ʻŌiwi Film Festival 2012

The 2012 ʻŌiwi Film Festival kicks off this weekend from Saturday (November 11) and runs to Wednesday (November 14.)  In Hawaiian ʻŌiwi means of the bone, native, or native son.  There exists a rich and diverse community of Hawaiian and Hawaiʻi filmmakers who are telling our stories of Hawai’i.  The ʻŌiwi Film Festival showcases the work of the community which adds to its growth.

The ʻŌiwi film Festivalʻs mission states:
The festival’s mission is to show Hawaii through the eyes and voices of local filmmakers. Films are grouped together to highlight significant themes that recur in many of the films, exploring the preservation of the land, culture and language that range in tone from the humorous to the powerful and poignant .
The Doris Duke Theatre website also states that the festival is “the first festival dedicated to the work of Indigenous Hawaiian filmmakers.”

The festival kicks off this weekend Saturday 7:30 P.M. with the premiere of Anne Marie Kirkʻs film The Hawaiian Room.  The film focuses on the Hawaiian Room a nightclub in 1937 New York which showcased hula dancers, singers, and musicians, from Hawaiʻi. The film is told through oral histories of the people who were there as well as archival footage.  Maile Loo-Ching, founder of The Hula Preservation Society (HPS), collected many of the oral histories of the kūpuna.  Below are some of The Hula Preservation Societyʻs and related clips in our collection.  The Festival also features “Under a Jarvis Moon”, “Papa Mau: The Wayfinder”. and “Kai Wahine” paired with a short each night.  Be sure to Support ʻŌiwi (Hawaiian) filmmakers and purchase your film festival tickets here.

Interview with Nona Beamer

Nona’s career includes almost 40-years of teaching at Kamehameha Schools, countless workshops throughout Hawai`i and the world, numerous publications, and 70-plus years of performing. She has dedicated her life to the education of Hawaiians and those who have a desire to learn about Hawaiian culture and hula.  (From Tutu Nonaʻs Bio on Hula Preservation Society website).  HPS was started in honor of Aunty Nona, by her hānai daughter Maile Loo-Ching.

Click here to listen to Aunty Nona Beamer singing Ku`u Pepe Li`i Li`i

Click here to listen to Aunty Nona and Evlane Tom discussing kāne and wahine movements in hula and Hawaiian social stratifications

Click here to listen to an interview with Johnny Almeida

Click here to listen an interview with Aunty Alice Namakelua

By Koa Luke in collaboration with Robbie Omura