Samoan screen queen

Sima Urale’s childhood was, in her words, “very National Geographic”. She grew up in Samoa’s sleepy Fagamalo village, running naked and swimming with turtles.

- JUDY BAILEY

“There was no electricity – we cooked over an open fire. It was wonderful,” she recalls. “There were no shiny things, like metal. The village was on a dirt road. Cars would come through about once a month and all the kids would come out to chase the cars. It was a very happy time.”

It’s a long way from the thatched huts of Fagamalo to the bright lights and glamour of the international film festival circuit.

As Samoa’s first female filmmaker, Sima’s work has won worldwide acclaim. She is an award-winning film and commercial director, actor, writer, artist and Arts Foundation laureate.

She is the third of Fatu and Pusi Urale’s five children, all of whom have gone on to lead high-profile lives in their chosen fields. Natasha is a singer and has a PhD in social work, Makerita is a project advisor for Creative New Zealand, her brother Tati is a highly respected news producer at TVNZ, Vaimala is a conceptual artist and Bill (aka King Kapisi) is an awardwinning rapper.

Sima’s father Fatu was the oldest of 11 children and, like many eldest kids, had a lot of responsibility heaped on his young shoulders. He had a hard life helping provide for his siblings and would often rebel.

“He was a hard worker,” Sima remembers. “He worked in the village plantation. He was stern and would often get into fights. Everyone was scared of him.”