Shorts Program: Experimental Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander

Asian Arts Initiative | 72 mins
Told through visual poetry and narrative, and infused with stunning color and sound, these shorts recognize the trials and triumphs of family, explore the environmental traumas inflicted upon Oceania, and share the pride and resilience of these communities throughout history to the present.

We would like to express our deepest gratitude to the following organizations for their assistance with curating this program: the ‘Ohina Short Film Showcase, Pacific Islanders in Communications, and the Wairoa Mãori Film Festival.

Director/Cinematographer/Editor Jes X. Snow will be in attendance with  Co-Producer Adriel Luis and other  members of the crew.

PRAISE SONG FOR OCEANIA
Director: Justyn Ah Chong | 5 mins | Hawai’i
Praise Song for Oceania is a short film-poem about the ecology, history, politics, and cultures of the Ocean. The poem was written by award-winning Chamorro author Craig Santos Perez, and the video was created by Hawaiian filmmaker Justyn Ah Chong.

LET THE MOUNTAIN SPEAK (Hawai’ian)
Director: Vilsoni Hereniko | 5 mins | Hawai’i
A visual poem that pays tribute to Maunakea, a mountain on the island of Hawai’i, and makes an artistic intervention in the controversy surrounding Maunakea.

TAMA
Director: Jared Flitcroft and Jack O’Donnell | 9 mins | New Zealand
Ever seen the haka in silence? Tama is about a young indigenous Deaf boy who tries to perform the traditional Mãori war dance, the Haka, silently, and is the result of a unique collaboration between Deaf and hearing filmmakers.

KALEWA
Director: Mitchel Viernes | 17 mins | Hawai’i
In the future, a Hawaiian astronaut makes the next great leap for his planet, his family, and himself. Tonight is his last chance.

I MATAI
Director: Kyle Perron and Nico Serneo | 10 mins | Guam
A fallen warrior is honored by his family in an experimental take of the Ancient Chamoru Death Ceremony  told through the prayers of a man grieving over the death of his brother.

ANOINTED
Director: Dan Lin | 6 mins | Marshall Islands
A poet from the Marshall Islands explores the legacy of U.S. nuclear bomb testing in her country through the stories of people who are still living with the effects of radioactive fallout and displacement.

RISE: FROM ONE ISLAND TO ANOTHER
Director: Dan Lin | 6 mins | Marshall Islands and Greenland
Two indigenous poets—one from the Marshall Islands and another from Greenland—meet at the source of our rising seas to share a moment of solidarity.