Māori-Pacific filmmaker Aroha Awarau is telling powerful Pacific stories to the world most recently with Faded, a two-minute documentary shot entirely on his iPhone.
While in Los Angeles for the premiere of his short film Puti, which explores Māori youth resilience, Awarau was struck by the contrast between Hollywood’s glitz and its surrounding homelessness. Sitting on the Dolby Theatre steps, he captured Faded, a raw portrayal of fame and decay, now premiering at Australia’s Worldwide Smartphone Film Festival.
In just eight months, Awarau has written and directed four shorts screened internationally, including Puti, a finalist at the New Zealand International Film Festival; Cherries, shown at Toronto’s imagineNATIVE Festival; and Maisuka, about Pacific youth and diabetes, selected for FIFO Tahiti.
“Getting Pacific stories made and seen internationally is tough, but the support I’ve received means everything,” he says.
Currently, Awarau is developing two projects: Hidden, a gritty thriller tackling human trafficking in Auckland, and Redemption League, a drama about the healing power of rugby league in the prison system.
“I’m grateful to share Pacific stories on the world stage and take my filmmaking further.”
