| Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday, November 10, 2021 | 10:00AM - 11:30PM | External Event, External Event |
| Thursday, November 11, 2021 | 10:00AM - 11:30PM | External Event, External Event |
| Friday, November 12, 2021 | 10:00AM - 11:30PM | External Event, External Event |
| Saturday, November 13, 2021 | 10:00AM - 11:30PM | External Event, External Event |
| Sunday, November 14, 2021 | 10:00AM - 11:30PM | External Event, External Event |
| Monday, November 15, 2021 | 10:00AM - 11:30PM | External Event, External Event |
| Tuesday, November 16, 2021 | 10:00AM - 11:30PM | External Event, External Event |
| Wednesday, November 17, 2021 | 10:00AM - 11:30PM | External Event, External Event |
| Thursday, November 18, 2021 | 10:00AM - 11:30PM | External Event, External Event |
| Friday, November 19, 2021 | 10:00AM - 11:30PM | External Event, External Event |
Asian Institute x Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival
Screening Dates: November 10-19, 2021
USA | 2020 | 77 min | English, Hawaiian with English Subtitles | International Premiere | Drama
PART OF THE CENTREPIECE SPOTLIGHT ON HAWAI’I
Kea can’t make ends meet, even while working as a luau dancer, karaoke-bar hostess, and elementary school Hawaiian-language teacher. After a violent altercation with her boyfriend, Kea accidentally hits a homeless man with her car. Not wanting to involve the authorities, she decides to take care of the mysterious man herself. But while she continues to struggle with her own financial hardship and difficulty finding housing, Kea’s downward spiral begins to reveal a deeply rooted trauma from her past. As her life careens out of control, so too does her grasp on the world around her.
Christopher Kahunahana’s captivating storytelling ventures beyond the world-famous titular tourist destination and strikes an aesthetic that is perhaps unfamiliar to those with cursory knowledge of idyllic Hawaii. Kahunahana’s juxtaposition of the latter against the cold concrete of looming and perpetual urban development casts a critical look at the gentrified waste of ecological decay, systemic poverty, and the enduring legacy of U.S. colonization, which haunts the faces and spaces of Kahunahana’s film. Waikiki is a critical contribution to the growing body of Native Hawaiian cinema. – Kevin Lim
Director Bio:
Christopher Kahunahana is a Sundance Institute Native Lab and Feature Film Program Alumni. As the founder of 4th World Film, he’s written and directed LĀHAINĀ NOON and directed a short documentary for the Smithsonian Institute’s Asian Pacific American “A Day in the Life” project.
Recognitions
OFFICIAL SELECTION
Hawai’I International Film Festival, 2020
Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, 2020
Seattle International Film Festival, 2021
AWARDS
Best Hawai’I Feature Film, Hawai’I International Film Festival, 2020
Best Feature and Best Cinematography, Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, 2020
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