Our Story

Our award-winning made in Hawai’i indie movie, The Wind & The Reckoning, was filmed on an off the grid ranch on Hawai’i island on a shoestring budget by a 100% Hawai’i crew and with a Hawai’i cast speaking in the original Native Hawaiian dialect.  This beautiful film has won numerous awards in mainstream film festivals, demonstrating that the themes of the movie resonate with audiences way beyond the shores of Hawai’i. The true story of Ko’olau, as shared by his wife, Pi’ilani, is a tale that needs to be shared with the world. 

Now that the film is having a very successful response in theatres throughout the Hawaiian islands, it’s time to take it to cities beyond our shores. But the only way we can do this is with your kokua (help).

Why This Film Is Important

More than half of the film is spoken in ‘ÅŒlelo HawaiÊ»i (Hawaiian language). Because of this commitment to honoring the Hawaiian language, the filmmakers are having to distribute the film on their own without the support of powerful distributors in Hollywood. Why? They assume that there isn’t enough of a global audience for a movie spoken in ‘ÅŒlelo HawaiÊ»i. But we’re not so sure about that, because as we write this, the film has been extended in movie theatres six weeks in a row, thanks to the demand of people who are moved by this true story and want to learn about this important part of Hawaiian history. 

We need to share this story with our own Hawaiian community on the continent. 

With numerous requests from Hawaiian communities throughout the USA, and countries including New Zealand and Japan, we want to bring the entire cultural experience of this film to cinemas in those areas.

As of 2022, there are more Native Hawaiians, aka “kanaka maoli,” living outside of Hawai’i than on their island home.  Also, there are countless people who were born and raised in the islands of a variety of ethnicities, called “kama’aina,” who want to live and raise their families as they had the privilege of doing so.  With soaring costs of living in Hawai’i a majority of the kanaka maoli and the kama’aina have been forced to move to the continent and to be separated from the very ohana they are providing for.  Hear their heart cry Hawai’i.  If we can’t just yet bring them back to their island home let’s bring some of Hawai’i to them.  Help us bring “The Wind & the Reckoning” and the Native Hawaiian delegation to Hawai’i communities living on the continent.  Help us honor and bless our ohana who are living so far away from us.

There is a name that the people of Hawai’i will never forget – Ko’olau – the one who stands against the wind.  Join the movement of Ko’olau and Pi’ilani…

See the impact the film is making with audiences on the continent:

Taking this film beyond Hawai’i is our mission.

Releasing in cities on the continent will not only prove that there is a wider audience for this film, but it is an important movement of expressing Hawaiian culture, language, and storytelling for generations to come. Together we can prove that an inspiring film about the Hawaiian people, in their native language, can find an audience outside of Hawai’i. And when we succeed, we can serve as a sign of hope for other Hawaiian filmmakers who also want to tell their own stories and spread the true spirit of aloha.

Our Need

In order to take the film to the continent and continue sharing the ‘ÅŒlelo HawaiÊ»i language and culture with the world, the filmmakers will have to cover all their own marketing and travel costs. A critical part of this film’s cultural experience  is to have a delegation of our Native Hawaiian actors and cultural representatives travel with the film during its theatrical tour. We have proven that this culturally immersive experience is being incredibly well received everywhere we go, but it comes with significant expenses. 

Fundraising Goal: $150,000 

It is costly for the producers to deliver the entire cultural experience of this film to cinemas in new communities on the continent – we need to hire an advance sales and event planning team for each new location, and there is substantial travel, food and lodging expenses for our delegation of Native Hawaiian actors and cultural representatives traveling with the film. Raising $150,000 will allow us to cover the travel and marketing costs of releasing the film in several major cities in the continental USA. 

So we’ve launched this one-time fundraising campaign, and have created several exclusive perks that are available when you join the movement!

We plan to start with communities with substantial Hawaiian communities – Las Vegas, San Diego, and Los Angeles in Southern California; and Alameda and Sacramento in Northern California (note that these are the top six continental locations with the largest Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander populations). As we raise more funds, we will have the opportunity to take the film to even more communities! 

See a clip of our film coming home to Hawai’i:

 

Risks & Challenges

With the film now completed, there isn’t any risk of the project not being finished or rewards being delivered. Whatever funding we manage to collect will only help us in achieving our goal of getting the film into theatres on the continent and to continue spreading Hawaiian culture and language around the world! If we raise part of our goal, we’ll just reduce the number of communities we can take the film to. But if we exceed our goal, we’ll increase the number of communities! Either way, 100% of the funding raised will be used for costs directly associated with our delegation of filmmakers, Native Hawaiian actors and cultural representatives traveling with the film.

Other Ways You Can Help

Not everyone is in a position to make a pledge, but there are other ways that you can help!

• Help us get the word out and make some noise about your campaign –  use the Indiegogo share tools and help us by spreading the word about our campaign on social media!