WAIKIKI
FEATURE FILM, 2020
When a Native Hawaiian hula dancer escaping her abusive boyfriend crashes her beat-up van into a mysterious homeless man, she finds herself flung into a surrealistic journey of self-exploration and enlightenment.
Director Christopher Kahunahana’s acclaimed feature debut breaks down the enduring, stereotypical image of paradise we have of Waikiki to reveal a vulnerable and authentic portrait of indigeneity. Leaving behind the touristic image of paradise and island culture, WAIKIKI tackles the often-unspeakable generational trauma of postcolonial cultures through a mixing of genre conventions, experimental storytelling, and perspectives.
World Premiere: Urban World Film Festival / Year: 2020 / Running Time: 80 min / Color Type: Color / Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1, Widescreen, Cinemascope / Sound: Dolby 5.1 / Country: U.S. / Language: English, Hawaiian / Genres: Drama / Subjects: Hawaiian Culture, Indigenous, Women, Social Issues, Mental Health, Nature, Bipoc, Asian Pacific Islander.
AWARDS
WINNER
Best North American Narrative Feature, Grand Jury Award, Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival
Best Feature Grand Prize, Flickers Rhode Island International Film Festival
Best Narrative Feature, Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival
Jury Award Honorable Mention, Bentonville Film Festival
Indie Vision Breakthrough Performance Award, Twin Cities Film Festival
Best Feature Film, Jury Award, Hawai'i International Film Festival
Best Hawaii Film, Hawaii Film Critics Society
Best Cinematography, Special Jury Award, Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival
Best Cinematography, Jury Award, Hawai'i International Film Festival
Best Music in a Feature Film, BMI Film Festival Awards
NOMINATED
Best Young filmmaker, Asian Pacific Screen Awards
Best Feature Film, BlackStar Film Festival
Best Feature Film, Naples International Film Festival
Best Feature, Asian American International Film Festival, NY
Breakthrough Filmmaker Award, Twin Cities Film Festival
REVIEWS
“…plays with time like the French director Alain Resnais”
-THE HOLLYWOOD PROGRESSIVE / Read Full
“a mesmerizing new film…”
-GEEK TYRANT / Read Full
“...beautiful, ominous...”
“…takes us beyond the tourist veneer. Zalopany does a fantastic job of delivering a raw and intense performance”
-URBANWORLD / Read Full
“utterly remarkable for its raw energy.”
“…a combination of beauty, pain, and longing…a star-making performance.” -
FILMMAKER MAGAZINE
“Kahunahana creates a fluid sensory experience”
-THE MOVEABLE FEST / Read Full
“a gut-wrenching analogy…
…for contemporary society and the far-reaching impact of exploitation.”
- THE MOVIE AISLE / Read Full
“a Lynchian look at the dark side of paradise.”
-AIPT / Read Full
“A vulnerable and authentic portrait of indigeneity.”
“…Tackles the often-unspeakable generational trauma of postcolonial cultures through a mixing of genre conventions.”
-LAAPF / Read Full
“A gorgeously surrealistic and visceral allegory…
…for the contemporary issues which continue to plague Hawaii's people, Kahunahana's Waikiki offers a glimmer of hope
- FIRST SHOWING / Read Full
“...ambitious and ambiguous, and that is what makes it so auspicious.”
- SALON MAGAZINE / Read Full
“Kahunahana does an excellent job…
…of slowly and painfully tracing Kea’s downward spiral, drawing from his talented actors feelings of overwhelming pain and loss.
- SPLASH MAGAZINE / Read Full
“Arguably the most important feature film ever by a Native Hawaiian.”
“…seduces viewers into a world few have seen (or want to know about) and he makes the experience convincing, layered, and compelling.”
-NETPAC / Vilsoni Hereniko (President NETPAC Network for the Promotion of Pacific Asia Cinema/USA, Professor and filmmaker)
“powerful + beautifully achieved.”
-THE BLACK CAPE MAGAZINE / Read Full
