A film about the deeply personal journey of Andre Afamasaga, a Samoan ex-pastor who came out as gay after enduring 15 years of conversion practices will air on ABC Australia’s Compass on 1 September 2024, at 6.30 pm.

This 26-minute film is titled Alofa.

Named after the Samoan word for “love”, Alofa chronicles Andre’s quest to reconcile his faith, culture, and sexuality, amid conservative beliefs and divisive rhetoric surrounding LGBTIQ+ issues in some religious and cultural communities. Filmed in Wellington and Sydney, the documentary provides an intimate look at how Andre, who found self-acceptance at 40, navigated his identity amidst these complexities.

Directed by Rachel Lane, Alofa features interviews with Fuimaono Dr. Karl Pulotu-Endeman, a fa’afafine and Pacific mental health expert, and Andre’s sister Shalleen Hern, who reflects on their upbringing in a Samoan Seventh-day Adventist home. It also includes insights from Andre and pastor Kirsten Øster-Lundqvist on the use of the Bible to exclude LGBTIQ+ individuals from acceptance in many churches. Andre, a pastor for 11 years in southwest Sydney and Wellington, shares his experiences before and after coming to terms with his sexual orientation. Alofa is a moving story of resilience and reconciliation.

The film also follows Andre’s professional journey, from resigning as a pastor to becoming a senior manager at the New Zealand Human Rights Commission, where in a full circle moment, he helped establish the civil redress scheme under the Conversion Practices Prohibition Legislation Act of 2022. Now an independent human rights advocate and consultant, Andre is also launching the Alofa Project, a charitable initiative aimed at changing attitudes about LGBTIQ+ inclusion in religious and Pacific contexts.

Amanda Collinge, Executive Producer of Compass, stated, “We are thrilled to be sharing Alofa on Compass. It’s a powerful story of a Samoan ex-pastor who survived years of conversion therapy and has now reconciled his faith, culture, and sexual identity.”

Director Rachel Lane added, “Making Alofa was a special opportunity to tell an engaging human interest story that explores Andre’s trials and tribulations. He fought to reconcile his faith, culture, and sexuality, and ultimately learn to love himself along the way. I wanted the emotive and moving treatment of the film to match the sensitivity the story deserves.”

Dr. John Wallace, an advocate for LGBTIQ+ inclusion, remarked, “Stories like Andre’s are essential to breaking down the misunderstandings and ignorance that cause so much harm to LGBTIQ+ people due to traditional beliefs. Alofa tells this story in a gentle, non-confronting way that only the hardest of hearts could not be touched.”

Alofa offers a unique take on LGBTIQ+ faith stories, bringing an insider Pacific cultural lens that many outsiders struggle to grasp. It adds to Nel Minchin’s 2023 award-winning Folau documentary which explored the intense clash between sexuality, sport, religion, and personal freedoms, where Andre was also a key interviewee. Andre first gained public attention in 2019 when he wrote a “coming out” essay in the Sydney Morning Herald amid the Israel Folau saga. Andre urged Pacific parents, to “please prioritise your children over your church.” The 2022 Manly Sea Eagles Pride Jersey controversy again showed that these tensions within Pacific circles are far from resolved, underscoring the ongoing challenges of LGBTIQ+ inclusion.

Andre hopes the documentary will serve as a constructive counterpoint to divisive debates on LGBTIQ+ issues within religious and Pacific communities. He believes in the need for dedicated, trusted spaces to address rising intolerance and discrimination and is actively seeking partners to expand the Alofa Project’s impact.