It took Waititi nearly 30 years to reach these Hollywood heights, journeying through an industry controlled mainly by an establishment who are disconnected from a growing Polynesian audience, which has — whether by accident or design — deterred a lot of brown creatives from the industry. The screen work of legends like Merata Mita, Sima Urale, Oscar Kightley and Waititi cannot be disregarded, but the governing structures in Pacific strongholds like Australia and New Zealand still remain the same. Waititi’s words “We are the original storytellers” ring true — we just needed to find original ways to tell our stories. Social media has become that place. Last year he was commissioned by TikTok to create his own action-comedy webseries called The Tongan Rogue General. Follow Toks Fale on TikTok here.
Follow Nix Adams on TikTok here. Follow Sapphire on TikTok here.
Follow Johnny Tuivasa-Sheck on Instagram here. Follow Drew Afualo on TikTok here.
Watch the first season of Bubbah Olo’s webseries I Got You on Instagram here. Follow Torrel Tafa on TikTok here. Follow Jimi Jackson on Facebook here. Follow Sam Ratumaitavuki on Instagram here.
