He Hawai`i Mau Short Film

(Director Lurline Wailana McGregor)

To see the entire two-minute short film visit: http://www.piccom.org/programs/he-hawaii-mau

This video is a brief journey through Lurline's life, growing up in Honolulu in the 1950's and 60's, later moving to Washington, D.C. and coming home again in the 1990's. I tell this story through old family movies, photos, contemporary video and Hawaiian music consistent with the time period being covered. It is about her growing awareness of her Hawaiian identity and what defines her today as a Hawaiian.


(still from the film He Hawai`i Mau)

A Good Movie I Watched: Blind Fury (1989)

Blind Fury (Theatrical Trailer)
Uploaded by NakedBrotha2007. - Full seasons and entire episodes online.

This movie is an action adventure film loosely based on one of the films from the Japanese samurai series Zatoichi. It stars Rutger Hauer as a blind Vietnam veteran who learns how to sword fight after being taken in by a small village. After he returns to America he finds himself protecting the son of another soldier who he served with in Vietnam from a gang of violent Reno gangsters.

It's campy, but totally badass. This is a genre and style of movie I wish could get updated for today.

I mean really, just look at this poster -

Free Screenings of film featuring an inspirational Samoan Minister

Free screenings of a great new film called "The Calling" which features a brilliant young Samoan American minister will be held in:

Long Beach, CA - Tuesday, December 28, 2010 6:00PM Location: Long Beach Public Library (see attached flier for more info)
Oakland, CA - Thursday, December 16, 2010 Doors Open @ 6:00pm Oakland Asian Cultural Center (see attached flier for more info)
San Francisco, CA - Wednesday, December 15, 2010 Doors Open @ 5:15pm San Francisco Main Public Library, Koret Auditorium (see attached flier for more info)

Here is a little more detail about the film:

Rob Pene, a Samoan, is busy studying at the Haggard School of Theology at Azusa Pacific University, working with a Presbyterian Minister in an upper-middle-class Los Angeles church, and mentoring poor teenage boys. All this is on top of a budding career as a Christian rapper, which he sees as his tool to minister to young people. Rob recently launched a new business focused on serving ministries, small businesses, schools, and mission-minded individuals.

Rob is just one of four characters (of different religious denominations) in the film on a path to the robe. The film follows Rob back to American Samoa during a difficult time, and speaks volumes to the unique, oftentimes difficult Pacific Islander experience in America when confronted with issues of identity, cultural preservation, and family. I really think that Rob’s role in this film will strike a chord in islanders living in the Los Angeles and Bay Area.

The film's website is: http://www.itvs.org/films/calling

Please forward on to anyone you think may be interested in watching and I hope some of you are able to get out see this film and show that Pacific Islanders are interested in seeing more of their stories in motion.

To Download Flyers for San Francisco go to: http://www.scribd.com/doc/45239426/Calling-FlyerSF

To Download Flyers for Oakland go to: http://www.scribd.com/doc/45239389/Calling-FlyerOAK

To Download Flyers for Long Beach go to: http://www.scribd.com/doc/45239465/LONG-BEACH-Large-Flier

Doc Talk: Surfwise

I watched a really great doc on the "first family of surf" the Paskowitz's last night, after coming upon the website and webisodes online. I was hooked, so I guess that campaign did it's job.

Even though this family is incredible they also reminded me in some ways of my own experiences growing up with my Father. He raised my brothers and myself as a single father starting from when I was eight years old. There were a lot of struggles disagreement and insanity, but in the long run I think we are all stronger for it.

It was funny though because it did spark a bit of debate between my boyfriend, Ryan http://ryangraber.com/, and I. After the film he said that he was glad that he wasn't raised like that because it seemed like there were so many opportunities that were cut off for the Paskowitz children because they had never received a formal education. This is true, and some amount of bitterness around this does come up in the film. However, I think it is a little more complex than that. It seems like for some of the opportunities that were closed off to the family, there were also many unique opportunities that came to the Paskowitz clan. Ultimately, I think it is very hard to compare the value of the upbringing of these people with anyone else in the world, since these nine people are an extremely unique group case.

Personally I believe your family is your family and for the most part people love their families no matter what. Given that, I would rather have an interesting family than a boring one.


(A picture of my Dad, me, and my youngest brother Will from a few years back. Looking as imperfect as we are. Ha ha)

Fellow Native Arts and Cultures Awardees

This is the second spotlight on Native American talent that I am doing for the blog in honor of Native Heritage Month. I was recently awarded a grant from the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation http://nativeartsandcultures.com as part of the Artistic Innovation – Through the Soul of an Artist initiative. I decided that this week I will highlight just a few of the other individual artists who were also awarded this honor in 2010. This year eight artists were selected, below are just a few. To read more about all the artists from this year's cycle go to http://nativeartsandcultures.com/innovation It is such an honor to be included with this group of amazing talent.


Emily Johnson (Yup'ik)
Emily Johnson is dancer and choreographer whose work often functions as an “installation performance” that combines dance, storytelling vignettes, props, and theater sets. Funding for this project will assist the artist in the development of new work centered on movement, story, and sound housed within an installation of hand-made fish skin lanterns. The project will reach the stage after continued ripening of the piece. You can learn more about her and her work at: http://www.catalystdance.com/





Sonya Kelliher-Combs
Sonya Kelliher-Combs is a visual artist whose work is rooted in painting but is interwoven and influenced by traditional skin sewing and sculptural elements using animal parts. Funding for this project will support work with a master printer and the development of an exhibit. The project will culminate in a retrospective solo exhibit at the International Gallery of Contemporary Native Art in Anchorage. She is also on the board of the Alaska Native Arts Foundation: www.alaskanativearts.org



Ricardo Mendoza

Ricardo Mendoza is a seasoned muralist who follows in the tradition of the great Mexican muralists of the 20th century and the Chicano mural movements of California. Funding for this project will support the development of a large scale portable mural depicting the life of fabled Chemehuevi tribal member popularly known as “Willie Boy”. The project will culminate in the presentation of the mural in Yucca Valley, CA.

Emerging Hawaiian Filmmaker

A fellow filmmaker Hagoth Aiono brought to my attention. It's really pretty stuff.

VIMBY - Fast Friday

It was really great meeting you Dave. Always love to see a DIY film like this have success. Best of luck in LA! Hope to see you around.

VIMBY - Fast Friday