Ta Hasso I Manaina
- Filmmaker(s)
- Neil Tinkham
- Category
- Short Film
- Subject Matter
- Culture
- Featured In
- Pacific Pulse
Like many organizations affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Kutturan Chamoru Foundation’s operations have been greatly reduced. To maintain its mission, KCF leaders will have members learn how to create an in-language chant and then have it published. However, in order to do this, members will have to meet online, in isolation, and learn how to work together apart.
Neil Tinkham (Producer, Director):
Originally from the Pacific island of Guam, Neil attended the Colorado Film School where his culminating project, Adonis of Denver, was selected to the 2013 Guam International Film Festival (GIFF). Upon returning to Guam, Neil established his production company and produced media campaigns for local organizations. In 2015 he completed his first feature-length screenplay, Jungle, which was optioned by New Zealand-based production company, Popgun Filmmakers. His follow-up short movie, The Bay, was selected to the 2018 Hawaii International Film Festival, Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, and won the GIFF Audience Choice Award. His most recent short movie, How To Catch A Taotaomona, received a $25,000 fund from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Pacific Islanders in Communications. Neil currently lives in Los Angeles.
Fafa'någue Heidi Chargualaf-Quenga (Producer):
Saina Heidi's efforts to preserve Pacific Islander heritages stem from her over 20 year Directorship with the award-winning Kutturan Chamoru Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Long Beach, Ca dedicated to the preservation of the Chamoru culture through song, dance and language from the Mariana Islands in Micronesia. Saina Heidi is the first Pacific Islander to receive the California Arts Council Artist-In-Residence from 2000-2002 and most recently bestowed the title of Fafa'nå'gue - a certified Chamorro Traditional Arts Teacher. She is currently the Vice President for the Pacific Islander Health Partnership, the Community Engagement Lead for the SoCal Pacific Islander COVID-19 Response Team and is an Accounting Financial Advisor who holds a B.S. in Business Management from San Francisco State University. She continues her efforts to ensure inclusion of Pacific Islanders as a Chamorro Cultural Advisor to countless community groups, projects and initiatives across the Continental US.
