The portrayal of Hawaii onscreen has ranged from war dramas about Pearl Harbor to “The Descendants” and “50 First Dates” to “The White Lotus,” and most recently “Last Goal Wins.” Now, the tropical paradise in the Pacific finds a new lens — and voice — in Christopher Kahunahana’s feature debut “Waikiki.”
While the film fumbles through a stripped down script and stumbles towards a surrealist attempt at reframing the threats of tourism, “Waikiki” still offers a voice from a Native Hawaiian about his homeland. Sundance Lab alum Kahunahana wrote and directed the drama which follows hula dancer Kea (Danielle Zalopany) as her personal life crumbles.
Kea tries to hide the black eye her boyfriend Branden (Jason Quinn) pummeled into her; she tries to plaster a smile onstage while dancing and keeps her spirits up to deflect questions about her injury to curious young students where she teaches. But it’s when...
While the film fumbles through a stripped down script and stumbles towards a surrealist attempt at reframing the threats of tourism, “Waikiki” still offers a voice from a Native Hawaiian about his homeland. Sundance Lab alum Kahunahana wrote and directed the drama which follows hula dancer Kea (Danielle Zalopany) as her personal life crumbles.
Kea tries to hide the black eye her boyfriend Branden (Jason Quinn) pummeled into her; she tries to plaster a smile onstage while dancing and keeps her spirits up to deflect questions about her injury to curious young students where she teaches. But it’s when...
- 10/27/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
A film with “a seventeen-day shoot and two+ years of post-production,” Christopher Kahunahana’s long-awaited feature debut Waikiki marks a coming of age for the emerging Hawaiian filmmaking scene. The first completed narrative feature film by a Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) filmmaker, Waikiki follows a young indigenous woman, Kea (a mesmerizing Danielle Zalopany), working multiple jobs—hula dancer for tourists, karaoke hostess for drunks, Hawaiian-language schoolteacher for kids—just in order to hold on, but slowly starting to slip into darkness. Nightmares of an earlier childhood trauma merge with her journey through Honolulu’s shadow realms, her only solace the memories of her kupuna […]
The post "It is Being Told Now—Because It is Supposed to Be Told Now": Christopher Kahunahana on Waikiki and Native Hawaiian Storytelling first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post "It is Being Told Now—Because It is Supposed to Be Told Now": Christopher Kahunahana on Waikiki and Native Hawaiian Storytelling first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 11/25/2020
- by Jason Sanders
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
A film with “a seventeen-day shoot and two+ years of post-production,” Christopher Kahunahana’s long-awaited feature debut Waikiki marks a coming of age for the emerging Hawaiian filmmaking scene. The first completed narrative feature film by a Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) filmmaker, Waikiki follows a young indigenous woman, Kea (a mesmerizing Danielle Zalopany), working multiple jobs—hula dancer for tourists, karaoke hostess for drunks, Hawaiian-language schoolteacher for kids—just in order to hold on, but slowly starting to slip into darkness. Nightmares of an earlier childhood trauma merge with her journey through Honolulu’s shadow realms, her only solace the memories of her kupuna […]
The post "It is Being Told Now—Because It is Supposed to Be Told Now": Christopher Kahunahana on Waikiki and Native Hawaiian Storytelling first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post "It is Being Told Now—Because It is Supposed to Be Told Now": Christopher Kahunahana on Waikiki and Native Hawaiian Storytelling first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 11/25/2020
- by Jason Sanders
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Offering a literal behind-the-scenes glimpse of the iconic tourist spot, Christopher Kahunahana’s splendid debut feature, Waikiki, is a succinct emotional dive into the complex intergenerational trauma that plagues many Native Hawaiians. Foregrounding the stark economic divide between the resorts and the city, Kahunahana’s film is purportedly the first film written and directed by a Native Hawaiian. A marvel of economic storytelling, Waikiki spotlights the social and spiritual erosion of colonial tourism on the indigenous population.
The film follows Kea (Danielle Zalopany), a hard working native Hawaiian who is balancing three jobs while living out of her van, and saving enough money for a room. One drunken night, after a fight with her abusive boyfriend (Jason Quinn), she flees in her van – hitting a homeless man, Wo (Peter Shinkoda) in the process. Distraught, she puts Wo into her van, eventually shuttling him around as she attempts to maintain her rotating jobs.
