Siapo Cinema : An Oceania Film Festival showcases Pasifika moving images, presenting a delectable selection of feature films, documentaries, shorts, multimedia, and music videos each year, along with live music and workshops. Siapo Cinema this year will take place in Wellington, 20-30 September 2017.
Siapo Cinema is presented by Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision, in association with Tautai C
ontemporary Pacific Arts Trust, Kava Club, NZFC, Pacific Islanders in Communications, with generous support from Wellington City Creative Communities Scheme. Cinema: Wednesday to Saturday. Events page: http://www.ngataonga.org.nz/events
Cafe/Media Library/TV Lounge: Monday-Tuesday 8.30am-4pm; Wednesday-Friday 8.30am-9pm; Saturday 4pm-9pm
* Siapo is the Samoan word for the paper mulberry bark cloth or tapa, traditionally dyed in various shades of brown and black. The cloth is referred to by a number of local names in Oceania (e.g. Tonga – Ngatu; Niue – Hiapo, Fiji – Masi). The film festival's name reflects the similarity to the intensive labour in the making of tapa cloth to elements of filmmaking, frame by frame, contemporary style – depicting the creative stories of the Pacific past, present and future, here and abroad. The colours of the Siapo reminded a friend of the festival, Pacific musician Anton Carter, of the reddish-brown colour of sepia cinema. Hence the name for the Oceania Film Festival – Siapo Cinema came about through word association and creativity.
