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)

Funding Opportunity for Native Musicians and Composers

NEW DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION: FEBRUARY 1, 2011

See the complete request for proposals here: http://www.fnci.org/Opportunities/tabid/91/Default.aspx

FNCI funds the creation of newly composed work by American Indian, Alaskan Native and Native Hawaiian composers, commissioners or performing musicians. Awards are based on artistic excellence, merit and connection to audience and community.


Common Ground Overview
The Common Ground program is inclusive, and therefore encourages American Indian, Alaskan Native and Native Hawaiian composers, performers, and sound artists working in diverse genres/mediums to apply. Artists are encouraged to take risks in their creative endeavors. Common Ground is designed to fill the gap in funding for artists who are particularly interested in creating work without the burden of artistic compromise. Common Ground aims to give timely aid to those American Indian, Alaskan Native and Native Hawaiian musicians who are strongly dedicated to their art, who show artistic merit, and who propose an excellent project. We wish to award grants to varied artists from the many genres of music represented in Indian Country, and from diverse American Indian, Alaskan Native and Native Hawaiian cultures.

We are pleased to announce our NEW funding guidelines. Individual awards will now range from $500 to $5,000.

(Photo by Kevin McCarthy http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevin1024/2429835377)

THE ANIMATED ADVENTURES OF JUDO GIRL

This is a really cute documentary that is in Production at Making Waves Films http://makingwavesfilms.com/. Director Kimberlee Bassford has recently completed a fundraising trailer for the film, which is included just above in this post. Kimberlee and her camera were with Teshya and her younger sister Teniya in October when they both swept their divisions and won gold at the Infantil Pan American Judo Championships in Panama City, Panama. It was their first international tournament and first time competing on the USA National Team. Teshya and the film project were even featured in an TeamUSA.org article, the official website of the United States Olympic Committee.

Kimberlee wil continue to film Teshya and her family over the next two years as she prepares for the 2012 Judo World Championships. It's bound to be an animated adventure!

Awesome Hawaiian Spoken Word Artist Performing in SoCal December 4th

I must confess that spoken word is not necessarily my favorite medium of artistic expression. Bad spoken word is one of the most unfortunate and avoidable forms of pain that can be inflicted on an individual. However, good spoken word is a rare but exhilarating experience. Cleaver and passionate monologue is one of the purest forms of communication. At it's best spoken word is as raw as it gets, and a good poetry performer is amazing to watch because that performer shows a powerful contradictory combination of vulnerability and strength. Jamaica Osorio is a precious talent whose work honors her heritage as a Native Hawaiian.



If you are in Southern California on December 4th you absolutely have to go to her performance. There will be many talented Pacific Islander artists at the event. For more information about the event and to purchase tickets go to: http://www.pieam.org/spokenword Here is the flyer:

Research Findings on the Justice System’s Impact on Native Hawaiians

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) has just released a study of how the justice system impacts Native Hawaiians. The findings of the report show need for improvement in how the system works with Native Hawaiians.

Here are a few of the most compelling pieces of information from the fact sheet:

Native Hawaiians make up the highest percentage of people incarcerated in out-of-state facilities.

In 2005, of the 6,092 people who were under the custody of the Public Safety Department, which includes people in jails, 29 percent (1,780) were in facilities operated by other states or private companies on behalf of states. Of the people in out-of-state facilities, 41 percent are Native Hawaiians.

Native Hawaiians receive longer prison sentences than most other racial or ethnic groups.

Controlling for severity of charge, age at arrest and gender of the person charged, Native Hawaiians are sentenced to 119 days more in prison than Tongans, 73 more days than Native Americans, 68 days more than Hispanics, and 11 days more than Whites.

Hawai`i has the largest proportion of its population of women in prison, with Native Hawaiian women comprising a disproportionate number of women in the prison.

While Native Hawaiian men and women are both disproportionately represented in Hawai`i’s criminal justice system, the disparity is greater for women. Forty-four percent of the women incarcerated under the jurisdiction of the state of Hawai‘i are Native Hawaiian. Comparatively, 19.8 percent of the general population of women in Hawai`i identify as Native Hawaiian or part Native Hawaiian.

To read the entire report, download fact sheets, and learn more about the study you can vising OHA's web page on the Criminal Justice System here: www.oha.org/disparatetreatment/

Tanya Joshua of the White House Initiative on Asian American and Pacific Islanders

Last month I was part of a town hall style meeting of Pacific Islanders in Southern California who met with Tanya Harris Joshua. Tanya provides support for Pacific Islander outreach and Environment / Veteran's Affairs issues. She is a staff member of the new White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. She joined the Initiative from the U.S. Department of the Interior's Office of Insular Affairs (OIA).

The meeting began with an awesome meal where dishes from each of the island groups represented was served. Ono!

Afterward community members were given a chance to speak about their most pressing community concerns. The video about is just a small slice of what happened that evening.

