“Pacific Mother” is a powerful award-winning featuredocumentary that explores the fundamental issue of women reclaiming theirbirthing choices. It will be screened in Rarotonga for the first time tomorrowevening at the Empire Cinema. Tickets are available at The Café located insideThe Beachcomber Art Gallery.
The documentary feature follows Japanese actor andfree diver Sachiko Fukumoto as she joins midwives and Pacific mothers IoanaTuria – Rarotonga, Cook Islands, Kimi Werner – Hawai’i, and Rava Ray – Moorea, FrenchPolynesia, to advocate for women reclaiming indigenous birthing practices. The film shows that when women are supportedemotionally, physically and culturally, they are more likely to have anencouraging birth experience, whether it’s in the hospital, at home, on land orin water. Filming started before the first Covid lockdown, thencontinued through Zoom sessions during the lockdown.
Cook Islander Ioana Turia was pregnant with her firstchild. “It was my love and experience in and for the ocean..
.tying that into my journey through pregnancy,” says Turia. She explained that in oe vaka training the call topick up the pace is “push”.
“My coach (Vaea Melvin) was with me in the deliveryroom shouting “push”, it was almost like I was transported back into the canoe.Sometimes the ocean can be unforgiving and we experience the adrenalin and sometimesyou feel like you’re fighting for your life and I was able to draw on thatenergy to help me throug.