Huli of Consciousness post-film discussion with Dr. Thema Bryant and Dr. Manulani Aluli Meyer

See and experience a wave of innovative directors from Hawai‘i and across the US continent in this roundup of shorts. The lineup features narrative, documentary, and experimental work that centers voices that have historically been marginalized and misrepresented in cinema. The filmmakers aim to co-create futures of healing, narrative sovereignty, and beloved community.

The directors are: Ha'aheo Auwae-Dekker, Angelique Kalani Axelrode, Justyn Ah Chong, Daniel Croix, Ja’Tovia Gary, Richard Hamasaki, Jon Krippahne, Justin Joo, Ciara Lacy, Erin Lau, Matthew Law, Mitchel Merrick, Tiare Ribeaux, and Jody Stillwater. An opening ceremony will be led by Elijah Kalā McShane, and a post-show discussion will welcome distinguished guests Dr. Thema Bryant and Dr. Manulani Aluli Meyer.



A note on the programming:

“We experience a transformative time of sweeping social movements in Hawaiʻi and across the US continent, which reminds us of continuity between past, present, and future. True Story…I Feel, Down on the Sidewalk in Waikīkī, An Ecstatic Experience, and For He Who Wears the Sea Like a Malo reflect on culturally specific but interconnected shifts in consciousness; exploring ancestral memory, the impacts of colonization, and the healing of intergenerational trauma. Malihini, Huli, Saturn Risin9, Kai Hali‘a, Sea of Memory and Inheritance ask us to consider the nature of “home,” and explore journeys toward ancestral roots. BLM and This Is the Way We Rise place us in the heart of social/political movements creating systemic transformation. The collective work acknowledges a continuity of intergenerational experiences, celebrates unity without uniformity, and places an emphasis on looking back into history in order to move forward. Mahalo piha to the friends, artists, filmmakers, and families who have collaborated on these projects. Mahalo to my cherished teacher, Lorna C Hill, who taught me the unique beauty of gathering in community around stories of multiple perspectives. Mahalo to our elders and ancestors whose names are spoken, and whose names are left unsaid. To the artists, land-stewards, teachers, poets, thought-leaders, and visionaries who center cultural preservation and reconnection to the earth, our original mother, mahalo ā nui loa for your guidance. It’s an honor to be connected.”—Daniel Croix and Meleokauaapuakea Hamasaki, guest programmers.



About the guest programmers:

Daniel Croix (he/him) b. 1995, Buffalo NY. Actor, filmmaker, and artist based in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. Selected group exhibitions: "Squeaky Wheel Media Arts Center Retrospective," Burchfield Penney Art Center, Our Time, Hallwalls Contemporary Art Center. He’s best known for performances in film, television and stage, including in The Oval, BET Network, Love Victor, Hulu, and Manhunt, Apple TV+, Much Ado, The Public Theater NYC. His ancestral lineage roots him to Nigeria, Ireland, Scotland, Ghana, Senegal, Angola, Mali and England. He founded Ringshout Productions to collaborate on original film and television projects. He has a BFA from Purchase Conservatory of Theatre Arts and Film.

Meleokauaapuakea Hamasaki (she/her) b. 1995, Kāneʻohe, Hawaiʻi. Producer and designer based in Honolulu, who uses systems thinking, design principles, and intuition to cultivate futures that ensure abundance, joy, and healing for generations to come. Her career is dedicated to building worlds in service of people and our planet, fully embodying the values and perspectives she’s learned from her home, Hawaiʻi, and her teachers (and their teachers). She focuses on being present in the space of new and emerging technologies and creating beautiful, meaningful experiences that are valued by the people whom she cares for. Mele’s personal mission is exquisite equilibrium—remembering daily to cultivate and nourish our relationship to the natural world, the spiritual world, our communities, our families, and ourselves.

Learn more about our programs at www.honolulumuseum.org