As the inaugural People of Pasifika 48hour (POP48) Film Challenge nears, Pasifika TV is getting to know each of the four “hosts” in the four countries selected to compete for the top honours.
Fiji, Cook Islands, Samoa and Solomon Islands have been selected as host countries for the Pasifika On Air (POA) initiative, who each recruit five teams each, to then battle it out to produce a short (four to six minutes) film in just 48 hours, from September 4-6, 2026.
Viewers will then get to vote for their favourite film when all 20 films are aired exclusively across Pacific Cooperation Broadcasting Limited (PCBL) platforms in September.
The winner will be announced in September, and the POP48 champions will receive a grand prize of a trip to Hawai’i for a film masterclass.
Fiji Broadcasting Corporation (FBC) will host five teams from Fiji, led by Taitusi John, Senior Producer at FBCTV.
With so much on the line, here is what Taitusi and Team Fiji has to say…
How did you get into film?
My journey into film has really come through television production. From hosting Fiji’s first breakfast show in 2014 and then taking on producer roles that followed, I’ve really spent much of my TV career working behind the scenes, creating and producing television content. Film has always been something I’ve been interested in because it gives you the opportunity to tell a story in a very focused and visual way. I was fortunate enough to experience this with the production of our first local drama TV series – Suva City in 2024 and 2025. For me PoP48 is a chance to bring television production experience into filmmaking, while also challenging our teams to create something within a very tight 48-hour window.
Who or what inspires you in your craft?
For me it’s people and their stories. Fiji is a very diverse country and there are so many stories around us, stories about our communities, our culture, our challenges and simply the experiences of everyday Fijians. I’m also inspired by the people I work with; I love knowledge sharing within the team and see this as an opportunity to learn off each other. I find this very rewarding helping build others.
What drives you (and your team)?
The opportunity to create, learn and grow. For this challenge, we’re bringing together people with different levels of experience within FBC. So, there’s an opportunity for our more experienced team members to share their knowledge, while our younger team members bring fresh ideas and perspectives. It’s not simply about entering a competition. It’s about using the experience to build each other’s confidence and skills in filmmaking. Of course, we’re also representing Fiji as a whole, but I can already feel some internal competitive spirit within our teams which is a good indication of how each participants creativity will show.
Why will you be the host with the most?
Firstly, we’re hosting the Fiji challenge, but we’re also representing Fiji in the competition. As Fiji’s national broadcaster, we’re used to bringing people, stories and communities together, and we have the production experience to make the challenge happen. It’s also about showcasing what Fiji and our people can do creatively. We’ve put together teams from within FBC, bringing different levels of experience and different creative perspectives together. While we’re hosting the challenge and representing Fiji proudly, then I’d say we can win it as well.
Why do you think your island will take out the challenge?
Fiji has a lot of creative talent and, more importantly, we have a lot of stories to tell. Our different cultures, communities, landscapes and experiences give our filmmakers plenty of inspiration to work with. Our FBC teams also bring different strengths and perspectives, and I think that mix could work really well when they’re put under the pressure of 48 hours. We’re definitely coming to collaborate with our Pacific neighbours — but we’d also like to win the coveted title of the very first PoP48 Challenge.
What makes your organisation stand out from the rest?
FBC is Fiji’s national broadcaster, so we have a very strong connection with the people of Fiji. We’re able to reach audiences through television, radio and digital platforms, and we have experience telling stories from different parts of the country and bringing major events to a national audience. But I think what makes our participation in PoP48 particularly meaningful is the opportunity we’re creating for our teams. We’re using this challenge as capacity building where we’re bringing together senior and younger participants and giving them an opportunity to learn, collaborate and develop their filmmaking skills in a practical environment.
What outcomes are you anticipating?
For Team Fiji I think the biggest outcome we’re looking for is learning. They say we learn new things all the time and for this opportunity we want our teams to come away with new skills, new experiences and greater confidence in their ability to tell stories through film. I’m hoping this experience builds relationships with other Pacific broadcasters and filmmakers. There is so much creative talent across the Pacific, and I know we can learn a lot from each other. Hopefully what our teams learn through these 48 hours will continue to benefit them and FBC long after the challenge is over. I hope PoP48 gives our teams the confidence to break through some of those barriers, to have fun, express themselves and be creative, and most importantly I hope they enjoy the experience and show what Fiji can bring to Pacific storytelling.