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.
Synopsis: 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.
