Brass clowns
New Zealand Listener|March 25-31 2023
How a comedy inspired by a gig at a World Cup game became a family affair for its Tongan cast and creator.  
RUSSELL BAILLIE
Brass clowns

In 2011, Halaifonua Finau led his Tongan church brass band onto the field at Wellington's Cake Tin ahead of the Tonga-France Rugby World Cup game. He had blagged his way into the role of drum major of the ensemble that had been hastily assembled to support the team - and to get free tickets to the game. He was, he thinks, a bit of a natural with the mace.

"I think it was from my childhood of growing up watching the Ninja Turtles and practising with sticks... all of that stuff was easy."

Clearly inspired by the overtures of the Taulanga Ū Brass Band and a stadium swathed in red and white, Tonga beat France 19-14. The team's earlier losses meant its opponents would still advance. Still, Tonga ended its RWC run that year on a high, as did the Wellington Tongan community. And now that high is about to return in the form of a feature film.

These days, Finau, who started out a dancer and actor - he was one of the kids in the David McPhail classroom sitcom Seven Periods with Mr Gormsby - is an established writer and producer. He was co-creator of The Panthers, the 2021 drama inspired by the Polynesian political activists of the 1970s, and a co-writer on the Jonah Lomu mini-series, Jonah.

Seeing a Tongan brass band at a touring Edinburgh Military Tattoo show in Wellington in 2016, he had a lightbulb moment. When he started bouncing around ideas and telling possible producers about his 2011 experience, he got told: "Write that". At first the film was called Dox - the Tongan slang equivalent of "Bros" - and it was headed towards being a movie about 20-something guys, well, blowing their own trumpets. "It was very much in the Sione's Wedding lane and tone," Finau tells the Listener.

Bu hikaye New Zealand Listener dergisinin March 25-31 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

Bu hikaye New Zealand Listener dergisinin March 25-31 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

NEW ZEALAND LISTENER DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
First-world problem
New Zealand Listener

First-world problem

Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.

time-read
3 dak  |
September 9, 2024
Applying intelligence to AI
New Zealand Listener

Applying intelligence to AI

I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.

time-read
2 dak  |
September 9, 2024
Nazism rears its head
New Zealand Listener

Nazism rears its head

Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.

time-read
2 dak  |
September 9, 2024
Staying ahead of the game
New Zealand Listener

Staying ahead of the game

Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?

time-read
4 dak  |
September 9, 2024
Grasping the nettle
New Zealand Listener

Grasping the nettle

Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.

time-read
3 dak  |
September 9, 2024
Hangry? Eat breakfast
New Zealand Listener

Hangry? Eat breakfast

People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.

time-read
3 dak  |
September 9, 2024
Chemical reaction
New Zealand Listener

Chemical reaction

Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.

time-read
4 dak  |
September 9, 2024
Me and my guitar
New Zealand Listener

Me and my guitar

Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.

time-read
2 dak  |
September 9, 2024
Time is on my side
New Zealand Listener

Time is on my side

Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?

time-read
7 dak  |
September 9, 2024
The kids are not alright
New Zealand Listener

The kids are not alright

Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.

time-read
4 dak  |
September 9, 2024