Joy: When I Am My Ancestors
- Pacific Showcase, Short Film Programs
- 62 mins
“When I was my ancestors, I survived war, infections, and imprisonment. Now I am me, and I can and will survive all this colonial government can throw at me. So when I am my mokopuna, I will thrive on my own sovereign land.” —Tina Ngata (Ngāti Porou)
Continuing PAAFF’s tradition of partnering with Pacific Islanders in Communications (PIC) to offer a special program spotlighting Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander filmmaking talent. This year’s shorts program centers on the Pacific community’s power to find joy, healing, love, and resistance in themselves and one another.
This film program is available internationally.
Q&A LIVE on 11/7 at 7:00 P.M. EST
In this program
Homai
Directed by Pascale & Julien Marckt
“Let the beat into your body / Let the mana flow right into you.” “Homai” is Vaiteani’s celebration of the universal power of rhythm.
Hinekura
Directed by Becs Arahanga
The story of one young woman’s rite of passage as she steps into her destiny.
Tā Moko – Behind the Tattooed Face
Directed by Mick Andrews and David Atkinson
Maori face tattooing is a tradition that almost died out through colonization. Bernard and Sapphire show their passion to see Maori communities heal by receiving face tattoos of their own.
Ka Piko
Directed by Bryson Chun
When his girlfriend dies during childbirth, Makana, a young Hawaiian man, must complete an indigenous birthing ritual with his girlfriend’s overbearing father.
Standing Above the Clouds
Directed by Jalena Keane-Lee
Standing Above the Clouds follows Native Hawaiian mother-daughter activists as they stand to protect their sacred mountain Mauna Kea from the building of the world’s largest telescope.
Cancel RIMPAC: A Collective Poem
Directed by Michael Inouye
Thirteen indigenous poets from Oceania—from Hawaiʻi, Aotearoa, and Guahan—came together to write and record a poem calling for the Cancellation of RIMPAC and for the restoration of ea: life, breath, and sovereignty.