ʻUluʻulu: The Henry Kuʻualoha Giugni Moving Image Archive of Hawaiʻi

Four more days until our screening of Puamana at HIFF and we’re getting excited (October 13 6PM Dole Cannery Free)! In continuing our blog series celebrating 33 years of HIFF, we would like to highlight films sponsored by Pacific Islanders In Communications (PIC).  The mission of Pacific Islanders in Communications (PIC) is to support, advance, and develop Pacific Island media content and talent that results in a deeper understanding of Pacific Island history, culture, and contemporary challenges” (from PIC`s Website click here to see it).  PIC has been supporting Hawaiʻi and other Pacific film makers since their beginning; projects may not have seen their screenings if it weren’t for PIC.  PIC is also one of our collections that holds important treasures from around the Pacific!  We are excited about the collection and the lineup of films PIC is sponsoring giving Hawaiʻi and the Pacific a strong presence at HIFF; go see these films! Below is a list of films sponsored by PIC click on the picture to go to PICʻs website…

…and click on this picture to use the search box (located on the top right) to look up specific screening times and trailers.

The countdown continues, five more days till the free screening of Puamana (October 13 6PM at Dole Cannery)! Continuing our celebration of the 33rd year of Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF) and ʻUluʻulu`s partnership this year we wanted to highlight the film Sending Aloha Abroad directed by Sean Aronson. The film documents Hawaiʻi`s role in serving as a training location for Peace Corps volunteers who continued on to other locations in the Pacific. Many of these volunteers, like UH-West Oʻahuʻs own Dan Boylan, made Hawaiʻi their home. The film features footage of the family party, this is from our pilot project from Lyman Museum just another way people are using the archive for their projects. Click on the picture below for a link to HIFFʻs page for Sending Aloha Abroad which includes pictures, show times and a trailer. Happy movie going!

Hope everyone is getting excited about the 33rd annual Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF) ʻUluʻulu is too!  Six days until our free screening of the recently digitized film Puamana (October 13 6 PM at Dole Cannery Theatres).  In celebration, here is news coverage from our KGMB Collection documenting the early years of HIFF (click on image below).  Enjoy the festival and check out HIFFʻs website here.

October is American Archives month promoted by Society of American Archivists (SAA) as an opportunity for archives and archivists around the country to raise public awareness about the value of historical records and collections. For more information go here.  In celebration ʻUluʻulu will be co-hosting special screenings throughout the month of October check them out!

In collaboration with Kealaikahiki: Native Hawaiian Program, ʻUluʻulu will co-host “October Movie Month Mondays,” to promote Hawaiian culture and identity for Hawaiian and non Hawaiian students. These events perpetuate Kealaikahiki’s mission which strives to promote “student success while being culturally responsive to the indigenous culture of Hawaiʻi, including culturally relevant ways of knowing.” A film from the the archive will be shown every Monday of October (Oct.7, 14, 21, 28) at two PM in the Noʻeau Center. See flyer above for film titles.

We are also proud to announce that this year in collaboration with The Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) we will be showing the film Puamana at the 33rd Annual Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF).  A documentary produced by Meleanna Aluli Meyer and directed by Les Blank, the film documents Puamana the music group fronted by the late Irmgard Farden Aluli. The film will be screened at Dole Cannery Theatres on October 13 at 6 PM and is free to the public. Donʻt miss this special event which includes screening of production elements and a discussion panel. For more information see flyer below and see trailer here: Puamana Trailer.

It`s that time of year again filmmakers and film enthusiasts are in town for the 33rd Annual Hawaii Film Festival (HIFF) and guess who stopped by the archive yesterday? Kanaka Maoli filmmaker Christen Hepuakoa Marquez whose film, E Haku Inoa: To Weave A Name, is playing at HIFF this year. Christen came by to look at footage for her next project and see what we are all about! Mahalo e Christen. Click on picture below to see a trailer and go to toweaveaname for more information. The film will be playing at HIFF on  October 17th at 5:45 and 19th at 7:15 go see it!

