ARTS: STATE OF ALOHA

Title: Film: State of Aloha

Words: Sarah Honda

Pull quote: “Working on this documentary project was a tremendous opportunity, as well as a responsibility."

Anne Misawa knows about the Aloha State, and she has a story to tell. Born and raised in Hawai‘i, Anne graduated from University of Southern California’s Graduate Film and Television Program, and has worked internationally in the film industry as a producer, director, cinematographer, and editor for thirteen years. Her directorial credits include Waking Mele (2000 Sundance Film Festival) and Eden’s Curve (2003 Emerging Film Best Feature Award, NCGLFF), and her work as a cinematographer includes many award-winning films, including director So Yong Kim’s Treeless Mountain (2008 Toronto International Film Festival, 2009 Berlin International Film Festival, and 2009 New Directors/New Films). In addition to her professional filmmaking career, Anne also teaches film production and cinematography at the Academy for Creative Media, University of Hawai‘i.

Anne’s latest directorial work is the documentary State of Aloha, which traces Hawai‘i’s fifty years of statehood and includes thirty key interviews. It is the culmination of a larger research project entitled the Hawai‘i Statehood Project," prepared by the University of Hawai‘i’s Academy for Creative Media.

"Largely anchored by personal narrative, the motivating paths toward statehood are addressed, as well as the legacy left behind," says Anne. "We tried to have interviewees who would cover a representative span of the population here, including people from the political, cultural, business, and academic communities, as well as the person next door. "

Students at the Academy for Creative Media were able to work alongside professional mentors on all aspects of production on State of Aloha. Through preproduction and research, questions from students came up regarding the historical elements. Students often had strong opinions regarding the legacy of statehood, but little historical context, so a decision was made to show the historical steps towards statehood for Hawai‘i, and the motivating forces that wanted or did not want statehood. "We also couldn't ignore the dynamic current dialogue regarding statehood and its legacy," says Anne.

"I was personally very interested in showing the diversity of people and viewpoints in Hawai‘i regarding the topic and, especially, in the opportunity of being able to put some of our kupuna’s personal narratives to tape," says Anne. "Working on this documentary project was a tremendous opportunity, as well as a responsibility."

 State of Aloha is playing at the twenty-ninth annual Hawai‘i International Film Festival (HIFF), October 15–25, 2009. For more information on HIFF, how to buy tickets, and how to become a member, go to www.hiff.org.

The term “State of Aloha” is a reference to Reverend Abraham Akaka's sermon of March 13, 1959.

Excerpt: "The fears Hawai’i may have are to be met by men and women who are living witnesses of what we really are in Hawai’i, of the spirit of Aloha, men and women who can help unlock the doors to the future....

This kind of self-affirmation is the need of the hour. And we can affirm our being, as the Aloha State, by full participation in our nation and in our world. For any collective anxiety, the answer is collective courage."