Jeremiah Tauamiti

Kiwi Samoan Jeremiah Tauamiti started his career as a camera operator (Fresh), before going on to direct films of his own, including shorts Maria and Liliu. His 48 Hours Film Festival team Goodfellas are perennial award contenders. Tauamiti has also acted in short films, such as The Promise of Piha and My Friend Michael Jones. In 2019 he co-directed his first feature For My Father’s Kingdom with partner Vea Mafile'o. The documentary, which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival, is about Mafile'o's Tongan father, Saia. 

Family is everything in Pacific Island societies. Much like culture, it plays a big part in our way of life as Pacific people. As a director, I want to make films that emphasize these kind of themes because personal themes, like love, forgiveness, hate, they’re all universal themes, and whether they play out in big political arenas or at home, they all come down to a personal story. Jeremiah Tauamiti, We Are Moving Stories website, September 2017