At the end of the 18th century, hundreds of Indian sailors, known as lascars, worked amongst European settlers in Aotearoa New Zealand - often under the gruesome working conditions of seal hunting gangs. The story follows a lascar, Dasa, who has been abandoned on the coast of Aotearoa NZ by the East India Company, alongside his sealing gang. When Dasa finds himself in the middle of a conflict between his abusive British superior and two Māori traders, he is faced with a choice: bend the knee or take a stand.
Food is an important pillar of culture. It's what brings people together; it’s about family, tradition, and celebration. Food is where fusion happens. Mixed Up is a conversation about the desperate need for belonging and what it means to embrace your culture in New Zealand today. Led by Jess' introspection as she quietly cooks in a lonely studio, we meet four other women of colour: Hannah and Elizabeth, Nicky, and Matilda. Guided by a recipe and defined by different cultural experiences, we find parallels and similarities across their stories - mixed feelings of pride, shame, longing, and inspiration.
VAKA is a short documentary about the energy and resilience of the Tokelauan people as they weave their customary-wisdom regarding the environment with modern eco-technologies to respond to climate change.
