The documentary Before the Moon Falls has received a Special Mention for Best Feature (International) at the Doc Edge Awards 2025. Just as its subject, celebrated Samoan writer Sia Figiel, awaits trial for the alleged murder of her friend.

The film, eight years in the making, began as a portrait of Figiel’s literary career and personal life. But in May 2024, the story took a shocking turn when Figiel was arrested and charged with the alleged murder of her friend and fellow poet, Professor Caroline Sinavaiana Gabbard, aged 78.

The documentary now stands as a powerful and timely work, offering a rare look into Figiel’s journey as a writer, her mental health struggles, and the events that led up to the tragedy. The film was originally pitched at the Doc Edge Industry in 2021, long before the incident occurred.

Figiel was known across the Pacific and beyond for her groundbreaking work on the realities faced by Samoan women and girls. Her voice helped bring Pacific stories into global literary spaces.

Now, the film explores the complexities of fame, personal trauma, and untreated mental illness. It gives viewers a glimpse of how a celebrated public figure’s life spiralled into darkness.

Meanwhile, Figiel remains in custody as she awaits her trial, now scheduled for 18 August 2025. The delay was granted to allow prosecutors time to review her medical records, which were obtained from the United States and reportedly contain information about her mental health.

Though the case has shocked many, Before the Moon Falls provides a sensitive and revealing look at the woman behind the headlines and the emotional toll that mental health can have on individuals and communities.

Director Kimberlee Bassford set out to make a film about a respected Sāmoan writer, but instead found herself confronting deep-rooted taboos around mental illness in Pacific communities. 

“The seeds of the film started 27 years ago, because that was when I was a college student, and I studied abroad in Sāmoa.

“I read Sia Figiel's books then, they were assigned reading, and they're just books that really stay with you, I really connected to them on many levels,” she said.

The film was shot over eight years, but in May 2024, just two months after wrapping up filming, Bassford received devastating news that Figiel was arrested and charged with murder.