Tinā is a movie you root for. You root for the Samoan main character, Mareta, (Anapela Polataivao) who lives in New Zealand, and you root for her students, a choir in a ritzy high school comprised of white students. By the end of the movie, you jump up and cheer. We first meet Mareta as a teacher in a down-and-out school. After her daughter dies in an earthquake, Mareta retires from life in grief. Her sad face tells the story of her life. She reluctantly takes a substitute teacher job at the rich posh school where she befriends a troubled child, starts a choir and makes the troubled kid the head chorister. Mareta comes back to life and defeats obstacles – one of the school leaders doesn’t want her because she has dark skin – and finally brings the choir to a national competition. The film has echoes of Stand and Deliver, the classic movie of overcoming the odds, and Tinā delivers. New Zealand 2024 (124 minutes)
Playing as part of Mostly British Festival
This film can be used with loyalty cards or our 2026 annual CinemaSF passes