"I'm not too nervous," director Stallone Vaiaoga-Ioasa says. "I'll be more nervous closer to show time, when I realise there's no turning back."
When we speak that point of no return is extremely close. In less than 24 hours more than 1000 people will flock into Auckland's grand Civic Theatreto see his new film, Hibiscus and Ruthless butthe butterflies are yet to appear.
"Right now," he laughs, "I'm pretty cool."
Vaiaoga-Ioasa is coming off the back of his 2016 hit Three Wise Cousins, the distinctly Pacific-flavoured rom-com he wrote and directed. The entirely self-financed film resonated with local audiences, basked in warm reviews and, crucially, made more than $1 million at the box office.
Its success not only paved the way for Hibiscus and Ruthless, but was also the catalyst for the story.
"The original idea was prior to Three Wise Cousins," he explains. "I wrote a script about two girls pitching to all the boys in the neighbourhood and then I realised that the boys should pitch themselves to the girls. That's how Three Wise Cousins came about. But that core idea of relationships and community and being at university age all stayed."
Set in Auckland, the film follows bookish uni student Hibiscus (Suivai Autagavaia) as she tries to balance adhering to her strict mum's rules, her study, her growing independence and manage the wayward, bad influence of her best friend Ruth (Anna-Maree Thomas).
"I wanted to show Pacific culture but also that there's more to it than just the usual song, dance and costumes," Vaiaoga-Ioasa says.
Stallone Vaiaoga-Ioasa, the writer and director of Hibiscus and Ruthless
"I think it will be eye opening for those that don't have exposure to it, to see how the culture sits within a New Zealand context, the suburban context of tertiary study and the nuances of Pacific culture, especially the parenting angle. I think it will resonate with a lot of people, despite the cultural differences. All parents wish the best for their children and how that operates in this context. I wanted to find a Pacific angle, but also one that an audience can have an engagement with."
It has to be said that the film, which opens in cinemas next Thursday, looks very funny. The characters look so well realised that I wonder if they're based on anyone he knows.
"The whole crew said my sister, who is a producer on this, is Hibiscus, but she denies it," he smiles. "But a lot draws upon her. My sister is a chemical engineer and she took a year off to help make this film because it needed a woman's touch. Putting this together, she looked at me and said, 'how would you have made this if I wasn't' here?' and it's true, I wouldn't.
"In terms of a Ruth, yeah … I've met a few Ruths in my time," he laughs. "This one's a little more refined, for the cinema screen."
