Recently, in Boston, I was feeling untethered & very far from the place I belong. It was the day Te Whare Tīwekaweka was released and as my bus drove through the city drizzle I selected Kāhore He Manu E (feat. Lorde) to listen to. There I was, quietly wiping tears (because it's so freaking beautiful) and felt more connected than I had in days.

Lucky enough to see this at the premiere in the gorgeous Civic Theatre with the film-makers, Marlon Williams, local iwi and whanau in the house.

As an ex-Christchurch girl who loves music, who performed multiple times in that bloody magnificent town hall, & went to a (public) school a bit too much like the one in the movie, & then had her eyes opened to Samoan culture through teaching, this movie made me have some big feelings. The tough stuff here is dealt with tenderness, humour & the odd kick up the bum. 

We were very privileged to be at the Aotearoa premier - amazing audience & location. To be part of something!

Don’t come at me with anything but positives otherwise I’ll put you to sleep in a hallway.

"Here's the plan: we put the band back together, do some gigs, earn some bread, bang! We'll have 5,000 bucks in no time."

"And we would especially like to welcome all the representatives of Illinois's law enforcement community that have chosen to us here in the Palace Hotel Ballroom at this time... "

I know a review should be more than classic quotes but really! The Blues Brothers! How can I not quote something?! You're lucky I kept it down to two.

Protip: never teach your kids how to work the remote.

FML