Dandelion Institute Fellowship Feature: A Selection of Films by Fijian Filmmakers, Curated by Dandelion Institute Fellow Tumeli Tuqota
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| Still image from Soli Bula — Fiji’s first animated film, by filmmaker Tumeli Tuqota |
At the Alma Film Festival, our Fellowship Features are designed to do more than introduce audiences to different parts of the world—they invite deeper engagement with the people, ideas, and creative practices shaping contemporary cinema. Each Fellowship Feature offers a distinct perspective while collectively reflecting Alma’s commitment to cultural intelligence, ethical storytelling, and meaningful global exchange.
The Fiji Fellowship Feature is one of several Fellowship presentations taking place throughout the festival. Curated by Tumeli Tuqota—filmmaker, President of the Fiji Film Collective, and Fellow of the Dandelion Institute—this immersive, three-part cinematic and cultural experience centers storytelling as a reflection of identity, community, and shared humanity.
Across all Fellowship Features, Alma foregrounds culture through people—their values, tensions, memory, and imagination—rather than through place alone. Fiji’s presentation is rooted in this same approach.
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| A defining moment in Soli Bula, as the community confronts the cost of preserving cultural continuity. |
Part I: Fiji — History, Power, and Imagination
The journey opens with Tuqota’s short film Soli Bula, an alternate-reality vision in which tradition and cultural continuity remain intact. Through ceremony, conflict, and moral choice, the film invites reflection on how societies imagine themselves when cultural erosion is not the defining narrative.
From there, Tuqota provides historical and creative context, tracing Fiji’s long relationship with global cinema. He reflects on early international productions such as Cast Away and The Truman Show, before examining Fiji’s current role within global media through its prominence in reality television franchises, including Survivor and Love Island.
This section prioritizes understanding over spectacle—exploring how authorship, representation, and power shape the stories that circulate worldwide.
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| The creative team behind Takoso (dir. Epi Vuruna), representing the collaborative spirit of Fiji’s emerging film community. |
Part II: The Talent from Fiji — Community and Creative Continuity
The focus then turns to emerging storytellers and creative networks. The section opens with Takoso, directed by Epi Vuruna, followed by a broader look at Fiji’s growing local film industry and voices such as Tulia Nacola and Caleb Young.
Central to this segment is the Fiji Film Collective—a community of artists committed to shared learning, collaboration, and developing stories grounded in lived experience rather than external expectation.
The section concludes with Radini, written and directed by Salote Cama. Set within a professional conference environment, the film follows a pastor’s wife preparing to deliver a keynote address while navigating the tension between public responsibility and private truth. The narrative resonates with audiences familiar with leadership, visibility, and the discipline required to hold complexity with integrity.
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| Official poster for Radini, written and directed by Salote Cama |
Part III: Tumeli Tuqota — A Creative Path Shaped by Purpose
In the final chapter, Tuqota reflects on his own creative journey. Audiences experience Daunitukutuku, a historical drama centered on a young person confronting division within their community to protect its future.
Tuqota then shares his evolution from graphic designer and animator to filmmaker, speaking to the rigor of crossing disciplines while remaining anchored in intention. His path includes two successful crowdfunded projects, screenings at leading Indigenous film festivals such as ImagineNATIVE Film Festival and Māoriland Film Festival, and a creative practice grounded in experimentation, accountability, and long-term vision.
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| A defining scene from Daunitukutuku, capturing the tension between unity and fracture. |
Looking Ahead: The Black Tapa
The Fellowship Feature concludes with a live table read from Tuqota’s upcoming project, The Black Tapa, envisioned as Fiji’s first horror feature. Centered on character, memory, and cultural symbolism, the project approaches genre as a space for meaning-making rather than spectacle alone.
The moment offers an intimate glimpse into a work in formation—and an open invitation for dialogue, collaboration, and continued engagement beyond the festival.
For More Information On The Alma Film Festival
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