Teine Sā - The Ancient Ones (excerpts)

Careful what you wish for Ana.

– Mele (Petmal Lam) in episode one

Ana, you can't interfere with the worlds of the Teine Sā.

– Nana ( Yvonne Maea-Brown) cautions her granddaughter Ana (Frankie Adams), in episode one

Projects like this can be really tapu and sacred; we have to navigate it carefully and thoughtfully and, hopefully, do the best job. We won’t always get it right but it is still a step forward.

– Matasila Freshwater, who directed episode four (Hiama), The Spinoff, 20 May 2021

Look at that. Now that's God's work right there...his majesty, his power.

– Ambitious developer Eli (Joe Naufahu) looks out at the rolling ocean view, in episode three (Ahi)

These are not little goosebump stories that we have just devised, these are the real stories of our people.

– Samoan-Kiwi Director Mario Faumui on Teine Sā - The Ancient Ones, The Spinoff, 20 May 2021

Representation is everything, especially for our fa'afafine, transgender, queer people, and so I had to make sure that I delivered appropriately and served not only Samoan culture, but the fa'afafine that are coming next, and also to honour those who have come before me.

– Actor Petmal Petelo Lam who plays Mele in episode one, Radio New Zealand, 14 May 2021

What was really beautiful was what linked all my characters together — like, a lot of them had experienced trauma, or are still finding their femininity or womanhood, and then they were all quite smart, clever and charming. And so once I found the similarities, it was easier to see who they were in their own worlds.

– Frankie Adams on playing five different characters in Teine Sā - The Ancient Ones, Radio New Zealand, 14 May 2021