The organisers all emphasised the difficult conditions of the 19th FIFO and their satisfaction at having managed to maintain the event. Wallès Kotra, co-founder of the festival, reiterated the importance of “keeping the flame alive”. “It has been complicated but when I hear the FIFO anthem, I am energised!” Among the winning films, Oceans Apart: Greed, Betrayal and Pacific Rugby directed by Ales Haudiquet was awarded the Grand Prix of the 2022 FIFO.
The FIFO anthem was played again this week, but for the last time. The festival started and ended with singing! The award ceremony was an opportunity to acknowledge the work of the teams and also to arrange to meet again next year for the 20th anniversary of FIFO. This is always an emotional moment as everyone waits to find out the winners, but it is also the “end of an interlude” as Miriama Bono, president of AFIFO, regretfully noted. Wallès Kotra, co-founder of the festival and regional director of Nouvelle-Calédonie La 1ère thanked everyone for contributing to the success of the festival despite the conditions: “It has not escaped you that this FIFO has been very difficult. The region has been heavily impacted, some islands have not yet been reopened to travellers, families are being pushed around and we organised the FIFO under these conditions! It was important to keep the flame alive. It has been complicated but when I hear the FIFO anthem, I feel reenergised.” Wallès Kotra also stressed the importance of being together, of meeting and discussing. “It is a space to say what we are with pride. It is not because we are small that we have to keep quiet, we have to communicate with the world and let them see what we do. The Minister of the Economy, Yvonnick Raffin, said a few words on behalf of Heremoana Maamaatuaiahutapu, who was absent from Tahiti because he was attending the One Ocean Summit in mainland France: “He has had a lot of good feedback from this edition and for the 20th, he wants to put in the resources and do something great.”
The prizes then began to be distributed with the book-to-screen project, an event organised by the Polynesian and Island Publishers Association, FIFO and the Tahitian Association of Audiovisual Professionals (ATPA). The trainees of these masterclasses worked for two months developing scripts inspired by Polynesian works. Rehia Tepa was the winner with his script inspired by the first short story of Postcards by Chantal Spitz, entitled Joséphine. A short film will be produced from his work. The award for best short documentary went to Dean Hamer and Joe Wilson for The Rogers, about the struggle of transgender men in Samoa to gain acceptance and the award for best fiction short went to ‘Āina Paikai for Hawaiian Soul, inspired by the life of Hawaiian activist and singer Georges Helm. Two films chosen by the audience.
To present the prizes awarded by the jury, Emmanuel Kasarhérou, the president, said he was delighted to be at the FIFO, the “great breath of fresh air” that this festival is, before thanking the filmmakers: “Without you, there would be no FIFO, without your sensitivity, there would be no show.” The first special jury prize was awarded to The Bowraville murders. Allan Clarke, the director, received the award with “a lot of emotion”: “The FIFO is a fantastic festival. I didn’t know I was going to feel like I was part of a family, like I was in my community in Australia. Thank you for recognising the importance of the story of these three murdered children and their family’s fight for justice. Telling the truth is sometimes difficult, but it is very important to make films that tell the truth.” The second Special Jury Prize was awarded to The Island in Me. The director, Gemma Cubero Del Barrio, thanked the main characters, Amélia and Johnny, without whom the film would not have existed. “This award goes to them too. To be here after all that I have experienced: all these meetings, seeing all these films… We have worked on this film for ten years. Thank you to all my team.” Finally, the third special jury prize was awarded to Alick & Albert: “The jury was very impressed by this film which highlights indigenous artists and also talks about climate change. It is an inspiration to us all.” A representative of the production team came to collect the award.
Strong Female Lead, about the sexism experienced by Australia’s first female minister, Julia Gillard, won the Audience Award. Australia’s Consul to French Polynesia, Claire Scott received the award for the absent documentary makers: “It is a great pleasure to see Australian films touching the hearts of Polynesians.” And to round off the festival’s closing ceremony, the 2022 FIFO Grand Prize was awarded to Oceans Apart: Greed, Betrayal and Pacific Rugby directed by Ales Haudiquet, about Dan Léo, a rugby player who investigated corruption in Samoan rugby union and more generally the links between the Pacific islands, modern rugby and the dark side of the sport. “We were impressed by the sincerity with which this documentary was made, how this character questioned himself. This film also shows that Pacific countries have minority voices that are not heard,” said the chairman of the jury.
See you next year for the 20th anniversary of the FIFO, from 4th to 12th February 2023.
Written by Lucie Rabreaud
French