The Orator (film)

The Orator
Film poster
SamoanO Le Tulafale
Directed byTusi Tamasese
Written byTusi Tamasese
Produced byCatherine Fitzgerald
StarringFa'afiaula Sagote
Tausili Pushparaj
CinematographyLeon Narbey
Edited bySimon Price[1]
Music byTim Prebble[1]
Distributed byTransmission Films
Release date
  • 3 September 2011 (2011-09-03) (Venice)
Running time
110 min
CountriesSamoa
New Zealand
LanguageSamoan

The Orator (Samoan: O Le Tulafale) is a 2011 Samoan and New Zealand film written and directed by Tusi Tamasese. It is the first ever Samoan feature film, "entirely shot in Samoa, in the Samoan language, with a Samoan cast and story".[2] The film was selected as the New Zealand entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 84th Academy Awards,[3] but it did not make the final shortlist.[4] It is the first time New Zealand has submitted a film in this category.[5][6]

  1. ^ a b "The Orator (O Le Tulafale): Film Review", The Hollywood Reporter, 10 November 2011
  2. ^ "Samoan Feature Film First", New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage, 11 October 2010
  3. ^ "63 Countries Vie for 2011 Foreign Language Film Oscar". oscars.org. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
  4. ^ "9 Foreign Language Films Vie for Oscar". Retrieved 19 January 2012.
  5. ^ Bulbeck, Pip (29 September 2011). "'The Orator' Named New Zealand's First Foreign-Language Oscar Entry=2011-09-29". The Hollywood Reporter.
  6. ^ Tapaleao, Vaimoana (4 October 2011). "Samoan language film in line for Oscar nomination". The New Zealand Herald.