“Art and Kuleana: An Interview with Kamakanioka‘āina Paikai” by No‘ukahau‘oli Revilla
Trailer for the film E Ola I Kēia Pō:
INT. CINEMA CULTURE IN HAWAI‘I 2002
The Academy for Creative Media (ACM) is launched at the University of Hawai‘i-Mānoa
Enter KAMAKANIOKA‘ĀINA PAIKAI, a Pearl City High School graduate whose two requirements of his future career are to be creative and artistic.
PAIKAI
(looks around)
Where are the films about Hawaiians by Hawaiians?
(thinks around)
Why aren’t there any films ma ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i?
(considers his most inspirational filmmakers: Fernando Meirelles,
Kátia Lund, Martin Scorsese, Alfoso Cuarón, Shinichirō Watanabe,
Frank Miller, and Taika Waititi)
Why not me?
Enter MERATA MITA, a pioneer figure in Aotearoa’s indigenous filmmaking community, whose advocacy for “decolonizing the screen” inspires PAIKAI to tell his own stories.
PAIKAI
I strive to fulfill her legacy. Hawaiian artists have a chance to educate not just foreigners but, more important, our own people. To have films about Hawaiians’ struggles and successes can inspire folks to make a change, find a cause, or tell their own story. I’m not a farmer or a surfer or whatever a Hawaiian is “supposed to be,” but I enjoy what I do, and I try to use my skills so that others can see how hard the farmer works or how talented the surfer is.
Enter JOEL MOFFETT, an ACM professor who encourages PAIKAI to submit his student film, E Ola I Kēia Pō, to the Hawai‘i International Film Festival (HIFF).
PAIKAI
People are hungry for Hawaiian stories on the big screen. I’ll be forever proud to call myself an ACM alumni.
CUT TO:
INT. HIFF 2009
E Ola I Kēia Pō is not only featured at HIFF but becomes the first Hawaiian-language film from the ACM.
PAIKAI
I am proud because there can only be one first. And the first thing I learned from E Ola I Kēia Pō was that a story can get altered in translation. Ways of thinking are different. The film taught me how to think like a Hawaiian. I had all the actors translate their own (English) dialogue and let them say it the way they would say it—one of the benefits of attaining Hawaiian-speaking actors. Dialogue is only a guideline.
Enter LANGUAGE
PAIKAI
I wanted to show that Hawaiian is a living language and not something that we used to do. ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i is our voice. If the ultimate goal is for our voices to be heard then it must be from our mother tongue. We’re storytellers by nature, so by Kānaka using this art form, they not only tell our stories but show them. I believe memories resonate visually. For me, it’s more powerful to see reactions and feel emotion with characters . . . the tears come flowing.
CUT TO:
INT. I KĒIA MAU LĀ
Enter KULEANA
PAIKAI
(in his own mana‘o:
tradition (v)—to honor the teachings of the kūpuna
modernity (v)—to expand traditional knowledge)
In film, Hawai‘i is the ultimate conflict of tradition and modernity. It’s up to me to bridge the gap. I will follow protocol, I will ask permission, I will research cultural issues and consult cultural experts, and I will care about how Hawaiians are represented. And I want ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i to be cool, so when kids watch it, they’re like: “Ho, I wanna learn how for do dat!” My kuleana as a visual storyteller weighs heavily on my back. What keeps me motivated is believing that what I’m doing for Hawai‘i is part of a bigger picture, a bigger plan.
6 Comments
Jump to comment form | comment rss [?]