1st July 2025
Collaborate Management is proud to celebrate our client Talia Pua’s appearance in Tina, the award-winning feature film written and directed by Samoan-New Zealand filmmaker Miki Magasiva. Following a successful festival run and an exceptional box office result across New Zealand and the Pacific, Tinā is now heading for a major U.S. theatrical release over Labour Day weekend, distributed by Rialto.
Talia Pua, a rising star from Aotearoa, appears in this powerful story that’s quickly become one of New Zealand’s most successful screen exports of the past decade. A moving portrait of grief, identity, and community healing, Tina tells the story of Mareta Percival (Anapela Polataivao), a mother navigating profound loss following the 2011 Christchurch earthquake. When she accepts a substitute teaching role at an elite private school, Mareta finds purpose and connection by drawing on her Samoan roots to form a rebellious student choir.
Backed by a formidable cast including Beulah Koale (Hawaii Five-O), Antonia Robinson, Nicole Whippy, and Jamie Irvine, the film weaves together generational resilience, music, and culture in an authentic Pasifika voice. Talia Pua brings warmth and complexity to her role, adding to the emotional resonance that’s struck a chord with audiences internationally.
Since its premiere at the 2024 Hawaii International Film Festival, Tina has received multiple accolades, including Best Narrative Feature at the 2025 Palm Springs International Film Festival and the Golden Space Needle Award at Seattle International Film Festival. It has already grossed over $10 million at the box office across New Zealand, Australia, and the Pacific region—making it the most commercially successful New Zealand film in years.
Executive produced by Jamie Hilton and Victoria Dabbs, and produced by Magasiva alongside Dan Higgins and Mario Gaoa, Tina is a triumph of authentic storytelling by and for the Pasifika community.
Rialto Distribution’s Kelly Rogers has called it “a rare gem – brimming with authenticity, rhythm and emotional power,” and the film is now set to captivate North American audiences when it opens in cinemas across the U.S. from August 29.
For Talia Pua, Tina marks another important milestone in a career grounded in purpose, representation, and storytelling that connects across cultures. As an actor committed to reflecting real, human stories—particularly those often underrepresented on screen—Talia is one to watch in the international film landscape.
© 2025 Collaborate NZ
