He Karu, He Taringa

To six-year-old Ben, the world is full of loud noises and frightening images. As Ben struggles with everyday life, his mother searches desperately to find a way to help her son.

Directed by Tahuaroa Ohia

Director’s Bio: Tahuaroa Ohia (Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Pukenga, Ngāti Hine, Ngāpuhi) was diagnosed with Autism when he was six years old. The only way he talked to people was to quote lines from movies & tv shows – thus sparking his interest in screen storytelling. In 2021, Tahu graduated with a Bachelors in Performing Arts. During his study he wrote the initial script for “He Karu, He Taringa” as a stage performance. Tahu is passionate about sharing stories that uplift Indigenous people all over the world.

Plays in

Beliefs, Choices: Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander Shorts

“[My] film’s structure adopts Polynesian perceptions of non-linear time, where past, present, and future intertwine. The past coexists with our present and future.” –Karin Williams This quote could frame this year’s Pacific Shorts Showcase. These award-winning shorts from filmmakers throughout the Pacific involve journeys across time, space, culture, and religion. From a docu-art piece about a young man who travels from luxury resorts to a time when his tīpuna first settled to animated queer mythic love story inspired by the Hawaiian concept of aikāne, these stories trace the interconnections between self and community and the power of belief.