Synopsis
Our Atoll Speaks (Ko Talatala Mai Tō Mātou Wenua) directed by Gemma Cubero del Barrio and in partnership with the People of Pukapuka is an award winning short film meditation on the environmental knowledge of the people of Pukapuka/Nassau, an atoll in the Northern Group of the Cook Islands. This communal poem, developed from interviews with Pukapukans from 2015-2017, interweaves stunning images of land, sky, and sea. Climate change and rising sea levels is the biggest threat to our island futures. Conservation practices developed over thousands of years have something to teach. This documentary provides a visual metaphor for indigenous climate knowledge from the perspective of the atoll and her people. Funded by the United Nations GEF Small Grants Programme / Cook Islands Red Cross Society. Runner Up Award – Coast Film Festival 2021. Finalist Trailer Award – Hero Film Festival 2021. Coastal Culture Award – International Ocean Film Festival 2020. Winner Grand Jury Award – GIFF 2020. Official Selections 2022: I love Cinema – Cook Islands Short Films, The South Seas Film Fest. Official Selections 2021: FIFO Tahiti, Melbourne Women In Film Festival, The Redford Center FridayFilmNight Series, Bend Film Festival, Santa Fe Independent Film Festival, Environmental Film Festival, Film Ambiente International Film Festival Environmental Films. Official Selection 2020: Medina International Short Film Festival. Official Selections 2019: Wairoa Maori Film Festival, New Zealand International Film Festival, Te Kuki Airani Film Festival, Pollywood Pasifika Film.