First-Ever HULA Film Festival Opens in February at Bishop Museum: Year-long Film Schedule celebrates Hula
Without a doubt, hula is one of the strongest and most deeply rooted traditions in practice within the Hawaiian culture. Hula has gained broad-based appeal over the years as an expression of culture through words and dance worldwide. This year, the Bishop Museum Association Council (BMAC) invites you to deepen your understanding of hula by exploring special topics within the discipline from a physical, spiritual, and creative perspective through the first-ever, year-long Hula Film Festival, coordinated by Hawaiian historian Nanette Napoleon, and presented under the auspices of the Council’s successful Traditions of the Pacific education program. The Hula Film Festival is sponsored by Kamehameha Schools, Ka’iwakiloumoku Hawaiian Cultural Center.
Traditions of the Pacific is an ongoing cultural enrichment and educational program that highlights the unique cultural heritage and natural science of Hawai‘i, Asia, and the Pacific through stories, fieldtrips, lectures, workshops, and now, films. The popular program began in 1991 and will continue throughout 2008.
The Bishop Museum Association Council’s new Traditions of the Pacific: HULA FILM FESTIVAL begins in February 2008 and continues through November 2008 with a film-a-month event presented on Tuesday nights at Atherton Hālau on the grounds of Bishop Museum. Films will include a special introduction by a Bishop Museum cultural expert or special guest affiliated with the film. General admission to the film screenings is $5; Free for Bishop Museum members. Because of limited seating, reservations are recommended and may be made by email courtney.chow@bishopmuseum.org or by phone (808) 848-4187. Free parking is available.
According to project coordinator Nanette Napoleon, “Each of the films selected for the festival represent hula’s diversity and continuing impact on individuals and society in general, not only in Hawai’i, but throughout the world.”
Bishop Museum’s vast collection of traditional hula implements, oli, mele, mo‘olelo, illustrations and other resources has influenced generations of dancers, chanters and hula teachers, and will continue to do so for generations to come. Bishop Museum is the world’s largest repository of the arts and cultural artifacts of Pacific Island cultures, including an unrivaled collection of 18th- and 19th-century artworks of and about Hawai‘i.
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Traditions of the Pacific: Hula Film Festival
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Atherton Halau, Bishop Museum
$5 General Admission; Free Bishop Museum Members
Reservations: courtney.chow@bishopmuseum.org or (808) 848-4187
A. Ka Po‘e Hula Hawai‘i Kahiko (The Hula People of Old)
[20 minutes, BW, VHS, 1974]
Many of the most well-known hula dancers and chanters of the early 20th century are featured in this outstanding compilation of original film footage shot in the 1930s. Among those featured are Nona Beamer, Joseph Ilala‘ole, Roe Kaimi La‘anui, Akoni Mika, Mary Kawena Pukui, and her mother Pa‘ahana, and Katherine Kanahele.
Credits: Producer: Vivienne Mader
Director & Narrator: Betty Tatar, Bishop Museum
Production Coordinator: Cine-Pic Hawaii Corp.
Guest Speaker: DeSoto Brown, Archivist
B. The Hula of Old Hawaii
[28 minutes, BW, VHS, 1943]
This rare film footage features Bishop Museum hula authority Mary Kawena Pukui and her daughters Pat (Bacon) and Pele (Suganuma) demonstrating traditional hula dance movements and chants. This footage was filmed by noted photographer George Bacon and is often studied by contemporary hula teachers and students.
Credits: Producer/Director: George Bacon; Bishop Museum Archives
TUESDAY, MARCH 11
Through Namaka’s Eyes: The Life of Patience Bacon
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Atherton Halau, Bishop Museum
$5 General Admission; Free Bishop Museum Members
Reservations: courtney.chow@bishopmuseum.org or (808) 848-4187
[70 minutes, Color, DVD, 2007]
This documentary focuses on the amazing life experience of one of Hawai’i’s Living Treasures, Pat Bacon, daughter of preeminent Hawaiian scholar and hula master Mary Kawena Pukui. Bacon followed her mother as a researcher and hula authority at Bishop Museum. Rare archival footage, still photos and provocative interviews make this a historically significant, must-see film.
