'Not many of us': Oscar-winning director Taika Waititi paves way for Pasifika representation on the big screen

Pasifika actors dominate the big screen in Taika Waititi's latest film, 'Next Goal Wins'.

The movie is based on the true story of American Samoas Football team and their journey to the 2011 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Once dubbed "the worst soccer team in the world" following an infamous 31-0 loss to Australia in 2001, the team aspire to score "just one goal" in the 2011 qualifiers.

The film brings a fresh comedic perspective to the story with classic Kiwi and islander humor woven throughout the script.

A private premiere was held on Monday night at the Newmarket Event Cinemas in Auckland.

Mingling with the crowd were four of the stars, Oscar Kightley, David Fane, Semu Filipo and Beulah Koale.

Kightey plays the role of 'Tavita', the beloved president of the American Samoa football team.

He is proud to see the film finally reach the big screen.

"I'm feeling relived and glad it's coming out," Kightey

"We shot it in the before times, before the world went crazy with Covid, there were a lot of times where I wondered weather it would come out and it has four years later."

Portraying demoted local coach 'Ace' is Fane.

He was moved by the support of the Pacific Islands community in attendance at the premiere.

"We're a small portion of anywhere in the world and yet here we are all of us cheering on the fact that you have all this brownness on on film," Fane said.

"That's the most amazing thing ya know and you don't have to be Samoan to be proud but you do have to be Pacific Islander to know how important this is."

Fane, who is of Samoan descent, is proud to have been in the film representing his indigenous community saying, "If one does well, we all do well."

His co-star Filipo agrees.

He plays 'Rambo', a local cop - turned soccer player, recruited just a few weeks before the team heads to the world cup qualifiers.

Semu Filipo is grateful for the opportunity to act alongside some big Pasifika names.

"As a Polynesian practitioner in this, I'm quite honoured and privileged to be on this side of it all and working with David (Fane) and Oscar (Kightley) to tell our stories because our stories are amazing," he said.

Fane values the importance of Pasifika people telling their own Pasifika stories.

"There's not many of us in this world and I think that's something we can actually work on in regards of our stories to be told by our people."

He hopes to see more films of this kind in future and looks forward to being involved in further productions.

Fane said the film director Waititi, is changing the narrative for "brown stories", paving the way for how Pacific islanders are represented in film.

"He is a person that just wants to change how we perceive this part of the world. It's simple and he said 'day by day we can do it'."

Fane added on that being a part of such a revolution is "the most important thing in my career, because nothing else matters, but our people matter, islanders matter, our stories matter."

While the American Samoa team did not qualify for the 2011 FIFA World Cup, the story scored goals of its own on Aotearoa soil.

There were three packed cinemas full of laughter on premiere night, combating the initial harsh reviews from American movie critics.

The film will grace New Zealand cinemas in two weeks time on 7 December.