Myths & Maidens Part 4 Our indigenous joy and expressions of cultural pride are becoming more and more important as acts of colonial resistance, and Pacific women across the Moana are bringing powerful narratives to the fore in politics, social activism, performance, film and music. From the power of the play ‘Savage Coloniser’, the smash hit film ‘Inky Pinky Ponky’ to the global sensation ‘Hot Brown Honey’ and the joy of trans women leading the Ballroom scene - these are dynamic stories of brown triumph in the face of a world that continues to punch down on brown women.  - ‘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

Myths and Maidens Part 2: Meauli - how this word impacts darker-skinned women in Samoa. Behind the Postcard we look at real snapshots of the lives of women around the Moana region, and the challenges they face in their daily lives. Women from Samoa, Hawaii, Tahiti, Tonga and the Solomon Islands speak to the ways that their lives are at odds with how the Western world perceives them, and what problems this brings. - ‘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

Myths and Maidens Part 1 We’ve all seen her, the hula girl swinging from the dashboard, the sultry South Seas siren smiling languidly in postcards, and the alluring topless native belle telling you to come to the ‘friendly Islands’. She is the Dusky Maiden, the construct of the welcoming Polynesian woman made in the 19th century and used to sell anything from holidays in Paradise, exotic islands in films, or as packaging for mysteries inside of a painted biscuit tin. Women from around the Pacific talk about how this image, so rampant at the turn of the century, is still the go-to picture for Polynesian women 100 years later. We go on a journey around the Pacific looking at a variety of Polynesian women who have been trapped in the lens of the Dusky Maiden dream, and how this image is used in Hawaii, Tahiti and many Pacific islands to sell paradise to the world. ‘Dusky Maiden’ explores the impact of the colonial gaze on images of Pacific women through the ages, how and why this image was created for Western consumption, from early travellers paintings of Polynesia, to Gauguin's painted teenage girls, to the postcards and contemporary tourist advertising today. It also looks at Melanesia, and how women from this region are constructed for Western media and why there are huge differences in these fantasy narratives of the Pacific. - ‘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

Myths & Maidens Part 3: Beauty pageants rule the Pacific and gather in popularity year on year. Who are the favoured types of women in the Pacific in these spaces? Who is excluded? Why are these still the most high profile celebrations of women in the Pacific? From a Papua New Guinean women who have experienced acute racism in a beauty pageant, to women who have been hypersexualised in Hollywood films of the Pacific, we look at the ways that many young Pasifika women are now advocating for their rights in these spaces. Tongan TV presenter and journalist Indira Stewart talks about her journey with being able to bring her natural hair to TV screens in NZ, Fijian TV host Sera Ngaigama shares her experiences of being treated differently in Australian TV shows as they both explore how they managed to overcome these obstacles. - ‘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

‘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

‘Myths and Maidens’ is a love letter to fafine Moana, looking at some of our trauma, challenges and inequities across Pasifika, and how in the face of this, the celebration of ourselves is an act of colonial resistance. Premiering on the Coconet TV on Nov 19th 2024.