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ARMED WITH A CAMERA 2023

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6 films in package
TALA'S BEDTIME STORY
In order to help Tala fall asleep, his mother tells him a tale about his grandfather and Pulotu, the underworld.
SNACK
On a night out with friends, Jess briefly opens up about the grief she’s continuing to process in the aftermath of her grandfather’s death. She decides to go home early and while rummaging around in the kitchen for something to eat, startles her grandmother and the two share a sweet moment through food and song, remembering the man they’ve both lost.
MY BROTHER
Stunning Hawai’i backdrops frame this touching drama about a Tongan brother and sister at rugby practice. Recovering from a recent injury and rejected from another University, Alofa is ready to give up. Meanwhile, her brother Malu races against time to encourage his sister and pass on valuable life lessons before it’s too late.
MORE BOUNCE
More Bounce documents three Samoan men as they reflect on their time as bouncers in Southern California, and the dangers that came with it.
KA ʻĀʻUMEʻUME: NAVIGATING HOME
Six Kānaka ʻŌiwi (Native Hawaiians) share their voyages in and out of diaspora. Their collective moʻolelo (story) wades through hope, grief, wisdom, and the effects of the illegal occupation of their homeland. They share the pull they have felt to return to Hawaiʻi and ka ʻāʻumeʻume (the struggle) to stay.
BUTTERFLY/BATAPLAI
A Papua New Guinean/American woman challenges her evangelist father's strict rules to find her voice as a makeup artist.
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A program of films by the Armed with a Camera (AWC) Fellowship for Emerging Media Artists class of 2023. This year’s cohort is comprised of filmmakers of Pasifika descent who have produced 6 heartfelt pieces from the diaspora. From a kitchen in Utah to the ‘āina of Hawai’i, the ties that bind them together as children of the moana are ancestral connection, family and a little food for the soul.

Raya loves makeup but her family does not. She’s torn between her secret dream of being a makeup artist and her family’s strict religious beliefs. In a nightmare, she receives a profound message from her Papua New Guinean ancestor who encourages her to look at her Indigenous culture for answers.

  • Year
    2023
  • Runtime
    8 minutes
  • Country
    United States
  • Director
    Veialu Aila-Unsworth
  • Executive Producer
    Visual Communications
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