Mungau Dain ( 1994 – January 5 , 2019 ) was a ni-Vanuatu actor and villager who starred in the 2015 Australian-Vanuatuan film , '' Tanna '' . Dain , who had never acted before , was cast in the film alongside Marie Wawa , another Yakel villager , and other local untrained actors . '' Tanna '' , which is based on the true story of a ni-Vanuatu couple in 1980s who committed suicide after their families refused to allow them to marry , won the Audience Award Pietro Barzisa at the 72nd Venice International Film Festival in 2015 and was nominated for a Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards in 2017 . Dain , who reportedly had never seen a movie before his casting , traveled internationally in support of the film , including to Australia , Los Angeles and Venice
89th Academy Awards
89th Academy Awards
Mungau Dain