Research Guides: Streaming Pacific Videos: Feature and Short Films

Streaming: Audio & Video Digital Archiving - Table of Contents

Videos: Films

The following are feature and short films that have storylines set in the Pacific with the exception of Hawai'i. Feature and short films that take place in Hawai'i can be found on the Streaming Hawaiian Videos libguide.

Feature Films

Films that take place in locations around that Pacific that are at least one hour in length. The dialogue is in English unless otherwise noted.

Albert Wendt's Flying Fox in a Freedom Tree
Publication Date: 1989
Link to Video (90 minutes)
"Presents the adventures of a twelve year old Western Samoan lad, Pepe, who is expelled from school and lives a decadent life."
Ana Reta te Kaimoa
Publication Date: 1998
Link to Video (61 minutes. In Gilbertese)
"A man from Kiribati joins the merchant marine and then lands in jail, leaving his wife and two children alone."
Mauri
Publication Date: 1988
Link to Video (105 minutes)
"A disturbed loner returns to his country home, desperately seeking an identity and hiding a secret from his past. A young Maori woman becomes interested in him, but he rejects her, so she decides to marry the son of a white landowner, who becomes enraged. With the help of the Maori woman's aunt, the loner is eventually able to release his burden."
Monsoon
Publication Date: 1943
Link to Video (77 minutes)
"A deep-sea diver and his partner search for a $3 million gold treasure that was lost in a South Seas shipwreck. The hero outwits a greedy captain of a ship and the clutches of a lustful woman."
None But the Brave
Publication Date: 1991
Link to Video (106 minutes)
"A battle of wits and weapons ensues and unlikely alliances are forged when a crashed planeload of U.S. Marines and a Japanese army platoon are all stranded on a tiny South Pacific island during World War II."
Paradise Island
Publication Date: 1930
Link to Video (68 minutes)
"A sweet young thing heads for the South Seas to be with her betrothed but a typhoon brews when she learns that he owes a huge gambling debt. Matters get worse when a greedy barkeep sets his eyes on the girl. Two helpful and handsome sailors show up to save the day."
Paradise Isle
Publication Date: 1937
Link to Video (60 minutes)
"A blind artist escapes from an explosion on his ship and is found by a beautiful maiden in the South Seas."
Rapa Nui
Publication Date: 1994
Link to Video (107 minutes)
"Set on an island in the South Seas, Rapa Nui is the story of two boyhood friends who become rivals for the love of a woman, and vow to win the leadership of their tribe and her hand in marriage."
Saga of Anatahan, The
Publication Date: 1953
Link to Video (92 minutes. In English and Japanese)
"Japanese seamen shipwrecked on a remote island during the Pacific War find themselves filled with jealousy, committing murder for the sake of the island's one woman."
Te Rua
Publication Date: 1991
Link to Video (95 minutes)
"A Maori community attempts to repatriate three traditional spiritual carvings which have been housed in a Berlin museum for nearly a century.."
The Journey of Nei Matangare: A Story from Kiribati
Publication Date: 2003
Link to Video (75 minutes. In Gilbertese with English subtitles)
"Drama about a young girl from a a remote outer island of Kiribati who moves to Tarawa to enjoy an easier life but encounters problems there. Includes commentaries by community leaders on youth migration."
Tukana: Husat i Asua?
Publication Date: 1984
Link to Video (120 minutes. Tok Pisin with English subtitles)
"Tells the story of a university dropout who returns to his native village in Buka Passage, North Solomons. The young man is beset by conflict with his family over whom he should marry and resorts to excessive drinking to escape his problems."
White Shadows in the South Seas
Publication Date: 1928
Link to Video (85 minutes)
"A fictionalized account of how the white man's intrusion into peaceful Pacific islanders' lives could be disruptive."

Short Films

The following short films are set in the Pacific Islands and are less than one hour in length.

Don't Go Past with Your Nose in the Air: A Story
Publication Date: 1991
Link to Video (25 minutes)
"A grandfather, who has close ties with his grandson, relates several stories from the past then dies suddenly."
Eel
Publication Date: 1989
Link to Video (28 minutes. English with some Maori)
"Tame should be at school, but he is content to spend his time learning about the bush and the old days from his ailing grand uncle Hawrey. But Tame's happy existence cannot go on forever."
Grief of Pi-Kari, The
Publication Date: 1981
Link to Video (26 minutes)
"Retells a folktale of New Zealand about a chief who abandons his village to live with his spirit wife. After a daughter is born, the wife disappears back into the spirit world. After a long period of mourning, the chief realizes his responsibility to his village and to his daughter, who symbolizes both the real and the spirit worlds."
Hinemoa
Publication Date: 1981
Link to Video (26 minutes)
"Presents a folktale from New Zealand in which Hinemoa is forbidden to see Tutanekai, whom she loves. She successfully carries out a plan to reach her love, marries, and lives happily. Hinemoa's father, admiring her courage, forgives her disobedience."
Just Dancing
Publication Date: 1998
Link to Video (11 minutes)
"A wife deserts her husband, a policeman, in order to learn how to dance from a Polynesian goddess. The husband questions his own values and beliefs when he discovers that his wife is searching for her cultural roots."
Like Any Other Lovers
Publication Date: 1992
Link to Video (54 minutes)
"Chris and Linda are a young couple whose relationship is threatened when Chris discovers he is HIV positive. Together they overcome the prejudice and rejection of those around them through love and courage."
Nikorima
Publication Date: 1981
Link to Video (26 minutes)
"Retells a New Zealand folktale about an eccentric warrior left behind to guard his village. When a hostile band arrives, the warrior cleverly convinces the invaders of his superiority and causes them to retreat. The exploit makes him a hero of the village."
O Tamaiti (The Children)
Publication Date: 1996
Link to Video (15 minutes. Samoan with English subtitles)
"Tino, the eldest son in a Samoan family, is given the task of caring for his siblings, including a newborn baby." Winner for Best Short Film at the 1996 Venice Film Festival and the New Zealand Film Awards.
Robert Louis Stevenson in Samoa
Publication Date: 1995
Link to Video (12 minutes)
"Re-enacts the final years of Robert Louis Stevenson."
Roimata
Publication Date: 1989
Link to Video (30 minutes)
"A young Maori woman from the East Coast travels to the city to meet her half-sister who introduces her to gang members. The scene is set for a major confrontation when Kevin, a young Salvation Army officer arrives."
Te Moemoea (The Dream)
Publication Date: 1989
Link to Video (26 minutes. Maori with some English. No subtitles)
"Raniera and Pare dream of placing a winning bet on the horse races. One night Pare dreams of winning with a horse named "Sunset Rose.""
Vaitafe: Running Waters
Publication Date: 1981
Link to Video (30 minutes)
"Vaitafe, a Samoan student pursuing his education in Los Angeles, encounters obstacles. Through Samoan traditions of faʻalavelaves (family concerns) we see the bonding of family, church and community in the faʻa Samoa spirit of mutual support and unity which come to Vaitafe's aid."
Variations on a Theme
Publication Date: 1989
Link to Video (26 minutes)
"Opening on a marae with a debate on the educational system, the story cuts away to three stories, each dealing with a real-life educational experience."