Skip to main content

Tatau

2012 Short film
  • Drama
  • Pasifika

This short film charts a journey from pain to peace, as a man undertakes a Samoan rite of passage. The Pe’a is bestowed by Tufuga Ta Tatau, masters of Samoan tattoo, on those worthy to wear it. Tatau moves between past and present as Siaki (played by Rob Magasiva and Beulah Koale) yearns to complete his Pe’a before losing his sight. Chantelle Burgoyne made the film for her Screen Production Masters at Auckland University; she navigates the nuances of shame and vulnerability, and the importance of cultural heritage. Nominated for four awards at festival Show Me Shorts, Tatau won Best Student Film at Cinequest.