I have forwarded this video on to Tanya who is passing it on to others. I hope that it can be helpful in raising the profile of Pacific Islander people and the challenges faced by the community.

Here is snippet of a reaction from congressional staffer Jed Bullock "I hope progress and results in the area of health data for AAPI populations and the territories will be yielded from the leadership and focus of IGIA (Interagency Group on Insular Areas). I know there once existed – if it does not still exist – an IGIA subgroup or task force on health data collection. The Delegates and Governors have repeatedly called for it over the years at the IGIA plenary sessions as you know, and the Chamorro gentleman as well as the Marshallese community leader captured on the video meeting with you touched on the need for a comprehensive cancer study/registry and diabetes survey among data. I hope these needs can be priorities within the Administration and through IGIA and the WHIAAPI."

Mauna Kea: Temple Under Siege Screening

This past Saturday I organized a screening of a documentary film called Mauna Kea: Temple Under Siege. It was held in the Asian Pacific American Legal Center's 1st Floor Community Room. This film was finished in 2006 ago but it is a great video to set the stage to discuss the current new telescope developments happening on Mauna Kea and Haleakala. At the screening I presented a slide show on the issues by KAHEA - The Hawaiian Environmental Alliance. I would suggest visiting both the KAHEA and Mauna Kea film websites I have linked here to learn more about the issues facing the precious summits of Hawai'i.

Around twenty people came, and we collected 17 signatures to protect the summits. This was the first screening of this type that I have organized, and I look forward to organizing more.

You can also stream the entire film at Asia Pacific Films

Here is a excerpt of the Mauna Kea Film for you to check out:

Emerging Hawaiian Filmmaker

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

Stories from the 2010 SoCal 'Ohana Retreat

Here are a some short videos that I helped Uncle Victor and Auntie Jane Pang get online. Some interesting Hawaiian stories and legends as well as how to put an imu pit together. Enjoy!

New York Smithsonian Screening - Haku Inoa

Sorry for the late update here on the East Coast Smithsonian Screenings. Both of the screenings were really fantastic for two main reasons. Number one to have my first museum screenings at two different Smithsonian museums is an amazing privilege. Secondly, it is inspiring to see the work of other Pacific Islander Filmmakers and learn about other indigenous cultures from all around the world.

First a short update on New York. Shortly I will get up an entry about DC, because the DC screening and trip was really amazing and deserves its own post!!!



The team from the Film and Video Center in New York were lovely. I was happy to be able to attend the artist reception on Wednesday before the Pasifika Showcase began. I had a chance to speak with Nancy Brunning who is in a wonderful Maori film called The Strength of Water. You can see the trailer here. Unfortunately, to be honest, the trailer doesn't do the film justice.

The Strength of Water is paced like a comforting drift of a lazy river. However, this underlying ease is upset by the trauma of the sudden accidental death of a young Maori girl named Melody. The entire village mourns her loss bitterly, but none more so than her twin brother Kimi. The film explores grief through magical realism brought to life through the love and loss of a young child.

Haku Inoa screened on a Saturday afternoon with a collection of other short films. A few hula sisters from New York and film school friends came by, and the Q&A after the films was fairly lively. There were maybe 50 or so folks at the screening, but that is not too surprising since it was a sunny Saturday afternoon in New York.

One Voice: This is No Ordinary High School Musical

I am lucky enough to have Director of One Voice Lisette Maire Flanary (Lehua Films) a writing mentor, so before writing this entry I met up with Lisette at IHOP in downtown LA (my suggestion) to ask "Would it offend you if I described your documentary as Spellbound meets Native Hawaiian soul?". Her eyebrow raised and she shot up straight in the booth "No way! That's exactly how we pitched it."

One Voice follows a group of teenage chorus directors as they compete for the honor of their young lifetime. To represent their class and compete to take home the grand prize trophy in the Kamehameha Schools song contest. The contest is a unique amalgam of Hawaiian language songs, intense vocal arrangements, with a healthy pinch of band geek. Which, is totally hot now thanks to Glee.

This is Lisette's third film destined for public television broadcast, and is her most emotionally gripping documentary to date. While watching One Voice at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival the audience in the Director's Guild Theater, completed absorbed in the action, applauded enthusiastically along with the proud onscreen parents after the song performances.

One Voice will be airing next year on Public Television, until then the film will be screening at film festivals domestically and internationally. You can see the trailer a www.onevoicemovie.com

Townhall on the state of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Mental Health in California

Here is the internet video series I have cut together from California Assemblymember Mike Eng's November 18th, 2009 townhall meeting on the state of mental health in the AANHPI community in California. This townhall is a continuation of the work that Assemblymember Eng has been doing to help disaggregate data on Asian and Pacific Islander sub-groubs.

This is an album of some of Mike Eng's opening comments, a few community members, and excerpts from all of the panel members who spoke that day.