01
THE STORY
Leava and Puao are a young Samoan couple who have recently relocated to the village of Sauniatu Samoa with their three children. Because of their newfound faith, the family was under pressure from some of the villages.
​
A mob went to their house one stormy night while Leava was at a church meeting, demanding that he come outside and face them. The mob's leader was enraged that Leava wasn't home, so he abducted the 5-month-old baby girl, Tala. Puao follows the mob into the storm, eventually rescuing baby Tala, but Tala becomes gravely ill. The death of baby Tala brings tragedy to the family.
​
Puao has struggled for years with the loss of her baby; she harbors resentment towards her husband/Leava but follows his lead regardless of her own feelings. Seven years later, the man who kidnapped Tala returns to beg forgiveness from the family. All is eventually forgiven, as Puao nods her head and says, "Yes, you are forgiven."
02
THE FACTS
Tala' is a feature film created by the Hawaii film production team 'Cinjyn So'o Productions. Milton Kaka, the late Eseniaso Auelua, and Lehi Falepapalangi are the writers of the script.
The film is a family drama about a young Samoan family who joins a newfound faith. The family is met with a tragic encounter with a mob who takes their 5-month-old baby and the mother's heartache for the next 7 years.
This film is based on a true story that happened to my wife's family in Samoa in 1955.
As a first-time filmmaker, I was able to gather all of the information and stories about this event from my late sister-in-law Eseniaso Auelua. I was then able to meet up with a good friend, Lehi Falepapalangi, who is an actor, writer and director. He wrote the core of the script, which had been modified and re-written throughout the filming process with the help of my daughter Kamerya Hanohano, who also directed Tala.
We had a $300-$400 budget, so I was able to enlist the help of good friends and family members as actors, extras, wardrobe, food caterers, and technical assistants. The filming took place at the Polynesian Cultural Center over the course of four months, with breaks in between.
Working with all of these incredible people has made this project a lot of fun and a learning experience for everyone.
03
THE CONNECTION
We hope that the audience feels a connection with the family in the film because we all have struggles in life, we all experience loss, but we also experience love for others, especially when we learn to forgive.