The anthology movie, such as Paris, Je T’aime and its follow-ups, New York, I Love You, Berlin, I Love you, and others, has become an established sub-genre. Each segment in such a film is directed, and usually written, by a different filmmaker, interpreting the film’s theme from his own perspective. In that tradition, New Zealand is hosting the production of an anthology or ‘portmanteau’ film with the theme of female empowerment, from the unusual viewpoint of indigenous women of the Pacific Islands.

The feature, entitled Vai (the central character’s name in each segment, the word Vai also means Water), presents a series of episodes written and directed by female filmmakers from the various Pacific nations, each representing their own nation, culture, and background. The theme in each case is empowerment through culture, shown through the life experience of a woman, who is seen in each segment at a different stage of her life, from childhood through old age. Water is meant to be a unifying theme throughout the film.

Vai was inspired by the producers’ 2017 anthology film, Waru, which consisted of a series of vignettes dealing with the life of Maori women. The production team commented that “the goal with Vai was to bring underrepresented voices to the fore and tell a story of female empowerment through culture which is inclusive of as many Pacific Island cultures as possible.”

Vai’s world premiere was at the 2019 Berlin Film Festival, and its first North American showing is in March at the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas.

The nine vignettes, named after the cultures represented in each, are: