Whetu Marama - Bright Star previews

I was lucky to see this at the 2021 NZ International Film Festival, and I can't recommend it enough. I'm a pakeha, but this doco made me cry because it was so inspiring and so moving: Hek Busby (Hekenukumai Ngaiwi Puhipi) dedicated his life to gathering as much Pacific navigational lore as he could (visiting everywhere from Hawai'i to Rarotonga), making sure it was all recorded, finding themes (the Pacific trade winds represented as massive arms of the octopus Kupe chased as he navigated: mindblowing) … But Hek was a teacher, too, and thanks to him (and his colleagues) the knowledge lives and grows. This doco is such a testimony to Hek's passion and scholarly dedication, and it brilliantly hints at how incredibly technologically advanced Polynesian navigators were across the centuries when the Pacific region was being settled and explored. I can't wait to see this film again.