VAI

‘Vai’ is a portmanteau feature film made by 9 female Pacific filmmakers, filmed in 7 different Pacific countries: Fiji, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Kuki Airani (Cook Islands), Samoa, Niue and Aotearoa (New Zealand). It is about the journey of empowerment through culture over the lifetime of one woman, Vai, played by a different indigenous actress in each of the Pacific countries, on which ‘vai’ means water. The film was presented at the Berlin International Film Festival 2019, the Māoriland Film Festival 2019 and the Festival South by Southwest Film 2019. It was nominated to the Best International Feature Film at the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2019 and to the Best Film at the Seattle International Film Festival 2019.