Written by our artists and their communities KIN is a series of poetic, immersive eponymous documentary animations that take us into the worlds of our artists, their families and communities in the outer northern suburbs of Melbourne; They reveal the brilliant, hidden and profound subculture of Melbourne’s diasporic and artistic communities as they grapple with climate change, assimilation, rediscovered ancestries, transformation and the power of siblings. The film series will also inform a large-scale live performance work.
KIN – DUDI AND JOJO
iTaukei artists and twin sisters Ruci Kaisila (Dudi) and Joanne Kaisila (Jojo) explore their deeply personal insights into Fiji, its culture, the diaspora and their lives as burgeoning cultural custodians and singers in a Gospel family.
It is a story of ancestral consciousness.
This animation and documentary film is produced by Naarm/Melbourne, Australian based company Outer Urban Projects.
CREATIVE TEAM
Co-writers and Performers Ruci Kaisila and Joanne Kaisila
Director, Animator, Co-writer Tumeli Tuqota
Producers Kate Gillick and Irine Vela
KIN series Director and Concept Irine Vela
Cinematographer Miguel Rios
Photographer Meredith O’Shea
Sound Recordist Robert Rogers
Masi Pattern Artist Joseph Baro-Kaurasi
Editor Laisiasa Dave
Illustrator Taleivini Kaimacuata
Sound and Music Designer Irine Vela
Musicians Ruci Kaisila, Joanne Kaisila, Junior Aisea, Evripides Evripidou and Irine Vela
Audio Mixing Engineer Evripides Evripidou
Communications and Media Consultant Neisau Tuidraki
Production Manager Calysta Morgan
Assistant Production Manager Dani Niuatau
Developed with support from the Australian Government through Creative Australia and its arts funding and advisory body, the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria, Reve Fund, Webster Fund, sub-funds of Australian Communities Foundation, Inner North Community Foundation, Brian Davis Foundation and City of Merri-bek.
“Personally I’m looking forward to having KIN and the 1st episode influence and impact the viewers in a deep and personal way, especially for Fijians both in Fiji and the diaspora at large and by extension, other Pacific Islanders and Indigenous people of the world. Having spent some time with the Kaisila twins listening to their amazing stories, their deep love for learning and maintaining their culture, their affection for their family and the women in their lives who impacted their upbringing via music and culture, I hope that by bringing these rich cultural experiences to life via animation, Fijians, Pacific Islanders and Indigenous people can both relate to their struggles but also celebrate their journey in keeping their culture alive in another country.”
-TUMELI TUQOTA, ANIMATOR AND FILMMAKER
"We’re looking at our life as twins and how we maintain culture, tradition and how music plays into that. I want to reach as many Pacific Islanders as possible. We all ask the same questions and we're all trying to answer the same questions. Where do we come from? What cultural tradition do we uphold here in our family homes? How do we identify ourselves? Who are we? Are we Fijian and Australian? Or more Fijian or more Australian? What affects these answers? Our opinions? Who are our influences in our lives that shape the answers to these questions?”
-JOANNE KAISILA (JOJO)
"I am so incredibly proud of our talented Fijian young women, Dudi and Jojo Kaisila. The movie resonated deeply with me on so many levels as a daughter, a mother and as a community leader."