Rebecca Tansley is an award-winning filmmaker, working across documentary, drama and live performance. Rebecca’s previous documentaries CROSSING RACHMANINOFF and THE HEART DANCES both premiered at New Zealand International Film Festival before theatrical release throughout New Zealand, selection in festivals around the world, and sales to platforms such as Netflix, Disney + and HBO. THE HEART DANCES won the Focus on the Arts award at the 2019 Naples International Film Festival.
Her latest film TENOR: MY NAME IS PATI is a stirring portrait of acclaimed Samoan-born New Zealand tenor Pene Pati and his brother Amitai, the voices behind the beloved Aotearoa popera phenomenon SOL3 MIO, following them as they reflect on their journey from childhood church performances in South Auckland to international acclaim in Paris, London and beyond.
Hailed as the new Pavarotti, New Zealand’s Pene Pati is one of opera’s brightest young voices, astonishing audiences worldwide with his unique timbre. Alongside his brother Amitai, they have become stars of the European operatic stage.
We chatted with Rebecca during Sydney Film Festival about the power of the brothers relationships and the Samoan culture that shines through in the film, as well as whether Timothée Chalamet was right or wrong about the future of opera!
The film has been doing really well already. Congratulations. How is it to see all the success?
Rebecca Tansley: It’s very satisfying to see the audience’s response — and not just in New Zealand, where it’s done amazingly well. We’ve been in North America, France, Germany, and now in Australia, so it’s so gratifying to see people enjoying it in all these different places.
The film was released in New Zealand on 3rd of March and it’s still showing in some cinemas right now- that’s 14 weeks! It’s the fifth highest grossing documentary in New Zealand cinemas ever.
The film is a very intimate portrait of the brothers Pene and Amitai. How are they feeling about it?
They’re really happy about it. I had a really lovely text from Amitai not so long after the film came out in New Zealand, and he said that his family is really happy. And so I’m really happy!
It was a big deal for him to ensure that the family felt safe and were happy with the outcome. Because it is very much the family story as well as that of the brothers. You kind of can’t separate those things. Pene has been quite involved with the release because he was able to come out to New Zealand and did a lot of media, and then he was in Paris and Berlin. To begin with he was quite blown away because it became way bigger than we thought it would be when they agreed to do the documentary. But he’s very happy!
Yes they are such a warm family, and even though the film shows Pene missing some family moments while he’s off pursuing his dreams, there’s a real sense of the Samoan culture in the film, of sharing success and the whole family, or aiga, being involved.
Yes it’s very much a collective culture. It’s like the Reverend says in the film, that when you go out in the world, you’re taking your family with you. Names have this very important symbolism in Samoan culture, and so on all these levels, they’re representing the family, the country, their people. They’re waving the flag, quite literally.
You must have had some amazing experiences in Samoa
The DP and I did a very quick reckie visit to Samoa about a month before we filmed, and that was my first time there. It was a whole new experience for me. It’s a privilege that when you’re a documentary maker, you get to go to all these amazing places. It’s hard work, but the adventures you have along the way are pretty special.
In the film you’ll see the scenes when we filmed White Sunday at the Piula Theological College – that was an incredible experience. It was like this wall of sound, and not just the literal sound of music and voices, it was a physical thing. It was so loud it was coming through our bodies. It was intense and amazing.
The incredible Taualeo’o Stephen Stehlin was an Executive Producer on the film. How did his involvement help shape the development?
I’d never met Stephen before, but he was the first person who came on to the project other than me, because as the boys said they were interested in doing the documentary, I knew I would need to look at the story through Samoan lenses. We agreed that we needed a collective of voices, and he brought together a group of people that became our Afa, which is a reference to the sennit rope used in Samoan culture to bind everything together. And they did bind everything together! They were a group of four Samoans and one Tongan man- they were our go- to people, they watched edits, they provided advice. It does take a village to make a film, so I always refer to it as our film. Stephen has been like our Kaumātua. He’s very wise.
You’ve said it took about 3 years to make the film. What was it that triggered the start of the journey back then?
I filmed an opera for New Zealand Opera and Amitai was the principal. I’m a Sol3Mio fan, I have the CDs, and I was aware how well the boys were doing internationally. I remember wondering what their story was. And then the book came out about their lives, and when I read it I thought- Wow- that’s such a great story- that would make a great documentary! I was definitely looking for my next project at the time so it was just me following my nose, really
One of the themes in the film, that maybe comes through from the boys, is something about destiny, about feeling like they’re living their purpose. Do you think that everyone has a sort of a destiny or purpose that they should find?
I think that there’s kind of two answers to that question. Pene would say that if you have a passion for doing something, then you should go and do it. That you should believe in yourself, and that there’s nothing you can’t overcome. That would be the message that he would want to come out of the film- look what I did -you can do it, too.
In terms of my own beliefs, I think that there can be a destiny. Maybe you have to be open to it. Filmmaking is my fourth career. I studied French and Italian first, then I studied filmmaking, and then it took me about 20 years to make a film! I went off and did a whole lot of other things, and then decided I could make a documentary. I made a documentary in Italy, and now I’ve made a documentary in France, so I used my French and Italian! It sounds a bit corny, but I do sometimes think everything happens for a reason. It’s interesting that what you put out to the universe can come back, but it might take quite a long time- but everything ends up being useful.
Pene is often referred to as the new Pavarotti. Those kind of comparisons can encompass many dimensions for an artist.
Yes it can be a double-edged sword. In the film, Pene says if you’re going to be compared to someone, Pavarotti is a very good option! I think that he’s proving himself to be such an artist in his own right now that he doesn’t need to be compared to somebody else. Humans like to put things into categories or make comparisons
Who are some of the filmmakers that have inspired you or that you really admire?
I got into film because I did my thesis on Italian horror cinema and a director called Dario Argento. That’s about as far away from documentary making as you can get! He made a film called Opera which they shot in a grand old opera house in Italy which has some amazing shots in it.
There are lots of filmmakers I admire, but my number one would always have to be Jane Campion- without a doubt.
What are Pene and Amitai up to now?
Amitai is currently singing in Paris in a Mozart opera. It’s his first role as a principal in Paris so that’s fantastic. He’s been principal in London and Berlin so he’s doing brilliantly. Pene has just finished his very long season touring all over Europe before the summer break. After that his next performances will be in Wellington and San Francisco.
Do you think the documentary has opened up new audiences for opera?
I think so. Pene and his wife Amina will actually be singing together in Wellington this August in a production of Manon. It was great that it worked out for their schedules, as it meant they could come back to New Zealand which doesn’t happen very often. Those shows have sold out, and Wellington Opera has put on extra shows as it has been selling so well. People saw the film and were excited to be able to book the opera and people said to me they had no idea opera was how it was portrayed in the film. It was demystifying. Opera is not this great ivory tower, it’s just part of the wider musical spectrum.
So the opposite of the infamous Timothée Chalamet comments?
He’s been proven wrong really, hasn’t he. I’m pretty sure there have been theatre and opera companies that have had bigger box office seasons than ever. Take that Timothée Chalamet! He basically played right into their hands. I’m not sure that he intended it to be that way, but it worked out for the best, which is great!
