Myths & Maidens - Kicking The Door Down

Myths & Maidens Part 5:

“What makes a beautiful Pasifika woman? - her mana. You walk in the room and you say nothing because your mana speaks for you..” - Sera Naiqama

“It's very difficult to get ahead in any space if we don't acknowledge, recognise, celebrate who we are” - Carmel Sepuloni Deputy Leader Labour Party.

“My own insecurities that I used to experience in my mid-twenties, they're now gone because I'm so much more rooted to the Pasifika woman that I've seen in my life and that has shaped who I am and how I think of myself today” - Indira Moala, TV journalist

Women from across the Moana are smashing doors wide open as they put their voices into spaces they previously have been blocked from, explore this unique celebration of fafine Pasifika from different Island cultures.

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‘MYTHS AND MAIDENS’ is a rich tapestry of stories from women in Samoa, Hawaii, Tahiti, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Fiji and Aotearoa.

A Coconet TV original, the hour long documentary delves into the sticky issues of colourism, fat-phobia, and how our societies have been taught to view women of colour across the ages.

In this love letter to Moana women, we look at the collective trauma, challenges and inequities for women across Pasifika - and how in the face of this, the celebration of ourselves is an act of colonial resistance.

Hollywood films, beauty pageants, and TV representations sit alongside the power of Pasifika performance and our own storytelling to present a crackling canvas of old and new narratives.

The 60min feature documentary offers up the Talanoa and the tea from many different fafine across the Moana - from politicians, artists, farmers to beauty queens, sports women and activists these are the spicy coco- conversations we have been waiting for!

IN LOVING MEMORY OF OUR TAMA’ITA’I TOA - TOFILAU YOLANDE AH CHONG