Fearless Cook Islands heroes and heroines of all ages are encouraged to audition for Film Raro2 who are back in Rarotonga looking for a cast of characters.

For those wanting to experience being a shining star on camera, the auditions start tomorrow at Te Ara Museum in Muri. No prior acting experience is necessary.

Cook Islands’ award-winning producer, journalist, filmmaker, and consultant Karin Williams said: “We have roles for people of all ages and are looking for heroes, princesses, uncles, aunties, mamas, and papas as well as a villain or two.”

“We want to tell our Cook Islands stories to the world and are working weekly with our local team of Cook Islands filmmakers to produce six international short films.”

Six international film teams will be flying in from Los Angeles, Hawaii, Australia, Fiji and New Zealand to shoot, edit and screen their films, bringing with them their expertise and the latest equipment to mutually share knowledge and a lifetime experience with locals.

The teams will bring four people (usually a director, camera, sound and editor) and their films will be crewed and cast with local talent.

Their films will be screened from April 2 – 11, the public screening will be held on April 12.

Williams said leading up to the shoot, Film Raro will be running a film class with an enthusiastic bunch of aspiring locals, who will work on the films.

These classes started yesterday and will continue tomorrow and Friday, from 5pm to 7pm at Te Ara Museum in Muri.

Among the directors selected are three women, including a Cook Islander and the first Indigenous Australian First Nations woman to win an Emmy Award.

The films to be shot and edited here include:

• a documentary on Cook Islands international musician Paora Apera (PDigsss),
• a love story between a navigator and a star,
• a teenage girl who lives one minute in the future hacking rocket propelled transport containers to support her family and village,
• a family returning home to connect to their roots,
• a grandson and grandfather dealing with the loss of their island to a raising ocean, and
• a woman learning to love again by making and giving Cook Islands ei.

The organisers are urging interested participants to join the Film Raro crew for an experience of a lifetime as they make a slice of Cook Islands film history to share with the world.

The first casting call is tomorrow from 9am to 5pm at Te Ara Museum. People are welcome to drop in, sign up and do a quick piece to camera, with callbacks to follow.

The audition dates are: Wednesday, March 5, Saturday, March 8, and Sunday, March 9, from 9am to 5pm at Te Ara Museum, Muri. For more information, email info@filmraro.com or call mobile 682 77649.