A 30-minute Samoan-language musical filmed entirely in Samoa is nearing completion after a seven-day shoot involving local youth and a New Zealand-based production crew.

“A Dollar to Dream” follows Tone, a young street vendor who dreams of becoming a famous singer and enters a talent show in hopes of winning a cash prize to support his family. Produced by Auckland-based crew, Abba-Rose Vaiaoga-Ioasa, whose roots lie in Tuamua, Puipaa, and Alafua, the all-Samoan musical is a homegrown story brought to life with support from NZ On Air, Pasifika TV, TV3 Samoa, and Sleeping Giant Films.

“It’s like a special teaser for something that will hopefully grow into a full movie in the future,” said Vaiaoga-Ioasa. “This is the first time I've done a musical like and it's not a full movie (like an hour or 90 minutes),” she added. 

Vaiaoga-Ioasa has worked alongside other films such as Three Wise Cousins, Hibiscus and Ruthless, Take Home Pay and Mama's Music Box.

All lead roles are performed by first-time actors in the musical, aged 15 and 16, recruited from local schools including St. Joseph’s College and St. Mary’s College. Vaiaoga-Ioasa emphasised the importance of filming in Samoa with local talent. 

“One reason we decided to film everything back here in Samoa, have it all in Samoan language with local talent, was just because we wanted to highlight the talent we have here in Samoa and particularly with our kids,” she said.

The inspiration for A Dollar to Dream came from the creative team’s observations of Samoan youth. According to Vaiaoga-Ioasa, the writer-director Jeremiah Tauamiti was particularly influenced by the confident and charismatic kids he encountered on visits to Samoa. 

Wanting to showcase that energy, the team chose to create a musical.

“Our people love singing and dancing and we’re really good at it,” said Vaiaoga-Ioasa.

Local producer Michael Aisea from TV3 Samoa helped lead the recruitment and training of student performers on island. 

“It was a lengthy process,” Aisea said. “We went to the schools, St. Joe and St. Mary’s, to get these local actors and actresses to perform. But to train them is hard.”

He said the Samoan script posed a challenge for some students. 

“Some of them are not very versed in the Samoan language. So we had to make sure that these actors and actresses could read in Samoan, to know the script. And to remember it”

Despite the difficulties, Aisea said the students rose to the challenge. “They did very well. It was a hard project, but it’s alright.”

The production also involved choreography by Valentino Maliko from the Samoa Performing Arts Centre of Excellence and acting coaching from a New Zealand-based actor.

The film is scheduled to air on Pasifika TV and The Coconet TV later this year, with post-production expected to wrap by August. Vaiaoga-Ioasa described the experience as both rewarding and challenging.

“When you’re wanting to build capacity and help build capacity back here at home in Samoa, it’s having the resources and time to do that versus also trying to make the thing that we’re trying to make,” she said.