Fijians can relate to this film with its strong influences of choral and gospel church music - Magasiva

The film is a very Pacific inspired film with strong musical influences of choral and gospel church music,

Tinā film director Miki Magasiva says local audiences in Fiji will resonate with those elements that they have in the film.

Magasiva stated this while promoting his first feature film about a Samoan school teacher who loses her daughter in the Christchurch earthquakes.

He says it is about her road to redemption through a placement in a very privileged, very European private school.

Lead actress Anapela Polataivao says taking on this role, there is a lot of commonality between herself and Marita as they are both mothers who have been through loss and grief, so there was all the elements that kind of enabled her to hold on to the character.

Polataivao says without explicitly giving away what's on in the film, it's also her way to forgive herself for what could have been, what should have been, if only, as we do as parents, right?

So acceptance was also a big thing as it is also a story of this mother, this woman coming to terms, loving again, opening her arms again to the outside world.

Magasiva says the story is inspired by an actual choir called Correlation Choir made up of Westlake boys and Westlake girls in Auckland.

He says the Big Sing is actually a real yearly secondary school competition in New Zealand and Correlation did a performance in 2014 that inspired this whole movie.

The Director says his message for budding film makers, even though it is difficult, it is worth it in the end.

He says it has taken him 20 years to make his first feature film.

Tinā is currently showing at the cinemas.