BEFORE THE MOON FALLS
In May 2024, the Pacific was shaken by the shocking news of a murder in Samoa. The perpetrator was Sia Figiel—a groundbreaking novelist and poet, celebrated worldwide as the first to give voice to the struggles of Samoan girls and women. The victim was her close friend and fellow poet.
For eight years, Hawai‘i-based, award-winning documentary filmmaker Kimberlee Bassford (PATSY MINK: AHEAD OF THE MAJORITY, CHINATOWN, WITH ALOHA, WINNING GIRL— all screened at HIFF) had been crafting a portrait of Sia when the tragedy occurred. What began as a story of literary achievement transforms into a searing exploration of mental illness, stigma, and the devastating impact on families and communities when care is inconsistent or absent. At once intimate and unsettling, the film traces Sia’s path leading up to the tragedy, offering a nuanced and deeply human lens on an event that reverberated far beyond Samoa.
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