07 Jul 2023  |  IndiGen news

Watch Sina ma Tinirau now online for free!

Sina Ma Tinirau, the award-winning animated short featuring Polynesia's best-known love story of all time, is now available to view online for free. Set on the Polynesian Island of Rotuma, Fiji, this film was directed by Vilsoni Hereniko and realized in cooperation with university staff, students, artists and partial funding from our ERC Starting Grant.

 

From the director, Vilsoni Hereniko:

"SINA MA TINIRAU was made during covid when it was not possible to make a live action film. Aspiring animation students and several professors at the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Hawai'i met via zoom over a period of 18 months to produce this film. Also, this is my first foray into the genre of animation. A big THANK YOU to the University of Hawai'i and the European Research Council for funding this film."

Awards and screenings

Award Winner

  • Berlin Independent Film Festival, Germany, 2022
  • Beyond Border International Film Festival (BBIFF), Kolkata, India, 2022
  • Film Festival of Mumbai (FFM), India, 2022
  • Indie Short Fest, Los Angeles International Film Festival, United States, 2022
  • Made in Hawai’i Film Festival, Big Island, United States, 2022

Finalist

  • Hawai'i International Film Festival, United States, 2022
  • Munich New Wave Short Film Festival, Germany, 2022
  • The Black Panther International Short Film Festival, Delhi, India, 2022
  • Sensei Film Festival, Japan, 2024

Honorable mention

  • Deep Focus Film Festival, New York, United States, 2022

Official selection

  • Festival of Pacific Arts Film Festival, United States, 2024
  • Pacific Island Film Festival, New York City, United States, 2024
  • PBS Short Film Festival, United States, 2024
  • Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival, United States, 2024
  • The Smithsonian National Museum of American Indian’s Native Showcase, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 2023
  • ELIFF - Be Epic! London International Film Festival, United Kingdom, 2022
  • Fantaspoa - International Fantastic Film Festival of Porto Alegre, Brazil, 2022
  • Festival International du Film documentaire Oceanien (FIFO), Tahiti, French Polynesia, 2022
  • Guam International Film Festival, Guam, 2022
  • ImagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival, Toronto, Canada, 2022
  • Māoriland Film Festival, New Zealand, 2022
  • The Fantasy Film Festival, Paris, France, 2022
  • Wairoa Maori Film Festival, New Zealand, 2022