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| A LOOK BACK: CSULB Pacific Islanders Association Event Film Screening of "The Land Has Eyes" with Q&A Session |
The story ‘s main character is a young girl named Viki (Sapeta Taito). She is inspired by
the Warrior Woman (Rena Owen, Once Were Warriors, Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of
the Clones). The Warrior Woman is traced to the origins of Rotuma. Viki channels the
Warrior Woman’s courage to clear the name of her father, a wrongfully convicted man
who falls victim to the language barrier and corruption brought on by the island’s
conformists.
Audience Discussion (Q&A)
The Pacific Islander students were treated to a session where Dr. Hereniko and his wife
Jeanette let the audience in on the process of writing and filmmaking. The film was met
with 4 major challenges:
(1) The first challenge was the autobiographical nature of the film. Hereniko based
the story on his own experiences growing up in Rotuma; however, felt that there
was an emphasis issue. Dr. Hereniko points out that his wife made the
suggestion to switch the main character’s gender from male to female could
accomplish some of his writing goals.
(2) The second challenge was the acceptance by the Rotuman people. Dr. Hereniko
spent much of the writing process travelling from village to village presenting the
story to each village and getting some insight on what needs to be in the film.
Dr. Hereniko points out that this had much to do with the fact that this film was
intended for a Rotuman audience, so he wanted to make sure he got it right.
(3) The third major challenge was the casting of the film. Outside of the Warrior
Woman (Rena Owen) and the magistrate (James Davenport), Dr. Hereniko
wanted the cast to be entirely Rotuman. Again, he wanted to stay true to the
sentiment that this is a film for the people of Rotuma. Jeanette points out that
there were some religious barriers that presented itself to find a girl that would
‘wink’ in church.
(4) Supporting the film shoot was the biggest challenge of all for Hereniko. Both
Jeanette and Vilsoni point out that the film cost $500,000 to make. At the time of
filming, there were no refrigerators on Rotuma, so food couldn’t be shipped and
stored. Also, a lot of the equipment was too heavy to be flown in, so they had to
ship the materials on that previously mentioned 3-day/3-night boat trip. Hereniko
also discussed the challenges of putting the crew up in each of the family’s
homes.
the Warrior Woman (Rena Owen, Once Were Warriors, Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of
the Clones). The Warrior Woman is traced to the origins of Rotuma. Viki channels the
Warrior Woman’s courage to clear the name of her father, a wrongfully convicted man
who falls victim to the language barrier and corruption brought on by the island’s
conformists.
Audience Discussion (Q&A)
The Pacific Islander students were treated to a session where Dr. Hereniko and his wife
Jeanette let the audience in on the process of writing and filmmaking. The film was met
with 4 major challenges:
(1) The first challenge was the autobiographical nature of the film. Hereniko based
the story on his own experiences growing up in Rotuma; however, felt that there
was an emphasis issue. Dr. Hereniko points out that his wife made the
suggestion to switch the main character’s gender from male to female could
accomplish some of his writing goals.
(2) The second challenge was the acceptance by the Rotuman people. Dr. Hereniko
spent much of the writing process travelling from village to village presenting the
story to each village and getting some insight on what needs to be in the film.
Dr. Hereniko points out that this had much to do with the fact that this film was
intended for a Rotuman audience, so he wanted to make sure he got it right.
(3) The third major challenge was the casting of the film. Outside of the Warrior
Woman (Rena Owen) and the magistrate (James Davenport), Dr. Hereniko
wanted the cast to be entirely Rotuman. Again, he wanted to stay true to the
sentiment that this is a film for the people of Rotuma. Jeanette points out that
there were some religious barriers that presented itself to find a girl that would
‘wink’ in church.
(4) Supporting the film shoot was the biggest challenge of all for Hereniko. Both
Jeanette and Vilsoni point out that the film cost $500,000 to make. At the time of
filming, there were no refrigerators on Rotuma, so food couldn’t be shipped and
stored. Also, a lot of the equipment was too heavy to be flown in, so they had to
ship the materials on that previously mentioned 3-day/3-night boat trip. Hereniko
also discussed the challenges of putting the crew up in each of the family’s
homes.
Fig.4 - Sapeta Taito as Viki, the main character.
(Photo courtesy of www.thelandhaseyes.com)
(Photo courtesy of www.thelandhaseyes.com)
Fig.5 - Rena Owen as the Warrior Woman.
(Photo courtesy of www.thelandhaseyes.com)
(Photo courtesy of www.thelandhaseyes.com)
Fig.6. The crew behind the film, "The Land Has Eyes". Photo courtesy of www.thelandhaseyes.com
