A young cinema story
Fiji has a relatively small film industry, but there are some talented Fijian filmmakers who are helping to develop local cinema. Perhaps the best known of these is Vilsoni Hereniko. Considered the pioneer of cinema in Fiji, he has made several acclaimed short and feature-length films, reaching beyond the Pacific to be screened at major European and American events. His most famous film, The Land Has Eyes (2004), has been selected for numerous international festivals, the most prestigious of which is undoubtedly Sundance. The film explores the life of a young Fijian girl who fights to defend her land against intrusion from outside forces, drawing inspiration from the legendary heroines of Rotuma culture. To date, The Land Has Eyes is the only feature film to come out of the island and the country.
And yet Fiji continues to attract numerous international co-productions. This success is due, of course, to the beauty of the local landscape, but also to the establishment of a national film commission, geared towards the major American and Indian production centers. With a sizeable Indian minority, the country is a major consumer of Bollywood films, whether or not dubbed in Fijian. And this policy is enabling the development of local expertise, which will no doubt soon lead to the emergence of a new generation of filmmakers, ready to bring the richness of Fijian history and culture to the screen.
Fifty Shades of Blue Lagoon
If you're a fan of romance, you're probably familiar with The Blue Lagoon, one of the 1980s classics directed by the director of Grease. It's the story of two Victorian children who find themselves shipwrecked on a tropical island in the South Pacific after a crossing goes wrong. With no adults to guide them, they live a simple existence together and slowly fall in love, with no one to guide them but their hearts and the emotions of adolescence. A film that reveals Brooke Shields, accompanied by an equally endearing Christopher Atkins.
Shot mostly on Nanuya Levu, but also in Malta, this film is a remake of The Blue Lagoon, a 1949 British production starring Jean Simmons and Donald Houston, itself a remake of the 1923 silent film The Blue Lagoon . And the cinematic history of these two teenagers doesn't end there, as Randal Kleiser's film (from whom we also owe Croc Blanc) is the subject of several remakes, first in 1991 with Retour au lagon bleu, then in 2012 with the TV movie Les Naufragés du lagon bleu. While the former features actress Milla Jovovich(Resident Evil, The Fifth Element) and Brian Krause (one of the lead actors in the Charmed series), don't waste too much time with the latter, whose quality clearly leaves something to be desired.
Some films shot in Fiji
Aside from these adolescent romances, a number of filmmakers have set foot on the islands since the beginning of the last century. In the 1930s, when exploration documentaries were all the rage, filmmaker Edward Salisbury made Gow, a kind of docu-drama about the region's supposedly cannibalistic natives. If you manage to get your hands on this cinematic UFO, you'll be able to see in it the beginnings of B-movie cinema in the 1950s-1960s, with - it has to be said - a background of racism on the part of the director. Nonetheless, it's a plunge more than ninety years back in time, and therefore an interesting trace of the past for discovering local culture from a Western point of view.
In the 1950s, Hollywood used the backdrop of Fiji to tell tales of intrepid adventurers, played by the handsome and charismatic Burt Lancaster. Between action and comedy, The Brawler of the Pacific or The King of the Islands will relax you gently and unpretentiously, while taking advantage of the sublime landscapes of Viti Levu, which you will probably also enjoy. It's also the adventure behind The Pirates of Wild Island (1983), one of the first starring roles for American actor Tommy Lee Jones, known for his roles in Men in Black, No Country for Old Men and The Fugitive, alongside Harrison Ford. An action-packed tale set in the mid-19th century South Pacific islands, where bloody raids and battles were once commonplace. Fans of tales of forbans and privateers will be delighted.
At the turn of the century, Fiji played host to two prestigious film shoots just a few years apart. It was filmmaker Robert Zemeckis who gave the country this opportunity, first with a few iconic shots in the film Contact (1997), then by putting Fiji squarely at the center of the story in Alone in the World, three years later. In the former, you'll recognize the beaches of the Yawasa Islands in one of the film's final sequences, as Jodie Foster aka Ellie Arroway reaches the other side of the black hole and discovers an idyllic, fantastical landscape. In the second, you'll be alongside Tom Hanks on the beaches of Monuriki. As Chuck Noland, a delivery man who finds himself alone on a desert island after a plane crash, you'll experience a great cinematic moment thanks to the actor's captivating and moving performance. Today, the film remains one of the most beautiful postcards of the island on the screen, thanks to the fame of its lead actor, but also to the beauty of its photography and the locations chosen, which we can only encourage you to discover.
Seeing movies in Fiji
Visit cinemas in Suva and Lautoka to discover the latest releases from American and Bollywood cinema. And if you prefer to get off the beaten track, the Fiji International Film Festival will showcase the latest productions by Fijian and Pacific filmmakers. A great way to promote cultural diversity and celebrate the region's cinematic talent.
