Taonga

Awa (13) is a young Maori girl who loves performing poi. Poi is her expression of freedom living in the sleepy seaside town of Piha, NZ. An only child, Awa helps take care of her debilitated mother. Today, she prepares herself and her taonga (treasured adornments) for her first cultural performance at school. However, a tough decision comes, for the love of her mother. Created in 72 hours for the Native Slam III filmmaking challenge at the Maoriland Film Festival.