28 Feb 2017

Vanuatu proud of Tanna despite missing out at Academy Awards

From , 6:03 am on 28 February 2017

People in Vanuatu remain very proud of the film Tanna despite the disappointment of it missing out on an Oscar at this year's Academy Awards.

The Australian film, a love story, was shot on the southern Vanuatu island of the same name and featured an entire cast of actors from the Yakel tribe all of whom had never seen let alone acted in a feature film before.

It was nominated in the best foreign film category which was won by The Salesman  by Iranian director Asghar Farhadi.

Hundreds gathered at the national conference centre in Port Vila on the day to watch the Academy Awards live and support the film.

The media director of the Vanuatu newspaper the Daily Post, Dan McGarry was at the live screening.

He spoke with Koroi Hawkins about the people's view of the film in Vanuatu.

Nominees for Best Foreign Language Film  Tanna arrive on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars.

Nominees for Best Foreign Language Film Tanna arrive on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars. Photo: AFP