed three years ago. So that in itself, I have this piece immortalised forever…it’s all I can ask for.”

Campaigning posed a major challenge: while most Oscar contenders prepare for months, Mafile’o and Buchanan had just two weeks.

That’s when Buchanan reached out to her Chief of War co-star/director, Jason Momoa, who immediately offered to help.

“He said, ‘I love it. How can I help?’” Buchanan recalls. Momoa is now an executive producer, alongside Sāmoan actor Frankie Adams, has brought global visibility to the project.

“I think what's so beautiful about bringing him on is that that's something that we bonded on is that he's still on his journey as Kanaka Maoli, trying to find his identity, living in two worlds.”

Their recent Los Angeles screening proved the impact of that support. Despite fears that heavy LA traffic would deter attendees, the cinema was packed with Tongans and Pacific people from across the United States.

Both filmmakers describe the night as māfana (heartwarming/emotional), filled with tears, pride, and gratitude.

On set with Lucianne Buchanan (second from left) and Vea Mafile'o. Photo/Vea Mafile'o

“We've just had amazing, incredible support from the community,” Mafile’o says. “The global community have really shown up for us.”

As the preliminary Oscar voting period closes, the pair say the best way supporters can help is by sharing social media posts online. Strict Academy rules prevent them directly asking for votes, but using hashtags #FYC (For Your Consideration) and #BestLiveActionShort boosts the film’s exposure.

Apart from the accolades, Mafile’o and Buchanan hope the milestone will open doors for future Tongan storytelling.

“What we’ve really learned is that in the future, we don't want to be the only ones doing this for our Tongan community,” Buchanan says. “We just want to bridge the gap and hopefully, there’s more of this. And we’ll definitely tell the future Tongans how to do this right because we’ve learned a lot of lessons.”

For the duo, the journey is already a historic victory: Lea Tupu’anga/Mother Tongue is the first Tongan film to reach this stage.

Oscar nominations will be announced on Thursday, 22 January 2026.