Salelologa, Samoa, 11 September 2019 -- Don Bosco High School and Vocational Centre is in the village of Salelologa on the remote island of Savai’i in Samoa. The school opened in 2011 under the leadership of Fr. Mosese Tui, SDB. Since then the school has developed in leaps and bounds and is the premier school for the young people on the island. The beauty of the school is that it enables young people to remain with their family instead of migrating to the other island of Upolu in order to receive an education.
The current Principal of the school is Fr. Nuku Lefai, SDB. The entire Salesian community, and most especially Fr. Nuku in the school, work hard to bring the message and spirit of Don Bosco to this beautiful island and to the young people.
This past week the students of Don Bosco were visited by some very special guests. The Director, Producer and mother of some of the most incredible Samoan films came especially to Savai’i to speak to the students at the school. Stallone Vaiaoga-Ioasa and Abba Dinash Vaiaoga-Ioasa (Abba-Rose) gave of their time generously to be with the students of Don Bosco. Stallone and Abba Rose have worked on three major feature films – Three Wise Cousins, Hibiscus and Ruthless and their latest release that is currently in cinemas, Take Home Pay.
The students were able to ask questions to Stallone and Abba-Rose and learn about what motivated them and how they entered the film industry. The students were wise and brave in their questioning. They asked many questions about the process of making a film and Stallone and Abba-Rose took great care to answer each and every question thoughtfully and with time. They expressed beautiful sentiments about creating films that have a message of humility and service – surely a message that is not at the forefront of the average filmmakers’ mind. Stallone, when speaking of Hibiscus and Ruthless, told the students that one of the major messages of the film was about the ability to hold two cultures simultaneously while also remaining yourself. This sentiment is so important for many Pacifican young people, particularly those living in a context different to their place of birth or cultural background.
The three films released by this inspiring duo and their team touch upon very important themes for young people in Samoa, for young people in the Pacific and young people in general. The latest film, Take Home Pay is comedic genius yet at the same time manages to delicately bring some very important messages to the forefront. It is clear that the team from ‘Measure Twice Shoot Once Films (m2s1films)’ have a deep love and respect for their Samoan background. The way in which this film is made also shows incredible humility and respect towards those who choose to watch their films. Poignancy is not an easy thing to achieve and they do so gracefully and with great skill.
More important than the fact this team make wonderful films, is the fact they are inspiring role models for our young people. They have worked hard, achieved their dreams and have done so in a humble, authentic and respectful way.
Their films can be purchased online and current and future projects can be followed on Facebook at Instagram by searching @m2s1films.
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