Page 26 - Fiji Traveller Issue 2

A scene from Bean Peanut.

in schools across Australia – teaches scriptwriting, narrative horror, Envy, is a case in point.
and documentary filmmaking, with supplementary classes in Made in 2012, it is now taking audiences by storm, with gasps
camerawork and editing, explains Film Fiji CEO, Ramiro Tenioro. and screams reverberating around the auditorium at its multiple
“Most of these schools are now in the pre-production or recent screenings – no mean feat for a film less than ten minutes
production phases of their first end-of-course short movies. in length.
“The main goal is to bring audio visual skills to tomorrow’s In post-screening discussions, those audiences
workforce, to be able to give these skills to local talent who enthusiastically explained to me their reaction to this film, and
want to learn either on a technical level or an artistic level,” he others in the selection.
continues. They are seeing themselves cinematically.
“We are very excited to see what the next few years will bring They are reminded that Fijian culture and stories can and
once all of this young talent gets this access.” should be celebrated and represented on film.
It certainly is an exciting time for the burgeoning Fijian film With these young filmmakers increasingly making more and
industry, with 2023 promising much as new skill sets, embedded more noise both locally and globally, with little to no assistance,
in the school system, ignite the oral storytelling tradition that is who is to say what will happen once this new flourishing in the
part of every Pacific Islander’s heritage. local Fijian film industry finds real investment?
“Even though there are so many Pasifika stories to tell, we are Ruve Ni Yawani Pictures, a Suva-based filmmaking collective,
severely underrepresented in the filmmaking industry, let alone started making shorts with nothing but a phone during the Covid
Fijians and even more so Rotumans,” laments Tristan Petueli. lockdowns. They have seen their films clock up over 200,000
“The main reason I got into this field was so that I could views online, as well as enjoying huge success on the local
showcase my Hanua (homeland), Fäeaga (language), ma Ag festival circuit with films like Sotava and Bera – the latter winning
fak hanua (culture) on the big screen.” the BRED Bank Critics’ Choice Award at RARAMA.
Now, for the first time, Fijians filmmakers like Tristan are “We hope to develop a Fijian cinema that can someday
seeing content that existed online (like his stunning debut Mua) compete with the big leagues of Hollywood,” says member Epi
celebrated on big screens at the various film festivals that have Vuruna.
sprung up in the country’s capital and beyond. With the momentum and excitement currently being generated,
Clarence Dass’ masterful homage to body snatchers-styled this may not be such a bold claim.

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