Ka Leo O Hawaii: UHM College Newspaper

Issue date: 8/23/07 Section: Mixed Plate

The film called "The Land Has Eyes" will play at UH this Sunday and is also an Oscar nominee. It's good for all ages.

Production crews steadily work with Dr. Hereniko shown in the background directing.

          The Hawai‘i Filmmakers Showcase tops off its summer series with "The Land Has Eyes," a film that was Fiji's entry for the 2006 Academy Awards. It will be shown on Sunday, Aug. 26, at 5 p.m. at the Spalding Hall Auditorium at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.
          This film is an educational documentary and fun for any age group, and I encourage everyone to go see it. Through this film, UH students will gain insights to island culture, how indigenous people faced colonialism and how they managed to attain a Western education.
          "The Land Has Eyes" is a non-commercial film that shows the Rotuman notions of justice based on a proverb. It is a testimony of the indigenous view of justice and power of perspective of the people. UH professors are now showing this film in departments such as anthropology, history, culture studies, film studies and Pacific studies.
          The film is about a young Rotuman girl, Viki, who is the daughter of a poor family whose father has been accused of a crime which he did not commit. The story portrays Viki's fight for equality and freedom, which is influenced by a mythological warrior woman of Rotuma.
          This movie was directed by UH Mānoa's Dr. Vilsoni Hereniko, who teaches at the Center for Pacific Island Studies. It is an autobiography of his life growing up on the secluded island of Rotuma, 300 miles north of Fiji.
          This film is the last film being shown at the University of Hawai‘i Filmmakers Summer Showcase, which was a series of Hawaii's best films.
          The showcase has been running this summer to give the public an opportunity to learn about other islands as well as to give people a chance to meet the directors, ask questions and interact with them in person.
          In "The Land Has Eyes," Hereniko does a great job showing what the island nation of the Rotumans is like. In fact, 90 percent of all the actors in the film are native to the island. If you enjoy exploring new island cultures and mystical island legends, you will be satisfied with "The Land Has Eyes." This movie was funded by the Pacific Islanders in Communications and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

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