The Return of Polynesia’s Treasures (Australian premiere)

Wednesday 4 December
Doors open 5:15pm

5:30-6:30pm Screening

6:45-7:15pm Q&A with Miriama Bono
Location: Social Sciences Building SSB Lecture Theatre 200

FREE with registration

Join us for the Australian premiere of Le Retour des Trésors Polynésiens (The Return of Polynesia’s Treasures), directed by Denis Pinson and co-written by Paul Manate and Suliane Favennec.

2024; 52 mins, in French with English subtitles. Produced by Archipel Production.

Featuring Miriama Bono, ex-Director of Te Fare Iamanaha, the Museum of Tahiti and the Islands; Hinatea Colombani, founder of the cultural centre 'Arioi; local artists (Hihirau Vaiteora) and scholars (Bruno Saura, Vahi Richaud, Frédéric Torrente), this documentary notably follows the moving journey of the heva tupapa'u, the mourner's costume collected during James Cook’s second voyage to the Pacific (1772−1775), and the statue of A’a, from the collections of the British Museum to Te Fare Iamanaha. 

The documentary gives a new lease of life to these emblematic works of art and their return journey after a long exile, exploring how they were used and their cultural signification for the Polynesians, through minimalist yet lively evocations of the pre-colonial period.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Miriama Bono.

Miriama Bono is a Polynesian artist, independent curator, and trained architect. She is the President of FIFO, the International Oceanian Documentary Film Festival. From 2017-2023, she was Director of Te Fare Iamanaha, the Museum of Tahiti and the Islands. During her her tenure, she oversaw a major renovation project of the museum and led international cooperation projects that enabled the return in 2023 of major Polynesian heritage artworks and artefacts from the British Museum, Cambridge Museum of Anthropology and the Musée du Quai Branly Jacques Chirac. Miriama Bono now works as an independent lecturer, author and curator focused on the scholarship and dissemination of Tahitian culture.