‘Teine’ and the Bonds that Bind Us

DEGANZ member Giselle Ilaoa celebrated the premiere of her debut short film Teine at the Third Culture Film Festival. The film screened as part of The Bonds that Bind Us programme, a collection of films with themes of putting family before oneself.

Teine focuses on the dutiful eldest daughter within a Samoan household. With the weight of her responsibility and expectations from her family, she struggles to maintain a grasp on her own aspirations in life.

Giselle shared with PISA,

Through ‘Teine’, I aim to share the profound alofa and respect I hold for the women in my life, my elders, and my Samoan heritage, and I hope audiences are able to watch it and feel the same connection woven throughout.

Congratulations Giselle!

Last updated on 14 March 2024

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Incubator Alumi’s Mahi at Melbourne Women in Film Festival

The Melbourne Women in Film Festival (MWFF) recognises Incubator alumni Mary-Lyn Chambers (2022) and Ella Gilbert (Rongowhakaata/Ngāti Kahungunu) (2023) at this year’s festival. Each year, MWFF celebrates women’s stories on screen by facilitating the participation of women and gender-diverse creatives and audiences.

Mary-Lyn’s Karanga is one of two films to open the festival. The 17-minute short is a dance and spoken word exploration of the intersectionality of descendants of both Māori and Pākehā. It centres on the late Tiahuia Te Puea Hērangi Ramahana Gray (Ngāi Tahu, Rangitāne, Tainui), well-known for her extensive public service in Wellington. Her daughter, Merenia Gray, choreographed the piece. The work is a love letter to Tiahuia and a tribute to all mothers. Mary-Lyn and Merenia will both be in attendance at the festival’s opening night.

Mary Mary, written and directed by Ella, will screen in the Freshly Squeezed Shorts 1 programme. Set in 1963 Aotearoa, an out-of-wedlock pregnancy forces 18-year-old Mary to take things into her own hands, at great personal risk. The short was funded and made through the 2022 Someday Stories initiative (now called Day One Shorts).

See the festival’s full programme here.

Last updated on 13 March 2024

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