ELEVEN-YEAR-OLD Celeste Atalig of Tinian Elementary School will be featured on “Marianas Cousins.”
As Variety has reported previously, Nihi Indigenous Media is a Guam-based production company filming “Marianas Cousins” on Saipan, Tinian, Rota, and Guam. The series, which will launch online, follows a child from each island as he or she shows the island from his or her own perspective. Videography has concluded on Saipan and Rota, and is currently ongoing on Tinian.
Atalig has been enjoying the process so far.
“I had fun working with the Nihi team,” she said. “Tinian is special for so many reasons and I hope that in the ‘Marianas Cousins’ episode that you can see a few of those.”
Cara Flores, Nihi Indigenous Media director, said she and her team have filmed on location at a cattle ranch, Guma Taga, Unai Taga, Tinian Jr./Sr. High School, and other places.
Thealanie Atalig, Celeste’s mother, has supported her daughter in this process.
“This was a great, educational experience for my daughter,” she said. “I’m excited to see the other island episodes to see what the other kids shared about each of their islands!”
Flores said when filming on Tinian is complete, the team at Nihi Indigenous Media will move onto post-production and graphics, with the full series coming out in late June. Their YouTube channel will feature all episodes.
Producer Siobhon Castro McManus is excited to have collaborated on this project, especially because of the connections it has drawn in the Mariana Islands.
“Filming this series and meeting our sister islands through our incredible talent families has reminded me of some timeless truths,” she said. “Our islands are beautiful and thriving, our people are generous and kind, our culture is resilient, and the Marianas deserves all the love and protection we can offer.”
