Unique Island Perspective

New Zealand’s first-ever entry in the foreign-language Oscar race, Samoan-born director Tusi Tamasese’s debut feature The Orator is being hailed as a brave new voice in world cinema. Orator is pioneering in more ways than that: It’s the first feature shot entirely in the Samoan language and the first filmed on the South Pacific island of Upolu. Tamasese, 36, who grew up on Upolu, the smaller of Samoa’s two islands, says it was important that Samoa become a character in the film. “The landscape, people, culture, images, color, sound and feel of Samoa offer this story a new and unique perspective of life,” Tamasese says. Tamasese’s ambling, observant directing style, which he says is derived from traditional Samoan storytelling, has wowed international critics and festival audiences alike. The Orator is produced by New Zealander Catherine Fitzgerald.