Story telling through the modern medium of film allows different islander voices to be heard together, Sisi'uno Helu, told the audience at the opening of the Nuku'alofa Film Festival last night. While Oceania cultures are often seen as being rigidly conservative, the festival offers two more nights of films that show these cultures are not inflexible.

Sisi'uno is the President of the Nuku'alofa Film Festival, now in its third year.

"Sharing our perspectives from Oceania to the rest of the world is our humble way of saying "we are not adamant, but fluid," she told the audience at the launch of the festival, at a private screening function held at the Tanoa Hotel.

The launch premiered a German-Tongan story filmed in Vava'u last year by German filmmaker Florian Schewe. Titled "Somewhere in Tonga" his sensitive portrayal of a German experience in Tonga is based on a moving true story. 

Sisi'uno invited the public to join the Film Festival screenings tonight, Thursday October 19, and tomorrow night Friday October 20, at the Queen Salote Memorial Hall.

The films offer "an array of stories being crafted from different parts of the world and here in the Pacific. Stories about bullying, broken homes, our relationship with nature, artists, climate change, eco tourism, and films from our very own filmmakers here in Tonga."

Local filmmakers include Taniela Petelo, Malani Wolfgramm, and Michael Tohi. 

"Every festival we stage we urge the government, for a comprehensive arts curriculum, for funding for artists, for funding or filming and documentary making.

"A society that does not promote arts activities is a society so poor in creativity and lack of passion," said Sisi'uno. "Storytelling has been part of our Pacific culture, our stories, experiences and teachings were being passed down from generations to generations through storytelling.... But the society is changing the extended family or kainga has ceased, families are smaller, influence of western ideals evident."

The Nuku'alofa Film Festival team with secretary Virginie Dourlet had communicated with Tonga's international filmmakers and some are showing films at the festival alongside local productions.

Filmmakers and actors from New Zealand attending the festival this year include, Kyle Bourke who stars in a short film called "Boy and Bird", and filmmaker Maria Vai whose film "I Have Curls" will be shown tonight.

Three of the local Tongan cast of the German film "Somewhere in Tonga"  including the lead actress Lolohea Lin, with Bruno Banani and Simon Schnell attended its private premiere last night and spoke to the audience about the serious cultural difficulties faced by Tongan actors in playing Tongan characters for a home audience. They explained how sometimes audiences do not understand that what they are seeing on screen is "just acting" that stimulates the imagination - but the personal relationships depicted did not happen between the actors in real life. Because of these cultural sensitivities, the screening of the German film was for a private audience and will not be shown publically at the festival.

Sisi'uno spoke to the need for Tongan storytellers to tell their own stories.

As the Director of the 'Atenisi Institute, "I have dreamed of a film school for Tonga, where storytelling will continue and where our history and culture will be documented." She announced that they had already laid the foundation to build a Film School on the Institute's property at Sopu.

Sponsors for the Nuku'alofa Film Festival include Tonga Water Board, Tonga Communications Corporation, Rea Tonga Airlines, Tanoa Hotel, and ICoffee.

Tonight's programme screens " Lady Eva". The Nuku'alofa Film Festival Facebook page states the film portrays "a brave young transgender woman who sets off on a journey to become her true self in the Kingdom of Tonga – with a little inspiration from Tina Turner along the way."

Other films in the festival are:

Local Tongan short features

THE A DRINK by Taniela Petelo

UI PEA E TALI by Taniela Petelo

FELEHUHUNI by Michael Tohi

TOLU A HALE: chapter 2 by Joshua Savieti and Kaufononga Pulu

Unnamed, by Malani Wolfgramm

International short features

MARIA by Jeremiah Tauamiti (NZ/ Samoa) 

I HAVE CURLS by Maria Vai (NZ/ Tonga)  

WAITING by Amberley Jo Aumua (NZ)  

BOY AND BIRD by Anonymous (NZ/ Samoa)  

TWO STEPS BEHIND by Onehou Strickland (NZ/ Samoa)  

International short documentaries

PŪTAHI KOTAHITANGA by Are Raimbault (French Polynesia) 

SOUTHSIDE RISE : BEHIND THE SHOW by Simulata Pope (NZ/ Tonga) 

LADY EVA by Dean Hamer, Joe Wilson and Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu (Hawai’i/ Tonga) 

APOLLO – RISE OF THE POLY-VEGAN SOLDIER by Amy Taylor (NZ) 

MY GARDEN, NO LONGER by Scott Schimmel (Hawai’i/ Vanuatu)  

WEAVING THE FUTURE by Isack Hoppitt (Aus/ Samoa) 

THE MACAW PROJECT by Cintia Garai (Hungary/ Peru) 

FAREWELL, GODDESS by Amit Agarwal (India)   

VATAULUA: COMMUNICATION IN THIRD SPACE by Adam Douglass (Aus/ Tonga)