Wolfe and Davis Take Home Awards from FIFO 2026

The International Oceanian Documentary Film Festival (FIFO) took place earlier this month in Tahiti, with multiple projects from DEGANZ members in competition and screening in the programme. Join us in congratulating members Katie Wolfe and Mana Hira Davis for winning awards at the festival!

Katie’s The Haka Party Incident took home the 2nd Special Jury Award. The feature documentary details the historical events of May 1, 1979, when a group of young Māori and Pasifika activists, which later became known as “He Taua”, confronted engineering students at the University of Auckland who were rehearsing a “mock” haka for their end-of-year parade. The clash that followed forced the entire nation to confront systemic racism and set in motion a process of real change.

Meanwhile, the Best Fiction Short Film Award went to Pākehā, written and directed by Mana. Set in the 1980s in Aotearoa, a young Pākehā mother’s determination to learn Te Reo Māori exposes her struggles, resilience, and courage, in an inspiring true story of cultural reconciliation.

Last updated on 26 February 2026