New Zealand film Tinā is smashing box office records and leaving audiences in tears — and its lead actress, Anapela Polataivao, says the response has been far beyond anything she could have imagined.

Polataivao, a respected actor with a strong background in theatre and screen, said the story’s emotional weight hit her from the moment she first read the script.

“I remember during the read, our friend Kirk, who was reading the big print, was bawling throughout it. And we all were,” she said.

“The story is so close to the family, and I’ve known Miki [Magasiva] for so long. His heart is all through it. It’s dedicated to someone very special, and that adds so much to the feeling behind it.”

Despite the film’s powerful script and passionate cast, she said there was no way of knowing what Tinā would become.

“You don’t really know,” she said. “All I knew was that I loved the character, I loved being part of the family, and I loved going to work every day. I didn’t think about the future of it — I just wanted to do my best in the moment.”

Asked if she had any idea it would strike such a chord with audiences, Polataivao said, “No, absolutely not. The response has been, oh my goodness — it’s been more than what I could have ever imagined.”

The emotional impact on audiences has been consistent, she said — with many people choosing to sit through the entire credits in silence.

“There’s this overwhelming sense of unity. It’s like we’ve been waiting for something to allow us to release — to have a human, cathartic experience,” she said.

“I’ve been in theatres where people just want a moment to recalibrate themselves. It’s like they’ve gone through something deeper than themselves — a spiritual cleansing. People say things like, ‘We needed to watch all the credits, sit through the whole thing,’ and then they leave clutching onto each other.”

The film’s edit, music, and structure all contributed to that emotional journey.

“It’s the way it’s composed, from scene to scene. It just creeps up on you. Even I forgot I was in it. During one of the test screenings I went to, it suddenly hit me — wow, this is really something.”

Polataivao’s journey into acting began as a teenager in South Auckland, where she joined the Maidment Youth Theatre. She credits that experience, along with her formal training at drama school, for shaping her as a performer.

“We were just young teenagers floating around Auckland, and we found this place — this home,” she said.

“For myself, I’d never experienced anything like it. It was intense — nine to four every day during the school holidays. I did that for about three years, then went to drama school in ’98 and graduated in 2000.”

Her theatre background gave her the discipline and tools to bring deep emotional truth to the screen.

“I’m really thankful for all of it. In theatre, you rehearse for four weeks, then perform for four more. But with film, it’s a new production every day. And you just have to bring it.”

The majority of Tinā was filmed in Auckland, with exterior scenes shot in Christchurch, including outside Christ’s College.

Polataivao said the film’s deeply rooted Pacific identity was something she understood on an instinctive level.

“When you put something like that in front of me, I go, ‘Oh yeah, I know that world.’ Because I was birthed into that world — in a very real way,” she said.

Asked whether she considers Tinā a Pacific or New Zealand film, she answered: “I would say it’s a New Zealand film. I’d say it’s an Aotearoa film, for sure.”

With packed screenings around the country and international premieres already taking place in Hawaii, Samoa, and Fiji, Polataivao is bracing for a growing spotlight.

The film is set to release in Australian cinemas on May 1, with interest building across global markets.

“I’m ready to continue to talk,” she said. “People have gone through such an experience, and I get that. If people want to talk to me about it, I’m here — because it’s real, and it’s something we need.”

She said what matters most is what audiences take from the film.

“We’ve done our job. Now it belongs to the audience. They’ll take what they want from it — and I think that’s the beauty of it.”