Pacific animation hits the big screen

A film about two children from South Auckland exploring the different languages and cultures in the Pacific has debuted in Tāmaki Makaurau.

The feature-length film, Digital Navigators, Legacy of the Islands, was launched last week by Pacific Kids Learning (PKL), an online platform created to produce and share Pacific stories and content for younger generations.

Directed by Herman Aviu, the animated film screened at Hoyts Cinema, Sylvia Park, on 19 July.

The Pasifika digital showcase follows 'Alisi and Semisi through an anthology of multilingual stories and songs featuring different voice actors and artists.

Herman said the film was a passion project.

“It's the stuff that you dream about doing…It never really felt like work for me," Aviu told Pacific Days.

From riding on the back of a pickup truck on a hot day in Tonga to discovering a humpback whale in Sāmoa, and listening to Rotuman elders tell stories, hanuj, these are some of the fun adventures in store for the audience.

The village-made movie features a range of children’s animations in Lea faka-Tonga, Vosa Vakaviti-Fiji, Gagana Sāmoa, Fäeag Rotuḁm-Rotuma, Te Gana Tuvalu, Vagahau Niue, Te Gagana Tokelau and the English languages.

"We thank all the amazing storytellers in the grassroots of our communities who contributed to this vision," Aviu said.

"The film is a mix of traditional methods of knowledge sharing, reinvigorated for a younger audience using innovative technologies and a multi-sensory approach.

"This has been the mission of Ōtara-based and social enterprise Pasifika Kids’ Learning (PKL) who are creators of the project."

Director Herman Aviu, left, and his family at Hoyts Cinema. Photo/supplied

PKL's Theresa Tupuola-Sorenson, Evo Leota Tupou, and Tatiana Marich also helped produce the film to highlight the various Pacific languages and cultures and share intergenerational stories found in the Pacific diaspora.

Tupuola-Sorenson said the film was co-produced, co-written, co-directed, and co-composed alongside local school children.

She said they included the children in the production because it was important for the younger generation to bring traditional Pacific stories to the modern age.

Friday's red carpet event was invite-only and included the various artists and children who worked on the film, Tupuola-Sorenson said.

She shared the importance of the debut, saying there were fewer opportunities for Pasifika to attend red-carpet events.

The film's screening was funded by the Ministry of Education and the Auckland Airport Community Trust.

Digital Navigators, Legacy of the Islands has had four screenings at Hoyts.

From left, PKL's Theresa Tupuola-Sorensen, left, and Tatiana March, right, with Elizabeth Keresoma from the Education Ministry's Pacific bilingual unit. Photo/supplied