About

“Tongan Ark is a film about tiny islands and big ideas. It takes us to ‘Atenisi, a poor but vibrant university in the Kingdom of Tonga, where the veteran philosopher and opera buff Futa Helu and his talented but eccentric staff teach Greek philosophy alongside Polynesian dance, and advocate both freedom of thought and a concern for tradition.

Helu founded his school to help reform Tongan society, and his work as a social critic has earned him the nickname the ‘Socrates of Tonga’. But when a riot erupts outside the school gates, the crises of contemporary Tonga become the crises of ‘Atenisi. State repression, poverty, and violence all threaten the future of Futa Helu’s school.
Tongan Ark is a film for the senses, as well as the mind. Director Paul Janman introduces Western audiences to the lush and troubled landscapes of the Kingdom of Tonga, and also to the richness of Tongan intellectual life.”
- Dr. Scott Hamilton, Reading the Maps

Paul Janman - Director