The making of the Vanuatu love story film Tanna. A Wall Street Journal video
By Len Garae of the Vanuatu Daily Post
For the first time since the magnificent Vanuatu Convention Centre was opened last year, a powerful custom dance from Tanna surged into the entrance hall to celebrate the live streaming of the winners of the Oscars Awards in Hollywood.
For Tanna to be able to reach the top category of five best foreign language films where the Iranian film The Salesman won an Oscar, is a high enough springboard to place Vanuatu on the world map.
For this, the people of Vanuatu can thank the Australian government and directors of the movie and their Tannese cast, for dreaming of making it big with Tanna because they have made an important impact in Hollywood for Vanuatu in particular.
Parliamentary Secretary and MP Johnny Koanapo from Tanna praised the actors and actresses for making use of their God-given talents to act in Tanna without attending acting school.
On the other hand, it is the norm for all actors and actresses in the United States and Europe to qualify to act in movies only after graduating from acting schools.
Livestreaming of the awards
Dain and Wawa joined the crowd in the Convention Centre in Port Vila yesterday to view the Oscars ceremony on Australian Channels 9 and 10 in collaboration with Telsat and VBTC
Dain said he never dreamed the movie would make it to Port Vila let alone as far as Hollywood.
Wawa was content not to speak.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism Joe Natuman who is himself from Tanna, will lead a government delegation to Yakel village on south-west Tanna, to say thank you to the community for their historic role which catapulted the foreign language film to join the top five competing for the Oscars.
