'A Boy called Piano' documentary premieres tonight at the NZ International Film Festival
'A Boy called Piano' premieres in Auckland this evening at the 2022 NZ International Film Festival playing both tonight and tomorrow morning before it heads south to screen in Christchurch, Wellington and Dunedin over the next couple of weeks.
"This heart-breaking story details Fa'amoana John Luafutu’s time as a state ward. At its core, it is a story about fathers and sons, intergenerational trauma and redemption. Using his voice for the voiceless, Luafutu and Fijian director Nina Nawalowalo vitally bring this story to light. A must-watch for all New Zealanders. Using his voice for the voiceless, he vitally brings the story to light.
'A Boy Called Piano' is the product of a long-term collaboration between Nina's theatre company 'The Conch', Fa'amoana John Luafutu and the Luafutu aiga. The film blends dramatised sequences and powerful interviews with beautiful aerial and underwater photography – translating Nawalowalo’s celebrated visual storytelling to the screen for the first time." - Lana Lopesi.
The documentary has already garnered attention and praise internationally winning 'Best feature documentary' at the spring edition of the prestigious Montreal Independent Film Festival.
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Arriving to New Zealand from Samoa as a young child in the 1950s, Fa'amoana was taken from his family and placed in state care, suffering terrible abuse alongside thousands of other Pacific and Maori children. This documentary explores his journey through state care, prison, gang membership, as well as the intergenerational impacts of these experiences; and ultimately, healing for Fa'amoana and his Family through harnessing the power of his voice as a storyteller.
It is a Pacific story told through a Pacific lens - with the guidance of director Nina Nawalowalo’s graceful vision - as well as a sublime score by NZ music legend Mark Vanilau - using powerful symbols and imagery to connect directly with survivors: the return to water - ‘from the river to the sea’ - the feeling of wind caressing skin… the elements of nature that are denied to all those who are detained and incarcerated.
The Conch has been honoured to walk alongside Fa’amoana and the Luafutu Aiga as they have courageously shared their stories for the last 7 years - beginning with the collaboration for the stage play THE WHITE GUITAR (2016), and the subsequent collaboration for the stage play A BOY CALLED PIANO (2019), and lastly this documentary film. The film has been made for the kaupapa of connecting directly with survivors - empowering them to share their own stories; as well as being a beautiful moving film - that will serve to positively illuminate the survivor experience in wider society, in Aotearoa and abroad.
Through sharing this story, Fa'amoana has become a 'voice for the voiceless': for all the thousands of children who never made it this far.
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Director Nina Nawalowalo is passionately committed to bringing our untold stories into the light and for using theatre as a vehicle to affect social change. In 2013 She established the Solomon Islands National Women's Theatre Company ‘Stages of Change’ as a means to address violence against women and girls. The 15 strong company of women performed at the Melanesian Arts Festival in Papua New Guinea and at the EU Parliament in Brussels.
Acclaimed work The White Guitar, is the powerful story of The Luafutu Family - Father John and sons Matthias and Malo aka renown hip hop artist scribe. Told by the Luafutu family themselves, the sold-out show was lauded by critics with praise: “If there’s any show that you’re going to see in the next decade, this has to be it” [RNZ National]. It was described by The Press as ‘a seminal moment in New Zealand theatre history’.