Hawaii Archives | Otaku No Culture

Shaka: A Story of Aloha and Why The Spirit of Hawaii is Everywhere!

Everything you want to know about Shaka and why Hawaii is special are well explored in this #documentary. Hopefully after @VCFilmFestival there’ll be more screenings! Our #moviereview is at:

Just how a simple gesture came to represent the beating heart of Hawaii in Shaka: A Story of Aloha is not only fascinating but also a look back at history. There are multiple meanings (with hang loose being the most popular during the 70s) and six origin stories. And instead of giving credit to one, what I loved is in how this feature simply said, let’s give credit to everyone rather than just one individual.

To compress all of that into a 72-minute documentary must have been tough. I would’ve thought there’s a lot more story to some parts, but when there’s not, I’m glad what gets revealed isn’t too stretched out. Instead, what is added is in how universally recognised the image is. The segment I liked included how a Hawaiian infantry unit got chewed out for constantly using it during inopportune times. I laughed at how they worked within the restrictionx so that it became a special sign language of its own during engagement.

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The Wind and the Reckoning Highlights a Tragic Moment of Hawaiian History

Ultimately, The Wind and the Reckoning is about this Pi’ilani;s willingness to be with her family till the end.

David L. Cunningham‘s The Wind and the Reckoning, is a frightful reminder of the days of Imperialism. In what he adapted from Ka Moolelo oiaio o Kaluaikoolau (“The True Story of Kaluaikoolau” Amazon link) into a movie is a tale about love, commitment and hate. Thankfully, the former is about a family sticking together, and the latter concerns how America took control of Hawaii. This book has been reprinted many times since its original publication in 1906, and I believe it’s essential reading.

Because nobody back then knew how to treat leprosy, a lot of natives got displaced. Locals were expected to “do what’s right,” and the law would make sure it happened. The inhabitants feared being moved to the remote colony on Moloka’i and many no doubt fled to deeper inland if not to the caves. And in what made me invested is that what occurred there also transpired in various corners of the world too. In Victoria, BC, anyone with this condition, namely the Chinese, were sent to the nearby D’arcy Island, and weren’t given much to help them fend for themselves.

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Meditating on what Makes Masao A Simple Man

The cinematography is poetic and contemplative, making this film almost a tear jerker because everyone knows the inevitable.

L.A. Asian Pacifc Film Festival
Regal L.A. LIVE:
A Barco Innovation Center
Sept 25, 2021
12:00 pm

Not everyone can say, “I Was a Simple Man,” like Christopher Makoto Yogi can. This film by this writer/director offers a truly sombre look at the last days of Masao (Steve Iwamoto). The flashbacks reveal everything you want to know about this protagonist–including bits of his troubled family’s past–and why he lives his days out with his daughter, often alone instead with friends and kin.

It’s tough to watch a parent grow old, hear them complain about one thing or another, and see you’re not able to help. Kati (Chanel Akiko Hirai) is the only relative trying her best because they share the same space. Her brother Mark (Nelson Lee) is living a new life far, far away. When she phones him and asks for him to come home, the dilemma they face together in how to deal with their father is tough.

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LAAPFF 2020 The Power of Myth, Healing & Kapaemahu

The art style is simply fantastic. The sepia tones evoke a dream-like quality to contrast the past to the present. As the tale shifts from a quiet watcher to that of a child being told of his heritage, I firmly believe what’s presented here is a far better tale than Disney’s Moana. Both are terrific in its regard of what Polynesian culture represents, but if I had to choose which is more respectful in its production, it’s with Won-Kalu’s work!

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Available to watch in the continental United States via LAAPFF till Oct 31st.

The animated short, Kapaemahu, is a contender for the Academy Awards and I can easily see why after seeing it as part of the 36th annual month-long Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. It played at Tribeca, and if you love the power of myth as I do, this mystical work is worth seeking out. Not only is Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, Dean Hamer and Joe Wilson’s work an alluring mystical retelling of the origins of the healing stones located in Waikiki Beach, but also it recounts the history of Hawaii quite well.

It’s almost easy to forget the conflict when the Europeans came in to colonize this paradise in the latter acts. Instead, part of this work’s charm is in how four tall and mysterious figures helped do more than bring together the natives from the region. They are transgender and recognized as benevolent beings. Their arrival is compared to the Europeans, and that’s where we get an excellent look at how this island nation’s civilization changed over time. As with Canada now respecting the nations that first occupied this land before any event, we are shown where we all came from.

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