The film follows Kea (Danielle Zalopany), a hard working native Hawaiian who is balancing three jobs while living out of her van, and saving enough money for a room. One drunken night, after a fight with her abusive boyfriend (Jason Quinn), she flees in her van – hitting a homeless man, Wo (Peter Shinkoda) in the process. Distraught, she puts Wo into her van, eventually shuttling him around as she attempts to maintain her rotating jobs.
- 10/31/2020
- by Christian Gallichio
- The Film Stage
"A combination of beauty, pain, and longing..." An official trailer has debuted for a strange, mesmerizing new film titled Waikiki, marking the feature directorial debut of native Hawaiian filmmaker Christopher Kahunahana. One of the quotes in this trailer even says this "marks the emergence of a New Hawaiian Cinema" which actually might be the case. As much as that is superlative, this film seems like it might be the first of its kind - showing us a side of Hawaii we've never seen before. When a hula dancer on the run crashes into a broken spirit of a man (a mysterious homeless guy in the dead of night), they begin a journey into a hidden world, developing a connection through humanity, nature, and their culture. The indie film stars Danielle Zalopany as Kea, along with Peter Shinkoda, Jason Quinn, Kimo Kahoano, Nick Masciangelo, and Kainoa Mcgee. There's tons of peculiar,...
- 10/28/2020
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Exclusive: The Hawai‘i International Film Festival (Hiff) has unveiled its lineup for its 40th anniversary of the festival which will be a hybrid of in-person and virtual screenings. This marks the fiest time that Hiff will be accessible to audiences across the nation. The fest will focus on Hawai‘i-made films and Kanaka Maoli filmmakers and will take place November 5-29.
“This has been an enormously difficult year for nonprofits, artists and arts organizations, and creative entrepreneurs in Hawai’i. While our 40th anniversary isn’t the grand experience we had been planning, I could not be more proud and excited to announce our Festival lineup.” says Hiff Executive Director, Beckie Stocchetti. “For our 40th anniversary, the Hiff lineup is a statement on the perseverance and resilience of Hawaii’s community and entrepreneurial spirit. In an unexpected Festival year, we are proud to have pivoted our theater experience into a top-tier streaming experience,...
“This has been an enormously difficult year for nonprofits, artists and arts organizations, and creative entrepreneurs in Hawai’i. While our 40th anniversary isn’t the grand experience we had been planning, I could not be more proud and excited to announce our Festival lineup.” says Hiff Executive Director, Beckie Stocchetti. “For our 40th anniversary, the Hiff lineup is a statement on the perseverance and resilience of Hawaii’s community and entrepreneurial spirit. In an unexpected Festival year, we are proud to have pivoted our theater experience into a top-tier streaming experience,...
- 10/10/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
After impressing audiences with his 2014 debut, the short film “Lahaina Noon,” Native Hawaiian filmmaker Christopher Kahunahana is returning to the big screen with his feature debut, “Waikiki.” The film, starring Danielle Zalopany and Peter Shinkoda, will hit the festival circuit this season and is billed as an “unflinching glimpse into the gritty realities of life in paradise.”
The Sundance Lab alum will also be making history with this debut, as he’s believed to be the first Native Hawaiian filmmaker to both write and direct a feature. Per its official synopsis: “Escaping her abusive ex, Kea, a part-time Hawaiian teacher, hula dancer, and nightclub hostess, crashes her beat-up van into a mysterious homeless man in the dead of night. Taking him into her temporary home on wheels, she quickly finds herself in over her head — and face to face with her own past traumas.”
“‘Waikiki’ is completely drawn from my real-life experiences,...
The Sundance Lab alum will also be making history with this debut, as he’s believed to be the first Native Hawaiian filmmaker to both write and direct a feature. Per its official synopsis: “Escaping her abusive ex, Kea, a part-time Hawaiian teacher, hula dancer, and nightclub hostess, crashes her beat-up van into a mysterious homeless man in the dead of night. Taking him into her temporary home on wheels, she quickly finds herself in over her head — and face to face with her own past traumas.”
“‘Waikiki’ is completely drawn from my real-life experiences,...
- 9/24/2020
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
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