“The Wind and the Reckoning” is a brand new film filmed in Hawaii, with a crew that was made up solely of Hawaii residents, and the script is primarily in Hawaiian.

The Hawaii Worldwide Movie Pageant is screening the movie on Nov. 3 on the Bishop Museum’s Nice Garden. 

Set in 1893, after the overthrow of Queen Liliuokalani, the film follows a Hawaiian paniolo named Ko’olau (Jason Scott Lee) and his son named Kaleimanu (Kahiau Perreira) who’ve contracted leprosy, however they refuse to give up when authorities come to exile them to Kalaupapa on Molokai. After killing the sheriff, the household of three flees to Kalalau Valley on Kauai, the place they be a part of different Hawaiians who’ve been contaminated with leprosy. They’re pursued by a bunch of mercenaries, and finally Ko’olau and his spouse, Pi’ilani (Lindsay Marie Anuhea Watson), and the opposite fugitives battle them. 

Pi’ilani’s firsthand account of their ordeal, revealed in Hawaiian in 1906, impressed the film. “The True Story of Kaluaikoolau as Instructed by His Spouse, Pi’ilani” was translated into English in 2001. 

This is likely one of the first motion pictures with a global distribution that shall be primarily in ‘Ōlelo Hawai’i, the Native Hawaiian language. Director David L. Cunningham, who grew up on Hawaii Island, mentioned this was one of many greatest challenges of the movie.

“Early on, I made a decision that anytime a Native Hawaiian spoke to a different Native Hawaiian on display that we should always do it in ‘Ōlelo Hawai’i,” mentioned Cunningham.

For cultural and linguistic accuracy, 4 Hawaiian cultural consultants had been referred to as upon: Leinā‘ala Fruean, Kumu Ka’ea Lyons, Kumu Kauhane Heloca and Kumu Na’auao Viva.

The cultural consultants helped translate the script by John Fusco into ‘Ōlelo Hawai’i. They labored with the forged to show them the language, they usually had been on set giving notes whereas filming.  

“The kumu crew had been there with headphones listening to each phrase, and if there was an error or downside, we’d must do one other take,” mentioned Cunningham.

The actors had lower than three weeks to be taught their strains, and none spoke fluent ‘Ōlelo Hawai’i, aside from 12-year-old Perreira. He attended a Hawaiian immersion faculty, Ke Kula’ O’ Ehunuikaimalino, on Hawaii Island the place a lot of the curriculum is taught in ‘Ōlelo Hawai’i.  

The cultural consultants additionally ensured the costumes had been correct, utilizing historic photographers for inspiration.

“I actually hope that this movie can display that it doesn’t matter what your ethnicity, your background, for those who’re residing right here, there must be a recognition and appreciation and celebration of the host tradition,” mentioned Cunningham.  

The film was filmed with a Hawaii crew in Oct. and Nov. 2020, after the COVID-19 pandemic had shut down a lot of the world, in an remoted bubble on a 50-acre ranch on Hawaii Island. A cameraman on Kauai filmed the scenic shoreline and mountain peaks, which had been digitally merged with the footage from Hawaii Island to create the setting.

Cunningham mentioned that the reception to the movie has been very constructive. 

“We’ve been doing this competition circuit. And [at]each screening, each single one, we get folks, normally of indigenous descent, [who get] fairly emotional, as a result of we selected to go together with this language. And in the event that they’re Native Hawaiian it’s normally vital,” mentioned Cunningham. 

After the Indianapolis Worldwide Movie Pageant screened the movie, a bunch of Hawaiians who stay there sang an impromptu mahalo chant.

Whereas audiences have been celebrating the film, Cunningham mentioned that 40 distributors turned them down as a result of the movie is in ‘Ōlelo Hawai’i. 

“They didn’t really feel like there was a large sufficient viewers for this movie, and that was too huge of a hurdle to tackle, which was actually type of a intestine punch for us,” mentioned Cunningham. 

A streaming service like Netflix acquires many overseas language movies, however Cunningham famous that the Korean language has 75 million audio system, whereas ‘Ōlelo Hawai’i has lower than 20,000 audio system. From a enterprise perspective, this offers a Korean language movie a big viewers as a result of not everybody needs to learn subtitles or watch a dubbed film. 

“That’s why we determined to do the competition circuit simply to show them improper,” mentioned Cunningham. 

He’s optimistic that the movie will finally get picked up by a big Hollywood platform due to the favorable response to the movie. 

“We’re out to show that there are compelling Hawaii tales that the world will have interaction with. And we’re out to show that there are storytellers each in entrance of the digicam and behind the digicam in Hawaii,” mentioned Cunningham. 

He mentioned that the film is proving that Hawaii tales made with a Hawaii forged are commercially viable and that folks will purchase tickets to go see these kind of movies. 

“The Wind and Reckoning” shall be screened on Nov. 3 on the Bishop Museum’s Nice Garden on Oahu, on Nov. 4, 5, and 6 at Ward Consolidated theaters on Oahu, on Nov. 17 on the Waimea Theater on Kauai, on Nov. 18 on the Kaahumanu Consolidated theater in Maui, and the next week on the Palace Theater in Hilo and Makalapua Regal in Kona. 

Tickets for the Bishop Museum and Waimea Theater screenings might be bought right here, and Ward Consolidated screenings might be bought right here. For details about different screenings, go to “The Wind and the Reckoning” web site. 

The film is headed to the North Dakota Human Rights Movie and Arts Pageant in Fargo for a screening on Nov. 2 and to the Garifuna Worldwide Indigenous Movie Pageant in West Hollywood for a screening on Nov. 12. 

Michelle Broder Van Dyke covers the Hawaiian Islands for Spectrum Information Hawaii.