Description

Director Tearepa Kahi strums another note into New Zealand’s film canon with POI E, a documentary named after the country’s iconic 1984 musical hit. The song gave hope and a renewed spirit to a suffering community during an economic recession; it topped the music charts for four weeks straight and reentered the Top 10 in New Zealand in 2009 and 2010.

The film traces the entrepreneurial hitmaker behind POI E, Dalvanius Prime, who, in the 1980s, convinced the Patea Maori Club to perform the song. The group found themselves on an unexpected roller coaster ride as the song climbed the charts. Through archival footage and interviews with Prime, existing Patea Maori Club members and other notable figures in New Zealand media, the rich history of the song is uncovered and its relevance through the test of time addresses its impact on future generations while showing how the song is the pulse of the heart of a nation.

— Elisa Gyotoku

Expected Guest in Attendance: Tearepa Kahi (Director/Writer)

Co-presented by: Aloha Warehouse, Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center

Credits

Writer: Tearepa Kahi
Producer: Tearepa Kahi
Co-Producer: Alexander Behse, Reikura Kahi
Cast: Dalvanius Prime, Ngoingoi Pēwhairangi, Pātea Māori Club, Barletta Prime, Taika Waititi, Stan Walker, The Topp Twins, Maaka Pohatu

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