From left: Adrian Stevanon and Rick Malao with cast and crew members of Love and Kastom.
By Michelle Curran
Strategic Communications, Pasifika TV
Capturing culture through the lens of a love story, Love and Kastom is the first production to be completed by an Aotearoa New Zealand Pacific Regional Media Fund (PRMF) recipient.
The milestone documentary is the result of months of hard mahi and collaboration between Vanuatu Broadcasting and Television Corporation (VBTC) Producer Rick Malao, and Head of Factual at Great Southern TV (GSTV) Adrian Stevanon.
In July 2024, NZ On Air, in partnership with Pacific Cooperation Broadcasting Limited (PCBL) announced the six recipients of the inaugural PRMF of $1.9m.
The fund is aimed at encouraging the creation of stories from a uniquely Pasifika perspective, to be broadcast throughout the region on Pasifika TV, and paired New Zealand-based Pasifika producers with Pacific-based producers and broadcasters, to create and produce content shot in the Pacific.
Rick and Adrian paired up to produce a Vanuatu-based documentary, Love and Kastom, which showcases Vanuatu kastom and culture through the wedding process, in particular, kastom payments involved in the Bride Price ceremony.
Adrian Stevanon and Rick Malao enjoy a Moana Pasifika game.
The pair have learned so much from each other during the filming process, Rick says.
“It has been great working with Adrian and his team to produce this documentary…it is a good way for the VBTC team to learn from experienced producers such as Adrian, who has a wealth of experience in high quality documentary making,” he says.
“For me, this type of collaboration is great because firstly, you learn from the best producers, but most importantly, we tell our story from our perspective.
“Our counterpart is here to assist us in capturing it and making it look good and professional so we can share it with the wider Pacific community.”
Filming was not exactly smooth sailing, with a 7.3 magnitude earthquake striking Port Vila on the day (December 17, 2024), the crew had planned to film a special kastom ceremony centred around the bride.
While the crew thought the ceremony was going to be postponed given the circumstances, it went ahead – with nothing getting in the way of kastom.
Despite the major obstacle Mother Nature presented to the crew, they have worked tirelessly to produce the documentary, and in April, Rick and Adrian met up in Auckland to go through the film during the grading and audio mixing process.
“After that, we went straight to the first screening of the documentary with the couple (who got married) and our other colleagues in New Zealand who have worked on this project – now it’s ready for distribution,” Rick explains.
Love and Kastom, which had the working title of The Bride Price – Vanuatu will be screened on Pasifika TV throughout the Pacific, including Vanuatu.
With such a rich and diverse culture, Rick says it is important to document it.
“We need to tell these stories to our younger generation, who are mostly glued to their phones and on social media, and do not know about their custom and cultural values.
“By capturing these stories and telling them, we are preserving them in a way for our children but also, we can share them so others who do not know our culture, can learn from these stories and embrace them.
“We are living in a multicultural world so understanding other cultures can help us build a better society for everyone to live in.”
Rick adds Pacific people telling their own stories is essential to upholding story sovereignty.
“We know our stories and our culture best, but working in collaboration with renown and experienced producers does help us tailor our stories in a more professional way which can be screened overseas and reach more people.”
With Love and Kastom in the bag, Rick will continue working with PCBL on a docuseries exploring the history, significance, challenges, and evolving role of Bride Price in Vanuatu.
Visit Pasifika TV to view the current viewing schedule.
