The Orator

The Orator (2011)

O le tulafale

The strongest voice comes from the heart.

The Orator (O Le Tulafale) is a contemporary drama about courage, forgiveness and love. Small in stature and humble, Saili lives a simple life with his beloved wife and daughter in an isolated, traditional village in the islands of Samoa. Forced to protect his land and family, Saili must face his fears and seek the right to speak up for those he loves.

Date of release
2011-02-21
TMDB
7.0 / 10 (11)
Runtime
1h 50m
Genres
Drama
Director
Tusi Tamasese

Casting

Interesting facts

  • Awards: 0 · Nominations: 1

The Orator is a 2011 Samoan and New Zealand film written and directed by Tusi Tamasese. It is the first ever Samoan feature film, "entirely shot in Samoa, in the Samoan language, with a Samoan cast and story". The film was selected as the New Zealand entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 84th Academy Awards, but it did not make the final shortlist. It is the first time New Zealand has submitted a film in this category.

Production and distribution

Written and directed by Tusi Tamasese (previously the writer and director of short film Va Tapuia), The Orator is produced by Catherine Fitzgerald, shot by Leon Narbey, and financed by the New Zealand Film Commission and by the Samoan government. Maiava Nathaniel Lees and Michael Eldred are associate producers, and Samoan chief Manu Asafo served as cultural advisor.

Filming was completed in January 2011, with the film scheduled to be screened in cinemas later in the year.

The Orator "will be distributed in New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific by Transmission Films", while NZ Film will handle distribution beyond Oceania. Misa Telefoni, who is also Samoan Minister for Tourism, has expressed hope that the film will attract international attention to Samoa, and promote the country as a tourist destination.

The film had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, in Italy on 3 September 2011. This was the first time that Samoa were represented at the festival and saw a return for New Zealand after a 4-year absence (the last film shown at the festival was Cargo).

The Orator premiered in Samoa's only cinema -Magik Cinema in Apia- on 1 October 2011. It was screened in cinemas in New Zealand on 6 October.

Read on Wikipedia · Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Data from Wikidata.

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