Tinā

Tinā is a 2024 New Zealand drama film written and directed by Miki Magasiva. It stars Anapela Polataivao as a dissatisfied substitute teacher, recently bereaved after the 2011 Christchurch earthquake killed her daughter. She begins to work at an elite private school and starts a student choir. The film premiered at the Hawaii International Film Festival on 8 October 2024, and is scheduled for national release on 27 February 2025.

Tinā
Film poster
Directed by	Miki Magasiva
Written by	Miki Magasiva
Produced by	Miki Magasiva Dan Higgins Mario Gaoa
Starring	Anapela Polataivao Antonia Robinson Beulah Koale Nicole Whippy Dalip Sondhi Jamie Irvine Alison Bruce
Cinematography	Andrew McGeorge
Edited by	Luke Haigh
Music by	Sebastien Pan Tuilagi Dr. Igelese Ete
Production companies	The Brown Factory New Zealand Film Commission
Distributed by	Madman Entertainment
Release date	8 October 2024 (2024-10-08)
Running time	122 minutes
Country	New Zealand
Languages	English and Samoan
Budget	NZ$4,300,000

Synopsis

In 2011, Marete Percival is a cynical and disillusioned substitute teacher from Christchurch who is mourning the death of her daughter in the recent earthquake. Needing the money, she reluctantly accepts a position at a largely Pākehā and rigidly conservative private school. There, she begins a choir, and coaches her students for the upcoming national Big Sing competition. Marete builds a community of like-minded students traumatised by the earthquake and inspires them.

Production

The film was a joint production between The Brown Factory and the New Zealand Film Commission. The film was shot on location between September and October 2023. Despite being set in Christchurch, it was also filmed in Auckland. Tinā is 124 minutes long and is in English and Samoan.

The choir music was written and arranged by Tuilagi Dr. Igelese Ete, who previously worked on the Lord of the Rings trilogy and Moana.