Welcome to Te Po Kiriata, our Maori film night for 2024!

Artworks Theatre is excited to bring Vai to the Waiheke cinema as part of our Motu Matariki celebration, made possible through the funding of Foundation North.

The story of one woman's journey of empowerment through culture plays out across several Pacific nations and various incarnations.

Vai is a story about wahine toa, water, and home.

Coming of age as an Indigenous woman on the South Pacific Islands is a process full of change. Every island may be different but they are connected by a shared history. Everywhere she goes, Vai is someone else, and yet she remains connected to her roots.

Vai is a portmanteau feature film made by nine female Pacific filmmakers, filmed in seven different Pacific countries: Fiji, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Kuki Airani (Cook Islands), Samoa, Niue and Aotearoa (New Zealand). It is about the journey of Vai, played by a different indigenous actress in each of the Pacific countries. In each of these Pacific nations ‘vai’ or 'wai' means water.

We feel privileged to have Jeanine Clarkin as our host, and we look forward to welcoming you with kai and drinks, and the opportunity for a korero after the film with some of Waiheke's very own wahine toa.

As this event is generously funded by Foundation North, tickets are on a Sliding Scale 'Pay What You Can' basis, and all funds will go into our Motu Matariki budget for 2024. We thank you for your contribution.