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 festival screenings:

  • Winner – Berlin Independent Film Festival, Germany, 2022
  • Best animated short of the year – Indie Short Fest, Los Angeles International Film Festival, United States, 2022
  • Best Short – Made in Hawai’i Film Festival, Big Island, United States, 2022
  • Winner – Beyond Border International Film Festival (BBIFF), Kolkata, India, 2022
  • Winner - The Black Panther International Short Film Festival, Delhi, India, 2022
  • Finalist - New Wave Short Film Festival, New York, United States, 2022.
  • Finalist - Munich New Wave Short Film Festival, Germany, 2022
  • Award Winner - Film Festival of Mumbai (FFM), India, 2023
  • Nominated for Best Short: Hawai'i International Film Festival, United States, 2021
  • Honorable Mention: Deep Focus Film Festival, New York, United States, 2022
  • Official Selection: The Smithsonian National Museum of American Indian's Native Cinema Showcase, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 2023.
  • Official Selection: The Fantasy Film Festival, Paris, France, 2022.
  • Official Selection: Fantaspoa - International Fantastic Film Festival of Porto Alegre, Brazil, 2022
  • Official Selection: Be Epic! London International Film Festival, United Kingdom.
  • Official Selection: Guam International Film Festival, Guam, 2022
  • Official Selection: ImagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival, Toronto, Canada, 2023
  • Official Selection: Māoriland Film Festival, New Zealand, 2023
  • Official Selection: Wairoa Maori Film Festival, New Zealand, 2023
  • Official Selection: FIFO, Festival International du Film documentaire Oceanien, Tahiti, French Polynesia, 2023