Duo elevates Pacific languages through youth video journals

Film-makers Telesia Tanoa’i and her father, Salā Esera Tanoa’i, are driving a cultural revival in Aotearoa by producing video journals that preserve Pacific languages and empower youth.

Their video for Kiribati Language Week last month featured student John Murdoch from St Michael’s Catholic School and received praise for its warmth, cultural authenticity, and professional quality.

The project is funded by the Moana Reo Fund through the Pacific Media Network (PMN) and supported by the Ministry for Pacific Peoples. It covers five Pacific language weeks in 2025: Sāmoan, Tongan, Cook Islands Māori, Rotuman, and Kiribati. Each video follows a student ambassador delivering engaging language lessons.

Speaking on Pacific Days, Telesia shares that the project was inspired by a desire for better Pasifika representation on screen.

“We didn’t see ourselves reflected in the way we wanted to,” she says.

“These videos help our youth reconnect with language and culture, and give them the spotlight.”

The father-daughter duo, founders of Pasifika-led creative company Poporazzi Productions, see the project as a way to uplift native speakers and connect youth to their culture through authentic storytelling.

“For my daughter to become a director, we need to make room for her to direct,” Esera says.

“This was our first time working as a team, just the two of us, no big crew. It was about ownership, leadership, and storytelling on our terms.”

The video journals combine film, language lessons, and youth storytelling to create engaging content that resonates with communities. They have become popular tools in schools, churches, and community centres across Aotearoa, making Pacific languages fun and easy to learn

Creating the videos wasn’t without its challenges. Tanoa’i described the unpredictability of filming during Polyfest, a major Pasifika cultural festival in Auckland, which posed challenges due to the weather.

But working closely with young Pasifika students, many of whom had little prior acting experience, turned out to be a rewarding journey of mentorship and empowerment.

“Our Pasifika children are natural storytellers, actors, and performers,” Tanoa’i says. “They needed patience and encouragement, but they really embraced the opportunity and became quite professional by the end.”

Watch Telesia Tanoa’i and Salā Esera Tanoa’i’s full interview below.

Poporazzi Productions plans to continue expanding the series into 2026, supporting the remaining Pacific language weeks and further strengthening cultural pride and language preservation efforts.

Through their work, the Tanoa‘i duo is preserving Pacific languages and nurturing a new generation of Pasifika creatives who own their stories and share them on their own terms.

Follow the video journal series on Poporazzi’s Facebook and Instagram pages.