Vaka Moana: Ancestors of the Future
Learn about time-honoured Polynesian conservation practices while exploring the most southerly and remote atoll of the Cook Islands.
Made in collaboration with Indigenous NGO Te Puna Marama Voyaging Foundation on location in the Cook Islands, Vaka Moana: Ancestors of the Future is a 48-minute immersive 360-degree experience that takes viewers on a journey to the remote atoll of Mangaia. We sail on a recreated version of the Vaka Moana (or ocean-going canoes) that brought the first people to the Polynesian Pacific millennia ago – the very last stage of the great human migrations across planet Earth.
On this journey, we sail with Pwo Grand Master Navigator Peia Patai, one of only 10 masters of traditional non-instrument navigation (guided by stars, swells, ecological signs). While visiting ancient celestial maps in limestone caves and journeying across the oldest island in Polynesia, we also learn about the Polynesian resource-management strategy of Ra‘ui: to only take what is needed in order to conserve our ecology for the future. Sailing a small boat across the precarious and finite planet Earth, we learn about this ancestral Indigenous sustainable practice that is urgently needed globally. This is an immersive experience with a deep message from Polynesian ancestors and knowledge-holders for the future of us all.
All screenings will include a post-film Q&A with director Tom Murray and Pwo Grand Master Navigator Peia Patai. The Q&A session will be facilitated by Jade Nathan Hadfield (Ngāti Kahungunu & Ngāti Whatua), Curator, Moana Wansolwara Collection, First Peoples – Research and Collections Department, Museums Victoria Research Institute.
Tickets
For information about the accessible services being offered at MIFF, please visit miff.com.au/access. If you require any access service, such as wheelchair/step-free access, for any MIFF session, please call 03 8660 4888 or email boxoffice@miff.com.au to book your ticket.
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