September second marked the 175th birthday of Queen Liliʻuokalani. The queen was the last monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom and is celebrated by Hawaiians and non-Hawaiians alike. Not only was the queen skilled in Hawaiian and international governance but she was also a skilled musical composer. As one of the Nā lani ʻehā (four related ali‘i composers Kalākaua, Lili‘uokalani, Likelike and Leleihoku), she authored hundreds of songs and translated the Kumulipo, a creation chant over 2000 lines long, into English. She also started a trust for destitute and orphan children called the Queen Lili‘uokalani Children’s Center which still exists today. After the overthrow and annexation of the kingdom, Liliʻuokalani continued to advocate for the kingdom to be returned and for the rights of her people to the land.

Today the life of the queen and her legacy of politics and culture is internationally celebrated. One such celebration is ʻOnipaʻa held annually the weekend around her birthday. ʻOnipaʻa, meaning steadfast and determined, describes the queen and her actions. It was also one of her mottoes.

This year Native Books/Nā Mea Hawaiʻi, Queen Liliʻuokalani Trust, Hawaiʻi State Public Library System along with other sponsors present: He Lei, He Aloha ~ “A Lei of Love”. This 45-minute program held at different library locations will include readings from Hawaii’s Story by Hawaii’s Queen and songs composed by the queen sung by various groups. Be sure to catch this powerful event. You can download the schedule here He Lei, He Aloha poster (PDF).

Her Majesty: Liliʻuokalani (1981).
Hawai‘i Public Broadcast collection

Above is a clip from Her Majesty: Lili‘uokalani, a documentary held in our collection about her life, with interviews with people and manaleo (native speakers of the Hawaiian language) who knew her intimately, including kupuna Alice Namakelua who talks about singing for the queen.

Hauʻoli lā hānau iā ʻoe, e kuʻu mōʻī!  Happy Birthday to the cherished queen!

‘Ulu‘ulu will be closed tomorrow, Friday August 15 for Statehood day.  To commemorate this occasion, check out our Hawaiʻi Before Statehood theme:

Since becoming a state in 1959, Hawaiʻi has undergone remarkable changes. By clicking on the theme, relive memories of daily life in Hawaiʻi prior to statehood.  These videos were part of the HKG Pilot Project and Lyman Museum and Mission House collection. There is footage of paniolo, aircrafts, plantation life and more.

The UH West Oahu library will be closed to the public from August 19 – 23rd. The archive will reopen with normal hours on August 26th.

The 43rd Annual ‘Ukulele Festival will be held this Sunday, at the Kapiolani Park Bandstand, in Waikiki. This free event draws in thousands of locals and tourists each year, highlighting many artists and bands from around the world, including an ukulele band made up of over 800 students, mostly children.

17th Annual ʻUkulele Festival (1987). Juniroa Productions collection

Variety Magazine recently published an article in April 2013 called “The Reel Ending” in which authors Andrew Stewart and David S. Cohen describe the near extinction of celluloid “as digital delivery of movies rapidly becomes the new norm at theaters in the U.S.” citing reasons such as cost savings in distribution and new creative possibilities that only digital projection can offer.

Hawaii is also following this norm and three of the last analog projectors on Oahu have now found a new home at ‘Ulu‘ulu.

On July 1, 2013 the Hawaii Theatre began renovations that include new digital projection capability. For years, the Theatre screened films using one 16mm and two 35mm projectors, but needed to make room in the projection booth for the new digital projectors.

Thanks to the efforts of General Manager Burton White and Production Manager Jude Lampitelli, the Hawaii Theatre worked with ‘Ulu‘ulu to save these analog projectors from the dumpster and to ensure that they will be preserved at our archive in the UH West Oahu Library as display pieces and hopefully one day be refurbished and operational.

Getting the projectors to ‘Ulu‘ulu was a challenging endeavor and definitely required a team effort. Each projector weighs about 500 pounds and is housed in a six-foot tall rack. Alan Sakaida of Consolidated Theatres disassembled the projectors and audio equipment in order to break them down into smaller components that could more easily be moved out of the Theatre. The Hawaii Theatre itself is an historic building with no elevators and much care and planning had to be taken to make sure that chairs, carpets, stairwells and walls were not damaged by the move. This meant that the movers (mahalo Island Movers!) had to hand-carry each item out of the projection booth, navigate the upper balcony steps, go out the side door, and down concrete stairs to the van below.

We are very excited that these projectors have come to ‘Ulu‘ulu and look forward to getting them reassembled and on display!

Pictures of the projectors and of the move day can be seen here.