Kapu Aloha 101: Ke Kula o Maunakea
★ 7 · 2015 · 11m · Documentary
Documenting the Kapu Aloha movement, as they take a stand to defend Mauna Kea in the wake of the Thirty Meter Telescope protests.
More Like This

Front Row
2024 · ★ 6.5
Bertolt Brecht asked whether there would be singing in the dark times. In the throes of war, the United Ukrainian Ballet Company defiantly insists there will be dancing, too. Far from the land they call home, young dancers take quiet comfort from art. For a while, their work feels like the old days, except there is a new troupe member: a soldier learning to dance with prosthetic legs.
More info →
Riding Giants
2004 · ★ 7.6
Riding Giants is story about big wave surfers who have become heroes and legends in their sport. Directed by the skateboard guru Stacy Peralta.
More info →Habibi
2008
Filmed in New York in the summer of 2006: a march across the Brooklyn Bridge in support of the Palestinian and Lebanese populations. Habibi means "beloved" in Arabic.
More info →
Moananuiākea: One Ocean, One People, One Canoe
2018 · ★ 9.2
From 2019 Maui Film Festival This powerful documentary celebrates the historic Malama Honua Worldwide Voyage that connected countless individuals and communities from around the globe. A voyage that also represented the fulfillment of the vision of Nainoa Thompson and his contemporaries, the passing of the mantle to the next generation of kanaka maoli who will retain the skills of their ancestors and perpetuate this tradition for generations to come so the legacy of Hokulea can last for 1,000 generations.
More info →
Kekaiulu Hula Studio
2022 · ★ 10
Kekaiulu Hula Studio follows the Proclaimed Hula Halau of the same name, showcasing their twist on what the real reason for hula is and what life as a dancer in the halau is really like. Something previously unseen in the public eye.
More info →
The Four of Moana
1959 · ★ 7.5
Documentary focused on underwater shootings and hawaiian dances.
More info →
Kumu Hina
2014 · ★ 6.1
A powerful film about the struggle to maintain Pacific Islander culture and values within the Westernized society of modern day Hawaiʻi. It is told through the lens of an extraordinary Native Hawaiian who is both a proud and confident māhū, or transgender woman, and an honored and respected kumu, or teacher, cultural practitioner, and community leader.
More info →
Sheep Coming Through Chute, Humuula Ranch, Hawaii
1906
Sheep bound through a narrow opening, followed by a panoramic vista of the flock running through a meadow.
More info →

The Bruce Movie
2005 · ★ 7
Shot entirely on 16mm, Super 8 and 35mm movie film, "The Bruce Movie" is an in-depth look at one of the most renowned surfers on the planet: Bruce Irons. Some have described Bruce as, "A freak", "Unpredictably spontaneous", "Explosive" and "The deadliest guy on tour". Bruce's uncanny tube riding ability and high flying aerial attack will leave you awestruck. Along his path, Bruce has won surfing's most prestigious event: The Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational. In the film you will also witness his frustrating first year on the World Championship Tour; in typical Bruce fashion, he waits until the last second to regain a spot on the WCT where he makes the final at one of his favorite waves: Pipeline. This first film on Bruce Irons will go down in history as a must have in every surfer's library.
More info →
Hawaii, l'âme du ukulélé
2020
A passionate ukulele player, cartoonist Joann Sfar ("The Rabbi's Cat") flies to Hawaii to explore the history of the little instrument, as well as the culture that surrounds it. For the pocket guitar, imported in 1879 by the Portuguese from Madeira who had come to harvest sugar cane, is the vector of a philosophy specific to the archipelago: the spirit of "Aloha", which condenses hospitality, joy, love and respect. With brushes in hand, Joann Sfar set out in search of the ideal instrument, meeting craftsmen, musicians, dancers and guardians of Hawaiian culture.
More info →
Pele's Appeal
1989 · ★ 7
In the swirling volcanic steam and misty rain forest of Kilauea volcano’s east rift zone on the island of Hawai’i, two forces meet head on. Geothermal development interests, seeking to clear the rain forest for drilling operations, are opposed by native Hawaiians seeking to stop the desecration of the fire goddess, Pele. Pele is a living deity fundamental to Hawaiian spiritual belief. She is the eruption, with its heat, lava and steam. Her family takes the form of forest plants, animals and other natural forces. But geothermal development interests see Pele as simply a source of electricity. When Hawaiians take the issue to court, they find that nature-based religions are not respected by U.S. law.
More info →