By Melina Etches, Cook Islands News
The Film Raro2 film team from Hawaii and local cast Emma Kainuku-Walsh (left), writer Ruth Tangiiau Mave, and Cook Islands’ award-winning producer Karin Williams (far right). Photo: Cook Islands News / Melina Etches
International film teams are collaborating with Cook Islanders to produce films showcasing their culture and stories, aiming to build digital capacity and share these narratives globally.
Cameras are rolling, "putting material in the can" for Film Raro2, as international film teams started shooting this week with aspiring Cook Islands actors in locations around Rarotonga.
Film Raro2 is a digital capacity-building and filmmaking project that aims to highlight the unique stories and cultural heritage of the Cook Islands.
A welcome gathering for everyone involved, including the five international film teams as well as the local community, was held on Thursday to recognise all the work in getting things off the ground.
The film teams from Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand, Fiji, Hawaii and the USA will share their knowledge and expertise while making Cook Islands films that reflect the community.
These Cook Islands stories will be shared around the world on various platforms.
Emma Kainuku-Walsh auditioning for the role of Rebel in short film “Ei Time to Remember”, written by Ruth Tangiiau Mave and Stan Wolfgramm. KARIN WILLIAMS/25031716 Photo: Cook Islands News / Karin Williams
According to Cook Islander Stan Wolfgramm, a Pasifika storyteller and cultural sustainability entrepreneur and the executive producer of Film Raro2, "We are creating a slice of cinematic history."
"They become a slice of history for us, for our community so we acknowledge the point where we need to celebrate those beginnings as well not just wait until the end. It's important we celebrate our beginnings, some great stuff is being done.
"Today everyone is on the ground and shooting. It's a bit of a milestone today, all teams have arrived and started shooting to tell our stories.
"It's important to say thank you for the support from the community over the next 10 days as they shoot."
Wolfgramm says seeing the stories being made and the knowledge being shared is exciting for many people and represents a significant learning curve for others, including both young and old members of our community and culture.
He acknowledges the New Zealand High Commission's role in their strategy.
"Being connected to the New Zealand film - around $3.8 billion industry, a strong industry … it's also a strong market place for us the Cook Islands to be in touch with the New Zealand film industry but we need to build capacity to be a part of that industry."
According to Wolfgramm, Film Raro2 is a socio-economic development project focused on building our people's digital capacity, diversifying our economy and preserving our culture, heritage and language in digital formats.
Cook Islander Karin Williams is an award-winning producer, journalist and filmmaker with extensive experience working in the Pacific Islands, New Zealand and United States.
This time, she's behind the scenes.
"It's been amazing, we have spent three months with a class learning film making and working on script."
Local cast Terence Tereapii Tangatapoto, Ruby Newport, Amy Kainuku-Walsh, Mata Manu and Thomas Kea are all making their film debuts.
"It's always been a passion to be in a production and I only recently got in this programme with Stan and here we are," shares Kea.
Tangatapoto is playing the role of a grandfather. He is excited to be involved and is looking forward to the experience.
Young Newport plays the lead role in the film "Detour".
"This is my first film, it's really exciting, and working with the film crew," she says.
Cook Islands filmmakers Sela Apera Miller (left) and Stan Wolfgramm, executive producer of Film Raro2. Photo: Cook Islands News / Melina Etches
Cook Islander Sela Apera Miller, model, actress, director and producer, is part of the New Zealand privately-owned Country TV channel team.
She is the director of the film dedicated to her brother "Coming Home". Her husband Greg Miller is the executive chairman.
Sela's mother hails from Amuri, Aitutaki, and her father Apera Pori also known as Tua Pera is from Rarotonga.
Her brother, Paora Apera, also known as "P. Digsss", is the singer and frontman for the New Zealand band Shapeshifter, which recently celebrated a milestone: 25 years of performing globally. Over a decade ago, Apera started projects giving back to the Cook Islands community here in Rarotonga, to the "motherland", donating proceeds to causes like the Creative Centre, and schools including Avatea Primary School where he was a student in 1979.
The Country TV film team from Aotearoa New Zealand include Cook Islander Sela Apera Miller (left), media coordinator Luci Winterton, promo producer TV scheduler Ronan Courtney, and executive chairman Greg Miller. Photo: Cook Islands News / Melina Etches
"For me it was obvious, a documentary biography on my brother," says Sela.
"I thought it would be really wonderful for people to see how far he's come, a Cook Islands boy born in New Zealand who has the passion to come here, passion to give to his people. And he's done so well on the global stage, he's recognised all over the world.
"The more he comes the more he's loving it and wishes he could be here more."
Sela says the reason they titled the film "Coming Home" is that the yearning for Apera to come home is growing stronger and stronger.
"And I think that's one of the reasons he planted those seeds 15 years ago … how can I give back to our people."
The Film Raro2 film team from Fiji are shooting a Cook Islands film on Rarotonga. Photo: Cook Islands News / Melina Etches
The films being shot in Rarotonga will tell a diverse range of stories from a love story between a Navigator and a Star, a teenage girl who lives one minute in the future hacking rocket propelled transport containers to support her family and village, a family returning home to connect to their roots, a grandson and grandfather dealing with the loss of their island to a raising ocean and a woman learning to love again by making and giving Cook Islands Ei.
Local musicians and dancers, including Tuaine "Katu" Teiti and Henry Ahfoo Taripo, also contribute to these films.
The teams will shoot and edit their films until April 11. The public screening will be held on April 12 in Tupapa.
The film teams are: Because I Love You - Hagoth Aiono director, Cynthia Daley producer, Brett Walker camera, Nando Stone editor, Nicole Leuluai sound; Detour - Tumeli Tuqota, Hurstle Manuel Yee camera, Philimone Dakei, Michael Jon light; Ei Time To Remember - Aukai Ligari director, Ryan Walsh camera, Nohealani Nihipali sound, Keiki Taylor editor; Faiva - Bobby Romia producer, Elliot Magen editor, Aaliyah-Jade Bradbury director, Penina Manu writer; Coming Home - Sela Apera Miller director, Greg Miller executive chairman, Luci Winterton, Ronan Courtney; New Zealand Crew - Mike Bhana, Dale Corlet screen executive, and Cook Islander Marino Vakatini Evans.
Originally delivered in 2013, Film Raro2 is back thanks to the funding from the European Union via the ACP-EU Enhancing Capacity for the Sustainability of Cultural and Creative Industries in the Pacific Project (CCIP). The project provides support to artists and cultural producers from across the Pacific region.
-This article was first published by Cook Islands News.