Credits: Produced by Kamehameha Schools, Ka’iwakiloumoku Hawaiian Cultural Center; Executive Producers: Jamie Mililani Fong and Randie Kamuela Fong; Director: Jeff DePonte, jDesign
TUESDAY, APRIL 15
Kumu Hula: Keepers of a Culture
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Atherton Halau, Bishop Museum
$5 General Admission; Free Bishop Museum Members
Reservations: courtney.chow@bishopmuseum.org or (808) 848-4187
[85 mintues, Color, DVD, 1989]
In this film numerous kumu hula talk about hula from an historical perspective as well as from a personal perspective. Featured are Kalena Silva, John Dalire, Aloha Dalire, Hu’i Park, John Kaimikaua, Chinky Mahoe, O’Brian Eselu, geroge Naope, Nina Maxwell, Kaha’i Topolinski, Louise Beamer, Tita Beamer Solomon, Malama Solomon, Hulali Solomon Covington, Elaine Kaopuiki, Pua Kanahele, Nalani Kanaka’ole, Etua Lopes, Roselle Bailey, Alicia Smith, Coline Aiu, Naleialoha Napaepae-Kunewa and Kawaikapu Hewitt. This film was part of the 2007 Annual Indigenous Film & Arts Festival in Denver, Colorado.
Credit Info: Producer(s): Robert Mugge and Vicky Holt Takamine; Director(s): Robert Mugge
TUESDAY, MAY 13
Biography Hawai’i: Maiki Aiu Lake
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Atherton Halau, Bishop Museum
$5 General Admission; Free Bishop Museum Members
Reservations: courtney.chow@bishopmuseum.org or (808) 848-4187
[60 minutes, Color, DVD, 2004]
Produced by Hawai’i Public Television and the Center for Biographical Research, University of Hawai’i-Manoa for its “Biography Hawai’i” series, this film tells the life story of one of Hawai‘i’s most important kumu hula from the 1940s to the 1980s. Her lifelong mission was to perpetuate the study of ancient hula, which she learned from master teachers ‘Iolani Luahine, Pua Ha‘aheo, Alice Namakelua, Vickie I’i Rodrigues and Lokalia Montgomery. Mary Kawena Pukui was her mentor. Many graduates of Halau Hula o Maiki, including Robert Cazimero, Mapuana de Silva, John Lake, Leina’ala Heine and Kaha‘i Topolinski, have gone on to become well-known kumu hula in their own right.
Credit: Producers: Victoria Nalani Kneubuhl, Joy Chong Stannard, Craig Howes; Director: Joy Chong-Stannard
Guest Speakers: Craig Howes, Coline Aiu
TUESDAY, JUNE 10
American Aloha: Hula Beyond Hawai‘i
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Atherton Halau, Bishop Museum
$5 General Admission; Free Bishop Museum Members
Reservations: courtney.chow@bishopmuseum.org or (808) 848-4187
[56 minutes, Color, DVD, 2003]
This film profiles three kumu hula living, working and perpetuating the hula in northern California. Sissy Kaio of Carson, Mark Ho’omalu of Oakland and Patrick Makuakane of San Francisco talk about the challenges and rewards of teaching hula on the mainland and maintaining cultural pride and integrity. Although they come from different backgrounds and have moved to California for different reasons, they all share a deep and abiding love for the hula and the Hawaiian culture. This film was shown nationally on PBS, locally on Hawaii Public Television, and has won awards at numerous film festivals.
Credit Info: Producer(s): Lehua Films; Director(s): Lisette Kaualena Flanary and Evann Siebens
TUESDAY, JULY 8
Na Kamalei: The Men of Hula
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Atherton Halau, Bishop Museum
$5 General Admission; Free Bishop Museum Members
Reservations: courtney.chow@bishopmuseum.org or (808) 848-4187
[60 minutes, Color, DVD, 2006]
This award winning film gives viewers a candid behind-the-scene look at Halau Na Kamalei, under the direction of noted kumu hula Robert Cazimero as they prepare to compete in the 2005 Merrie Monarch Festival. Cazimero talks about his evolution as a hula dancer and as a teacher, and his students share their experiences within the halau and their feelings about being men hula dancers.
Credits: A co-presentation of Lehua Films, Independent Television Services and Pacific Islanders in Communications.
Producer: Lehua Films; Directors: Lisette Kaualena Flanary
TUESDAY, AUGUST 12
Holo Mai Pele
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Atherton Halau, Bishop Museum
$5 General Admission; Free Bishop Museum Members
Reservations: courtney.chow@bishopmuseum.org or (808) 848-4187
[57 minutes, Color, DVD, 2004]
This is film version of the 1995 stage production of Holo Mai Pele, performed by members of Halau O Kekuhi, under the direction of kumu hula Pualani Kanaka‘ole Kanahele and Nalani Kanaka’ole The plot tells the tragic saga of the rivalry between Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of the volcano, her sister Hi’iakaikapoliopele and their common affections for the handsome and brave Lohiau. Blending both traditional and contemporary dramatic forms, this play takes viewers on an emotional journey into mystical world of goddesses, demons and lovers. This film was shown nationally on PBS Great Performances “Dance in America.” A companion book was published in conjunction with the film.
