Join us as we celebrate Oceanic arts and culture through a community film screening. View two films: Snack (9 minutes, 2023), written and directed by Lauren To’omalatai, and Vakaraitaka (15 minutes, 2024), directed by Fenton Lutunatabua. Enjoy a premiere of short films by Pasifika in Focus youth media students. In a post-viewing discussion with the directors, hear about the films’ themes of family, grief, ancestral wisdom, climate change, and the celebration of culture.

About the films

Vakaraitaka (15 minutes, 2024), directed by Fenton Lutunatabua

Rising up to physical and existential struggles requires tapping into ancestral wisdom that can strengthen our bonds with one another. In this four-part cinematic poem, Fijian storyteller Fenton Lutunatabua utilizes landscape, dance, and language to call people into this work, and offers a balm to the losses faced.

Snack (9 minutes, 2023), written and directed by Lauren To’omalatai

On a night out with friends, Jess briefly opens up about the grief she’s experiencing in the aftermath of her grandfather’s death. She decides to go home early and, while rummaging around in the kitchen for something to eat, startles her grandmother. The two share a sweet moment through food and song, remembering the man they’ve both lost.

About the filmmakers

Fenton Lutunatabua is founder of Pacific Climate Warriors and Beyond the Narrative. His work has helped spark a wave of environmental consciousness across the Pacific and beyond. He is also a filmmaker, podcaster, writer, photographer, facilitator, and trainer from the Fiji Islands and is currently the deputy head of regions at 350.org.

Lauren To’omalatai is a Sāmoan storyteller and community organizer based out of Salt Lake City, Utah on unceded Eastern Shoshone and Goshute land. She currently serves as the director of the Utah Pacific Island Film Series which has focused on showcasing and supporting the work of Pacific Island filmmakers since 2016 and established its own film festival in 2020, the Māsima Film Tour.

Pasifika in Focus is a youth media program offered to Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander transitional age youth.