Our audience is keen about reading stories of writers & directors creating a difference in the world. Your profile speaks volumes of the outstanding work you have done. Enlighten us about what you do, let’s start with the Story of One Family! “Follow your dreams.” It’s the kind of cliché advice you might hear during a graduation speech or read in a greeting card. But for one couple Manu and Hinano Tanielu (powerful Pacific inseparable duo leaders in the making) and their family, it was a mantra that motivated them to write, direct, and produce Sosefina, a gripping new drama inspired by a true story of a young Pacific Islander woman’s struggle to survive.

Hinano Tanielu, Sosefina’s director, puts it this way, “We didn’t only want to preach to our kids about living their dreams. We wanted to lead by example and show them that they don’t have to wait for the right moment to present itself. They can go out and create opportunities, even if the odds are against them."

Written by Namuali'i Tofa and Manu Tanielu who speaks from experience. After all, Manu faced the kind of odds that would make most people give up before they even have a script in hand. “We didn’t have any experience with filming,” Manu Tanielu says, “so we were definitely nervous. But we spent time researching and studying the film business. And we stepped out in faith.”

There wasn’t just one step of faith for the Tanielus. Seeing this film all the way through from concept to post-production took every ounce of willpower, faith, and money they had. After contacting numerous producers and having the door shut in their faces, they decided to produce the film themselves. So, Manu and Hinano, along with their parents, Alec and Tanya Tekurio, Executive Producer Taleni and(wife) Nacolynn Tanielu, pooled their resources and put together a production budget.

They flew talent in from around the world, including 2019 Ms Universe NZ Diamond Langi from New Zealand, Lehi Falepapalangi(Hawaii) from Hulu's  Future Man Netflix's 'Naked Director' and CBS' Hawaii 5 and other actors from across the continental United States. Since they were working with such a limited budget, they were unable to offer their actors payment. But their passion paid off as each actor was willing to step out in faith to make Sosefina a reality.

Photo credits : Esta @e.mcflaw

It seemed like all might be lost right as they were nearing the end. After filming, they were left with a meagre $50 to their names with countless overtime at work trying to catch on the bills. Manu recalls, "We were pretty much flat broke after the Sosefina set, borrowed money, trying to hustle in any way necessary to have extra food. It was embarrassing but we didn't care, I can care less what people think. We were in a good place mentally, this is part of the process and we had a goal in mind and it involves our kids’ future to give them a better life and set an example to reach your dreams under any circumstances."

Watch Trailer of Sosefina here:

Four months later our car gets repossessed" Hinano adds, "bills were still behind plus we still have PostProduction next. So we decided to move in with my parents and regroup.

The decision to uproot his family to New Zealand was complicated due to financial reasons. Why New Zealand? Why not California your birthplace? A safer route."We decided to go out to New Zealand while we were writing the Sosefina script. New Zealand is the omega of Pasifika Films, that's our land of opportunity, so it was a mandatory trip. Stallone & Dinah Vaiaoga -Ioasa producers of " Take Home Pay. Three Wise Cousins' films inspired our journey going the independent route, they laid the blueprint for us, all we had to do was tweak it a little" Manu also added, Mangere feels like home, we love it out here. "We love seeing our Pasifika people everywhere and getting to know our roots more.

After using the rest of their funds to fly to New Zealand so they could work with a cousin Upu Filoa, CEO of RTC Security, who was also willing to provide a place to stay and lend funds for Post Production. Manu recalls "I was nervous, embarrassed because I am coming with my wife, kids and limited funds. Thank you and I’m truly grateful to my cousin Upu and wife Sagi Filoa also Michael, Lisa, Mina and Faga Filoa for hosting and opening their home for us. Shout-out to the kids Nia, Robin, Upu Jr, Lolo, Iyla and Royce.

Hands-on training: they set to learn the different levels of Post-Production, how to edit and compose their final footage themselves with the help of YouTube videos and Google and they also reached out to professionals for advice and things they weren't capable of doing. Manu adds, "We came out here (New Zealand) with our outdated gear and bootleg software's, we had no choice, we had to save money by learning, doing it ourselves, computer was really slow, footage stuttering trying to edit/scoring, it was stressful but we were having fun at the same time."

Several months later, Sosefina was a reality. And it was the result of one family’s commitment, hard work, and faith. “The Law of Attraction and our Faith in our Heavenly Father as our guidance, put this journey together for us, all we had to do is work hard. I will never forget this amazing experience. We just want to do our part and represent our Pasifika culture the best we can through storytelling,” concludes Manu.

Sosefina will premiere in Auckland, New Zealand on March 15, 2020. Follow on other social media handles -: @sosefinamovie.