TANNA

On the island of Tanna in Vanuatu, in the village of Yakel beneath an active volcano, the community lives by kastom, the traditional rules, which include arranged marriage. Wawa (Marie Wawa) loves Dain (Mungau Dain), the chief’s grandson. When the war with the neighbouring Imedin tribe escalates, Wawa is promised to an Imedin man as part of a peace agreement. The two flee into the forest, pursued by warriors who want to kill them; Wawa’s little sister Selin (Marceline Rofit) witnesses it all. “Tanna” (2015) by the Australians Martin Butler and Bentley Dean is based on events from 1987 that changed the tribe’s rules forever.

The documentary filmmakers Bentley Dean and Martin Butler of Australia lived for seven months with their families in Yakel; the villagers play roles corresponding to their own lives, in their own language. It is the first feature film shot entirely in Vanuatu. In the Semaine de la Critique in Venice, “Tanna” won the audience award and the award for best cinematography in 2015; in 2017 it became the first Australian film to be nominated for the Academy Award for best foreign language film. It was shown at Around the World in 14 Films in Berlin in 2016.

Shown at the 2016 edition of Around the World in 14 Films.

All films 2016 · Film Archive