Before the Moon Falls
(formerly titled I OF THE WATER)
2025 | 101 mins | English
In May 2024, news of a murder in the Polynesian nation of Samoa rocked the Pacific. The perpetrator—Sia Figiel—was a trailblazing novelist and poet who earned international acclaim for being the first to write about the difficult realities Samoan girls and women face. The victim was her friend, who was also a poet.
This film was a portrait of Sia Figiel eight years in the making when the murder happened. Now it offers an in-depth and thought-provoking look at Sia’s journey leading up to the tragedy, illuminating the complexity of untreated mental illness and the devastating toll it can exact on individuals, families and entire communities.
The film is a co-production with ITVS, Pacific Islanders in Communications, American Documentary and Ford Foundation JustFilms.
Major funding also received from Hot Docs first look Pitch Fund, Atherton Family Foundation, Hawai‘i Council for the Humanities, HDS Foundation, Women's Fund of Hawai‘i and the Dolores Furtado Martin Foundation.
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The project was selected to participate in the 2023 Hot Docs Forum and Deal Maker, 2022 Australian International Documentary Conference The FACTory Rough Cut Showcase, 2021 Doc NYC's Only In New York, 2021 International Documentary Association's DocuClub, 2021 Doc Edge Rough Cuts, 2021 Brown Girls Doc Mafia Feedback Loop, 2021 Doc Edge Pitch, 2021 Athena Film Festival Works-In-Progress, 2020 Sundance Institute / Women In Film's Women's Financing & Strategy Intensive and 2019 Good Pitch Local Hawai‘i.
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Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendationsexpressed by this film do not necessarily represent those
of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
The project has the fiscal sponsorship of The Center for Independent Documentary, Inc., which is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Thus all donations are tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law.
To make a donation, go to:
https://www.documentaries.org/films/before-the-moon-falls
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If you prefer to send a check, checks can be made out to:
Center for Independent Documentary
Write "Before the Moon Falls" on the memo line.
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Mail to:
Center for Independent Documentary
P. O. Box 95216
Newton, MA 02495
CID will send you a written acknowledgment for your tax records.
Email us at makingwavesfilms@gmail.com with questions.
