HIFI ULU

When your culture rests on your shoulders.

Kia ora - Fakaalofa Lahi Atu - Mālō le Soifua - Hello!

We need your support to tell this story on Loading Docs’ award-winning platform.

OUR FILM

Nine-year-old Luka is a boy of action and adventure, yet distinct in one aspect: his long, uncut hair, a symbol of his Niuean heritage. The film unfolds through Luka's eyes as he approaches a pivotal cultural milestone: the traditional Niuean hifi ulu ceremony for his tenth birthday, a rite that signifies his passage into young manhood. As the day approaches, the documentary weaves through his family’s diverse perspectives and considers how Luka’s own feelings might differ.

WHY THIS FILM?

Capturing Luka’s hifi ulu will not only be an everlasting tāoga (treasure) for his magafaoa (family) but also for those amongst the Niuean diaspora. With the majority of the Niuean community living off island, the language, culture and customs practiced through younger generations is of vital importance to keep the culture alive. This documentary provides an opportunity for those within and outside the Niue culture to understand a traditional practice that isn’t well known outside of The Rock of Polynesia. By donating to this film you will be putting money in the hands of a passionate team that is dedicated to bringing a unique, authentic Niuean story to your screens. Your funds will ensure that Hifi Ulu is captured in a way that does justice to Luka, his story and the story of our underrepresented Niue community.

OUR TEAM

We are a documentary team based in Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland, New Zealand. 

Chantelle Burgoyne (Director) is a filmmaker of Samoan, Tongan and European heritage with a first-class MA in Screen Production specialising in directing drama from the University of Auckland. She has written and directed several short films that have screened in festivals in New Zealand and internationally. Most recently, she directed one of the chapters of the anthology feature film We Are Still Here which opened the 69th Sydney Film Festival in 2022 and won the prize for best dramatic feature film at the imagineNATIVE Film & Media Arts Festival.

Hayley Felise (Producer) is a Dutch-Pākehā television, film, commercial and theatre producer with a Bachelor of Communication Studies, majoring in Television and Screen Production (AUT, 2015). She’s worked on drama-comedy Happiness is the Path, comedy Bouncers and documentaries No Māori Allowed, Waiata Anthems, Arranged, The Elephant in the Bedroom, and Griff's Canadian Adventure. Hayley production managed in the local production and commissioning team at Warner Bros Discovery New Zealand, and edited current affairs shows Te Kaea and Te Ao at Whakaata Māori.

OUR TARGET

As part of the Loading Docs initiative, we need to raise a minimum of $5,000 through Boosted. Once we reach our minimum target, it will unlock additional funding from Loading Docs. But, this is an all-or-nothing campaign. If we don’t reach our target, we get nothing! That’s why we need your help.

We are so excited to bring this project to your screens! Thank you for your support.

Loading Docs is funded by NZ On Air with support from the New Zealand Film Commission and Te Māngai Pāho.

Special thanks to Todd Karehana for his beautiful photography and videography for our Boosted campaign.