8 Stories, One Lifetime
A film about female empowerment that spans the breadth of the Pacific telling the story of one woman’s life in eight separate moments from the perspective of eight different pacific island cultures.
‘Vai’ is a portmanteau feature film made by 9 female Pacific filmmakers, filmed in 7 different Pacific countries: Fiji, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Kuki Airani (Cook Islands), Samoa, Niue and Aotearoa (New Zealand). It is about the journey of empowerment through culture over the lifetime of one woman, Vai, played by a different indigenous actress in each of the Pacific countries. In each of these Pacific nations ‘vai’ means water.
“Vai amplifies Pacifika filmmaking with its slate of 9 directors, all of them indigenous women.” – Li Lai
“What is clear is that Vai is a gorgeous, profound work of art, brilliantly assembled and filled with engaging performances.” – Christopher Llewellyn Reed
