July 6, 2026
'Remathau: People of the Ocean' Continues Impressive Festival Run
Photo: Courtesy of "Remathau: People of the Ocean" film
After a successful world premiere at the Hawai'i International Film Festival and winning the "Pasifika Award," "Remathau: People of the Ocean," continues to garner festival attention. In June, the prestigious Doc Edge Festival honored the film with the "Tūrangawaewae / Where We Stand" Award on its closing night. Referring to the Māori concept of a place where one feels rooted, connected and empowered, this award celebrates the film that best captures the connection that people have to the lands, rivers and oceans that sustain us.
Doc Edge, hosted in New Zealand, is an Oscar-qualifying festival and the premiere Asia-Pacific hub for documentary films.
"Remathau: People of the Ocean" is a feature documentary that follows the journey of Nicole Yamase, the first Micronesian to dive to the deepest part of the ocean, Challenger Deep, in the Marianas Trench. The film was directed by Daniel Lin of Nia Tero. The film is a beautiful illustration of the intergenerational reciprocal relationships with place that drive Indigenous Peoples' guardianship today.
Here are other recent notable accolades:
- "Remathau" screened July 2 as the anchor film for a Matariki festival event at Te Papa Tangarewa (Museum of New Zealand) in Wellington. The event featured opening remarks delivered by Māori Supreme Court Justice Joe Williams, Nia Tero's board chair. The screening was followed by a panel session with Williams, Dr. Emelihter Kihleng of Te Papa and director/producer Daniel Lin of Nia Tero.
- Elsewhere in the Pasifik, "Remathau" headlined the Micronesian Film Festival in Palau, in partnership with Create Belau. There were also two community screenings that took place in Yap, Micronesia in partnership with the Yap Living History Museum.
Interested in hosting a screening? Reach out to us!
Complete the form at https://www.niatero.org/films/remathau.
Photo: Filmmaker Daniel Lin, of Nia Tero, (center) with Doc Edge Film Festival staff in Aotearoa.
Photo: Doc Edge Festival Festival Producer Hunter Weeks presents "Remathau: People of the Ocean" with its "Tūrangawaewae / Where We Stand" Award.
Photo: Filmmaker Daniel Lin was present for the screening of his film "Remathau: People of the Ocean" at the Doc Edge Festival in Aotearoa in June 2026.
Photo: Justice Joseph Williams, at left, (Māori) greets attendees at the screening of "Remathau: People of the Ocean" at the Te Papa museum in Aotearoa. He stands alongside film director Daniel Lin as they share more about Nia Tero's work. By Jo Moore.
Photo: Dr. Emelihter Kihleng, curator of Pacific Cultures at Te Papa Museum, talks to film director Daniel Lin following the screening of "Remathau: People of the Ocean" in July. By Jo Moore.