This documentary tells the story of the Samoan fa’afafines: boys who are raised as girls and play an important domestic role in traditional Samoan culture. The film explores the traditional role of the fa’afafines, the anthropological records of this phenomenon and the impact of the westernization of Samoa, particularly the threat posed by the infiltration of the Western ‘drag’ scene. Through interviews with fa’afafines, Samoan elders, academics, anthropologists and other western inhabitants of Samoa, the film explores and contrasts differing cultural constructions of gender and sexual identity and society.
Content notification
Our collection comprises over 40,000 moving image works, acquired and catalogued between the 1940s and early 2000s. As a result, some items may reflect outdated, offensive and possibly harmful views and opinions. ACMI is working to identify and redress such usages.
Learn more about our collection and our collection policy here. If you come across harmful content on our website that you would like to report, let us know.
How to watch
Collection
In ACMI's collection
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
311461
Language
English
Audience classification
G
Subject categories
Anthropology, Ethnology, Exploration & Travel → Indigenous peoples - Social life and customs
Anthropology, Ethnology, Exploration & Travel → Samoa
Anthropology, Ethnology, Exploration & Travel → Western Samoa - Social life and customs
Climate, Environment, Natural Resources & Disasters → Natural history
Documentary → Documentary films - Australia
Family, Gender Identity, Relationships & Sexuality → Gender roles in children
Sound/audio
Sound
Colour
Colour
Holdings
VHS; Access Print (Section 1)