Bula

My name is Meli Tuqota Jr. I hail from Vanua Levu, Fiji, with maternal links to Ha’apai, Tonga. As a creative, I wear several hats. An average Graphic Designer, newbie-ish Animator, amateur Illustrator and recently, wannabe Filmmaker. 


What’s going on?

Last year I made an animated short film. ‘You, the Choice of My Parents’, is an animated journey of Konai Helu Thaman’s famous poem. It was my first time ever making an animated short film and for a debut, it was pretty alright.

I entered it in the Cultural Animation Film Festival in Hawaii where it was accepted, much to my surprise and delight. Over the months I entered my animated short film into many film festivals. I didn’t get in to a lot, but it has been accepted into a few, of which I am eternally grateful for.


The highlight so far has been having my animated short film accepted in both the largest Indigenous Film Festival in the world - ‘ImagineNATIVE Film Festival’, as well as the largest Indigenous Film Festival in the Southern Hemisphere - Maoriland Film Festival.


What do I need?

Originally I wasn’t planning to attend the Maoriland Film Festival as I didn’t actually plan for anything and was content to stay put in Fiji. However, lately I’ve received a lot of interest from friends and family to fund a trip for me to see my short film on the big screen, a notion that surprises me to no end.


As a filmmaker, the point about having your work shown in film festivals isn’t so that you can add a festival logo on your poster (although I must admit, it does make me happy to see them on mine). The real reason is so that you can travel to the film festival and meet up with other Filmmakers and like-minded people, learn from them and build your network amongst other fellow creatives.

Which is why I am here today.


#GetMeliToMaoriland

I need your help to raise a small amount of travel funds to send my last minute, late organising, I-didn’t-think-this-would-actually-happen behind from Suva, Fiji to the Maoriland Film Festival in New Zealand, which will be from March 18th to March 22nd.

My animated short film, ‘You, the Choice of My Parents’ screens alongside another Tongan film, ‘My Father’s Kingdom’ on the 22nd of March.


I’ve calculated a rough budget of around $2,000 for a return air ticket, a visa, and food during the week that I intend to travel there. 

I’ve also been invited to visit the Vunilagi Vou Studio in Auckland by the Director, Ema Tavola, where I can meet other Pacific Island creatives, which will make my trip that much more worthwhile.

As the proposed trip is a month and 2 weeks away, I need to scramble to get my visa approved, make travel arrangements and bemoan my general tardiness with...well...all of this.


Perks!


Top Donation: I will draw a portrait of your choosing in my scribble/colourful style.

3 Random Donations: I will also draw a portrait of your choosing in my scribble/colourful style.

Any donation you might be able to give, no matter how small, will be HUGELY appreciated, and will help me immensely in my endeavours to learn and grow as a budding Pacific filmmaker.

Vinaka vakalevu, Malo ‘aupito and Thank you very much.

Now #GetMeliToMaoriland !