This March enjoy the Wansolmoana (One Salt Ocean) Film Series, a celebration of compelling stories from the South Pacific. Celebrate International Women’s Day by shining a spotlight on Pasifika women in film, honouring their powerful narratives, rich histories and the trailblazing women shaping the industry behind-the-scenes.

Enjoy free entry to the Australian Museum's Pasifika Gallery, Wansolmoana (One Salt Ocean), on Level 2. Explore Pasifika culture and coming-of-age traditions, such as the Malu (Samoan women’s tattoo), which highlights the important role of women in tattooing, as showcased in the film Marks of Mana.

Come together to celebrate leading women in film and immerse yourself in Pasifika culture. 

Please be advised some seats in the Theatre have obstructed views. There is no allocated seating, it will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.


Saturday 8 March

The Mountain film directed by Rachel House
The Mountain film directed by Rachel House. Image: Supplied
© Madman Entertainment

The Mountain

Saturday 8 March: 10.30am - 12.05pm
2024 | PG | 1h 29m
Directed by Rachel House

Sam, a fearless young girl raised outside of her Māori culture, is determined to fulfil her mission of connecting with her mountain in the hope they can heal her from the cancer she battles. Along the way she meets some misfits and new kids in town – Mallory, hoping to find friends, any kind of friends - and Bronco who claims to be a runaway from his dad who is too busy to notice him. As they make their way through the difficult “off the beaten track” route, they learn the true spirit of adventure and the magic of friendship.





Vai film directed by Becs Arahanga, Amberley Jo Aumua, Matasila Freshwater, Dianna Fuemana, Miria George, Ofa Guttenbeil, Marina McCartney, Nicole Whippy and Sharon Whippy.
Vai film directed by Becs Arahanga, Amberley Jo Aumua, Matasila Freshwater, Dianna Fuemana, Miria George, Ofa Guttenbeil, Marina McCartney, Nicole Whippy and Sharon Whippy. Image: Supplied
© Vendetta Films

Vai

Saturday 8 March: 1pm - 2.35pm
2019 | PG | 1h 30m
Directed by
Becs Arahanga, Amberley Jo Aumua, Matasila Freshwater, Dianna Fuemana, Miria George, Ofa Guttenbeil, Marina McCartney, Nicole Whippy and Sharon Whippy

Vai is a portmanteau feature film made by nine female Pacific filmmakers, filmed in seven different Pacific countries: Fiji, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Kuki Airani (Cook Islands), Samoa, Niue and Aotearoa (New Zealand). It is about the journey of Vai, played by a different indigenous actress in each of the Pacific countries. In each of these Pacific nations ‘vai’ means water.





Marks of Mana film directed by Lisa Taouma.
Marks of Mana film directed by Lisa Taouma. Image: Supplied
© Lisa Taouma

Marks of Mana

Saturday 8 March: 3pm - 4pm
2021 | 56m
Directed by
Lisa Taouma

Across the Moana (ocean) the art of Tatau is legendary - but the marks for women contain stories and meanings that are often little known, especially for new generations. These age-old symbols of the Moko Kauae, the Fijian Veiqia, the Papuan Tep Tok and the Samoan Malu were made to celebrate the significance of the female role, but many were also created by female Tatau artists. Marks of Mana explores the female history of Tatau in our cultures, and the meaning behind these patterns linked like a necklace around the Moana.





Sunday 9 March

Tanna film directed by Martin Butler and Bentley Dean.
Tanna film directed by Martin Butler and Bentley Dean. Image: Supplied
© Bonsai Films

Tanna

Sunday 9 March: 10.30am - 12.20pm
2015 | M | 1h 44m
Directed by Martin Butler and Bentley Dean

In one of the last traditional tribes in the South Pacific, a young girl, Wawa (Marie Wawa), falls in love with her chief’s grandson, Dain (Mungau Dain). But when the war with their enemies escalates, Wawa is unknowingly betrothed to another man as part of a peace deal. Determined to remain true to their hearts, Wawa and Dain run away but are pursued by warriors desperate to enforce tribal law. Filmed in Vanuatu and based on a true story, Tanna captures the essence of youthful romance and the formidable pressures of tribal life.





Merata: How Mum Decolonised the Screen film, directed by Directed by Dean Hamer, Joe Wilson and Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu.
Merata: How Mum Decolonised the Screen film, directed by Directed by Dean Hamer, Joe Wilson and Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu. Image: Supplied
© Arama Pictures

Merata: How Mum Decolonised the Screen

Sunday 9 March: 1pm - 2.35pm
2019 | M | 1h 29m
Directed by
Hepi Mita

A documentary portrait of the pioneering Indigenous filmmaker and activist Merata Mita, Merata is an intimate tribute from a son about his mother that delves into the life of the first woman from an Indigenous Nation to solely direct a film anywhere in the world. Known as the grandmother of Indigenous cinema, Merata’s independent political documentaries of the ‘70s and ‘80s highlighted injustices for Māori people, and often divided the country. Mita was fearless in her life, her activism and her art. Chronicling the director’s journey to decolonize the film and television screens of New Zealand and the world, the film documents her work, her early struggles with her family and her drive for social justice that often proved personally dangerous.





Leitis in Waiting film Directed by Dean Hamer, Joe Wilson and Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu.
Leitis in Waiting film Directed by Dean Hamer, Joe Wilson and Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu. Image: Supplied
© Dean Hamer, Joe Wilson and Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu (2018)

Leitis in Waiting

Sunday 9 March: 3pm - 4.15pm
2018 | M | 1h 12m
Directed by
Dean Hamer, Joe Wilson and Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu

Leitis in Waiting is the story of Joey Mataele and the Tonga leitis, an intrepid group of native transgender women fighting a rising tide of religious fundamentalism and intolerance in their South Pacific Kingdom. With unexpected humour and extraordinary access to the Kingdom's royals and religious leaders, this emotional journey reveals what it means to be different in a society ruled by tradition, and what it takes to be accepted without forsaking who you are.