The Source of Life (Te Puna Ora) is an artful telling of a burgeoning environmental movement in French Polynesia. We follow three indigenous women - a community leader, a spearfisher and a teenage activist - as they cultivate an alliance at the front lines of climate change. Inspired by the myths and rituals that shape their nature based culture, these unlikely leaders move beyond bureaucracy and toward ground-up empowerment. Together, they oppose overdevelopment, take back indigenous land, and ultimately demand recognition from international leaders. The film starts and finishes with scenes of reenactment from the legend of goddess Hina while she, like them, sails through the south pacific, faces a storm and finds purpose. This is a story of how a small community can give hope for global change.

TE PUNA ORA is a recipient of Production funding from PIC's Media Fund.