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Waikiki

USA202077 minEnglish, Hawaiian with English Subtitles International PremiereDrama

PART OF THE CENTREPIECE SPOTLIGHT ON HAWAI'I

Kea can’t make ends meet, even while working as a luau dancer, karaoke-bar hostess, and elementary school Hawaiian-language teacher. After a violent altercation with her boyfriend, Kea accidentally hits a homeless man with her car. Not wanting to involve the authorities, she decides to take care of the mysterious man herself. But while she continues to struggle with her own financial hardship and difficulty finding housing, Kea’s downward spiral begins to reveal a deeply rooted trauma from her past. As her life careens out of control, so too does her grasp on the world around her.  

Christopher Kahunahana’s captivating storytelling ventures beyond the world-famous titular tourist destination and strikes an aesthetic that is perhaps unfamiliar to those with cursory knowledge of idyllic Hawaii. Kahunahana’s juxtaposition of the latter against the cold concrete of looming and perpetual urban development casts a critical look at the gentrified waste of ecological decay, systemic poverty, and the enduring legacy of U.S. colonization, which haunts the faces and spaces of Kahunahana’s film. Waikiki is a critical contribution to the growing body of Native Hawaiian cinema.   

-  Kevin Lim

Cast

Danielle Zalopany

Peter Shinkoda

Jason Quinn

Recognitions

OFFICIAL SELECTION

Hawai’i International Film Festival, 2020
Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, 2020
Seattle International Film Festival, 2021

 

AWARDS

Best Hawai’i Feature Film, Hawai’i International Film Festival, 2020
Best Feature and Best Cinematography, Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, 2020

Director Bio

Christopher Kahunahana

Christopher Kahunahana is a Sundance Institute Native Lab and Feature Film Program Alumni. As the founder of 4th World Film, he’s written and directed LĀHAINĀ NOON and directed a short documentary for the Smithsonian Institute’s Asian Pacific American “A Day in the Life” project.

10 Nov, 2021

to 19 Nov, 2021

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BUY STUDENT • SENIOR • ARTS WORKER • UN(DER)WAGED TICKETS

Rating

AA

Sponsors

In Partnership With

Community Partner

Accessibility

This presentation has English subtitles.

Active Listener symbol  An Active Listener will be available to offer one-on-one peer support for viewers who may find the content of this presentation triggering. More info on how to access here.

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