07/10/2026
Our Very Own Amaya Masoli starring as Young Moana! 😍💐
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Pacific Islander Community Partnership Celebrates Ata Mai Cultural Arts Student Amaya Masoli’s Casting as Young Moana in Disney’s Live-Action Moana
San Francisco Bay Area, CA — Pacific Islander Community Partnership (PICP) is overjoyed to celebrate one of our very own, Amaya Masoli, on her remarkable achievement as she makes her feature film debut portraying Young Moana in Disney’s highly anticipated live-action Moana.
Amaya’s journey is one that fills our community with immense pride. At Ata Mai Cultural Arts, PICP’s after-school cultural preservation program, Amaya has flourished in a curriculum rooted in the teachings of our Pacific ancestors. Through Samoan language, traditional cultural arts, and Indigenous knowledge from the islands of Samoa, Tahiti, and highlights from the Kingdom of Tonga, she has embraced her identity with confidence, grace, and excellence.
Under the direction of Taimalelagi Heaven Anoa’i and Reno Anoa’i, alongside Ori Tahiti cultural advisors Leilua Lulu Malieitulua-Sablan and Lepepaina Malieitulua, Amaya has grown not only as a dancer and artist, but as a young cultural bearer who carries the stories, values, and spirit of Oceania with authenticity.
Her casting is far greater than an individual accomplishment, it is a powerful reminder that when our children are deeply rooted in who they are, they can confidently carry our cultures onto the world’s greatest stages. Amaya is a reflection of our ancestors’ prayers fulfilled and a testament to the limitless potential of Pacific Islander youth.
PICP also extends our deepest gratitude to our beloved community leaders and partners, Tiana Liufau and Kayla Fa’amaligi of Nonosina. Prior to the film’s premiere, PICP was honored to partner with them in bringing cultural workshops to Bay Area families alongside Niece Irie Ungos, strengthening the connection between our communities and the living traditions represented in Moana. As the chief choreographers of Disney’s live-action Moana, Tiana and Kayla have carried the richness, dignity, and beauty of Pacific cultures onto the global stage with extraordinary care and excellence. Their leadership reminds our young people that cultural knowledge is not only something to preserve, it is something that belongs on the world stage.
To Amaya, know that your PICP and Ata Mai family celebrates you wholeheartedly. We are incredibly proud of the young woman you are becoming and cannot wait to witness all that God has in store for your future. This is only the beginning.
From the villages of Sapapali’i, Samoa, Taputimu, American Samoa, Ofu, Manu’a and throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, we celebrate this historic moment together. Your success belongs to all of us, and we hope it inspires the next generation of Pacific Islander youth to dream boldly while remaining deeply rooted in their culture.
Congratulations, Amaya. You are carrying our ancestors forward, and we could not be more proud. Malo le faaeaea!
Catch Disney’s live-action Moana in theaters and join us in celebrating Amaya Masoli and the incredible Pacific leaders whose work continues to uplift our cultures for generations to come.