Credit Info: A co-production of International Cultural Programming, Thirteen/WNET New York and Pacific Islanders in Communications; Co-Artistic Directors: Nalani Kanaka’ole and Pualani Kanaka’ole Punahele
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16
KEEPERS OF THE FLAME: The Cultural Legacy of Three Hawaiian Women
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Atherton Halau, Bishop Museum
$5 General Admission; Free Bishop Museum Members
Reservations: courtney.chow@bishopmuseum.org or (808) 848-4187
[60 minutes, Color, DVD, 2005]
This film honors three monumental and inspiring Hawaiian women of the 19th and 20th centuries who kept the Hawaiian hula alive despite Western prohibitions and persecution. Mary Kawena Pukui, linguist and author; ‘Iolani Luahine, kumu hula and spiritualist; and Edith Kanaka‘ole, songwriter, kumu hula and educator, are each responsible, through their individual pursuits, for reviving the flame of traditional Hawaiian culture. This touching film explores, using rare archival and personal family footage, the roots of these women from rural Big Island childhoods to their larger than life impact on contemporary Hawaiian society. This film was the winner of the Best Documentary award at the 2005 Louis Vuitton Hawai‘i International Film Festival, and was also shown at the Pacifika New York Hawaiian Film Festival. It was broadcast nationally on PBS.
Credits: The Hawaiian Legacy Foundation (www.hawaiianlegacy.com) Director: Eddie Kamae; Producers: Myrna Kamae and Dennis Mahaffay
Guest Speakers: Eddie and Myrna Kamae
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14
Hula Girls
7:00 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Atherton Halau, Bishop Museum
$5 General Admission; Free Bishop Museum Members
Reservations: courtney.chow@bishopmuseum.org or (808) 848-4187
[120 minutes, Color, DVD, 2006, Japanese with English sub-titles]
Based on a true story, this feature film’s heart-warming story is about a rural town in Japan that faces closure of its main economic source, a coal mine, which employs most of the town’s wage earners. Faced with this, the town’s leaders decide to build a “Hawaiian Paradise” theme park to attract tourist dollars. An aging hula star from Tokyo is hired to put together a troupe of female hula dancers that will perform at the park. A number of young girls are enthusiastic about learning hula and being a part of the center, but community pressure is strong and the girls and their teacher must face many challenges to reach their goal. This film earned several Japanese Academy Awards, including Most Popular Film, Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay. The film’s music was written and played by Hawai‘i ‘ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro.
Credits: Viz Pictures; Producer: Hitomi Ishihara; Director/Writer: Sang-il Lee; Production Company: Cine Qua Non
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 18
1. Kumu Hula: A Tradition of Teachers
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Atherton Halau, Bishop Museum
$5 General Admission; Free Bishop Museum Members
[30 minutes, Color, DVD, Michael Cowell and Hawaii Public Television, 1998]
Through interviews with prominent hula teachers such as Robert Cazimero, this film shows how a student of traditional hula dance becomes a kumu, or master-teacher. The program chronicles the journeys a student of the art of hula must make before being accepted as a keeper of traditional hula culture. What emerges are stories of devotion between students and teacher, as many kumu double as spiritual parents. The film reveals the inherent conflicts and profound aloha spirit found in hula families and apprenticeships, which have produced generations of respected kumu hula.
Credits: Producers: Michael Cowell and Hawaii Public Television; Director: Michael Cowell
2. Aloha From Paris
Reservations: courtney.chow@bishopmuseum.org or (808) 848-4187
[63 minutes, Color, DVD, 2005, French and English]
Arnaud Dufour’s documentary film was made during the visit of Paris-based Halau Hula O Manoa to Hawai’i in 2005 for the opening of the exhibition Hawai’i in Paris: The Art of Hula at the Honolulu Academy of Arts. Most of the diverse works in the exhibit were done by artists over a four-year period with dances from the French halau. During this period, hula became a source of inspiration and influence within the contemporary art world of Paris. Kilohana Silve, the kumu of the halau, who is Hawai’i born, spent 25 years teaching hula in Paris. This film was shown on French television.
Credits: Producers: Arnaud Dufour, Sandra Kilohana Silve, and Mercea Wolf. Director: Arnaud Dufour
Guest Speaker: Sandra Kilohana Silve
The Hula Film Festival is being presented as part of Bishop Museum’s highly successful Traditions of the Pacific education program. Presented concurrently with the Hula Film Festival will be Traditions of the Pacific: The Year of the Hula, a series of public lectures and workshops on hula throughout 2008. Please visit www.bishopmuseum.org for ongoing lecture and workshop information.
For more information about the Hula Film Festival contact film festival coordinator Nanette Napoleon at (808) 261-0705, or email: nanetten@hawaii.rr.com. For more information about Traditions of the Pacific: The Year of the Hula, call 808.847.3511 or visit www.bishopmuseum.org.
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