Sima Urale
In 2011 the startling news broke around New Zealand that Sharon Armstrong, a middle-aged grandmother and public servant who worked for the Maori Language Commission had been arrested in Argentina with 5kg of cocaine in her suitcase.
The father of a deeply troubled household that endured tragedy both from without and within, seeks to reconcile with his youngest daughter by making a journey to both symbolically and culturally lay the family "ghosts" to rest.
Celebrity Chef Anita hasn't seen her family for twenty years. That is until her son Michael decides to do some soul searching and track down his aunt.
A husband struggles to care for his ailing wife and refuses their children's demands that they move into care.
Shot in black and white and filmed in the Samoan language, Sima Urale's debut short film was the first film by a Samoan woman director. O Tamaiti is the story of a young boy forced to play parent in devastating circumstances. According to NZ On Screen, "O Tamaiti marked a powerful debut, winning an impressive trolley of awards, including best short at the Venice Film Festival, Best NZ Short, and another at the Chicago Film Festival".
