Te Puna Ora: The Source of Life

Synopsis

Te Puna Ora: The Source of Life follows the intertwined stories of Hinano, Poema, and Anuavai, three women from the island of Mo’orea, as they come together to protect their ancestral lands and waters. Their relationships with the ocean form the heart of the film, rooted in familial bonds, ancestral legends, and the rhythms of daily life. Despite these deep connections, they face systemic exclusion from the very places that sustain them, from daily moments of rupture to state-sanctioned privatization of the coastline. Director Virginie Tetoofa sensitively portrays the lived experiences of these violences, highlighting the intersecting impacts of capitalism and colonialism. As the government supports a hotel expansion on local beaches—in violation of Mo’orea’s Marine Protected Areas—these women lead local efforts to stop construction. Tetoofa threads the myth of Hina, Goddess of the moon, throughout the film, framing Hinano, Poema, and Anuavai’s collective fight for their home as a journey that is both political and sacred.

Director Bio

Virginie Tetoofa is a Tahitian filmmaker based in French Polynesia. After graduating from the Victorian College of the Arts, Australia, she has worked in the film and TV industry for over a decade, both in Europe and in the Pacific. In 2015, Virginie decided to return to her island home to pursue her work as a film director and dive into her roots. She believes that showing the contrast between the intangible elements of Polynesian heritage and the search for openness, can result in a new way of storytelling. Most of her work focuses on the relation between tradition and modernity and on characters that are rooted in their culture. She uses a collaborative approach in her films which often feature the dilemma between preservation and progress. Some of her work includes the short hybrid docu-series Pari Pari Fenua Season 1 and 2, music video “Faafaite” by Pepena, and narrative short “E Arioi Vahine.”

Distribution

Ahi Company
Contact: virginie.tetoofa@ahicompany.fr 

 

It’s unfinished – we are still telling a story that doesn’t have an end. The story of ocean sustainability, unfortunately, may never have an end. We are bringing a non-classical story into the world, and it is definitely going against the grain.

Films have the power to plant seeds in people’s minds. Let’s hope they water these seeds.