A crew from the Polynesian Cultural Center is on Maui to put on a free event for the public on Wednesday. Nearly 40 cast members prepared for the hour-long show at the Lahaina Civic Center on Wednesday afternoon. The center, headquartered in Laie on Oahu, is celebrating its 62nd year. Senior cultural ambassador Sia Tonga says they have been wanting to do something special for the people of Maui since the 2023 fire disaster. “We may have been an ocean away, an island away, but our hearts have been here, and our prayers have not stopped.” Soon all can experience this ohana feeling with the students that Hawaii News Now experienced by seeing Sharing Aloha, coming September 19th to theaters.
about the film
This 95-minute feature documentary dives behind the scenes for a rare look into one of Hawaii’s most popular (and least understood) tourist stops… It’s a backstage, unscripted exploration of what it means for young Pacific Islanders to preserve and pass on the culture of their ancestors even as the winds of tourism in Hawai’i (both over-tourism, and the pushback against it) shift and change, potentially threatening the foundation upon which they stand — and dance, chant and (sometimes nail-bitingly) perform.
It follows characters each standing at a crossroads: a young dancer struggling with his body image… another walking the razor-fine line between family obligations and performance expectations… a leader who shines onstage but is unsure of her place off it… and a star performer trying to prove to his parents that he’s not a failure after all.
“Sharing Aloha” explores what it means to seek out your place in the world when one audition determines the role you’ll play in determining how — and if — you and your culture are seen at all.
Producer/Director Blair Treu
Credits:
Bridge to China (2019) –Documentary DirectorGranite Flats (2015) – Episode DirectorFull Circle (2014) – DirectorMeet the Mormons (2014) – Documentary DirectorThe Last Day of Summer (2007) – DirectorReal Families, Real Answers (2004) - Documentary DirectorLittle Secrets (2001) – DirectorPhantom of the Megaplex (2000) – DirectorThe Brainiacs.com (2000) – DirectorChicken Soup for the Soul (1999-2000) – Episode DirectorPower Rangers All (1997-1999) – Episode DirectorPower Rangers Lost Galaxy (1999) – Episode DirectorTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1998) – Episode DirectorPower Rangers in Space (1998) – Episode DirectorPower Rangers Turbo (1997) – Episode DirectorWish Upon a Star (1996) – DirectorThe Paper Brigade (1996) – DirectorJust Like Dad (1995) – Director
Bridge to China (2019) –Documentary DirectorGranite Flats (2015) – Episode DirectorFull Circle (2014) – DirectorMeet the Mormons (2014) – Documentary DirectorThe Last Day of Summer (2007) – DirectorReal Families, Real Answers (2004) - Documentary DirectorLittle Secrets (2001) – DirectorPhantom of the Megaplex (2000) – DirectorThe Brainiacs.com (2000) – DirectorChicken Soup for the Soul (1999-2000) – Episode DirectorPower Rangers All (1997-1999) – Episode DirectorPower Rangers Lost Galaxy (1999) – Episode DirectorTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1998) – Episode DirectorPower Rangers in Space (1998) – Episode DirectorPower Rangers Turbo (1997) – Episode DirectorWish Upon a Star (1996) – DirectorThe Paper Brigade (1996) – DirectorJust Like Dad (1995) – Director
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Cast
Facing cultural norms head-on, fighting for her place in a male-dominated sport. But what’s driving her to the kind of young woman who picks up a knife and sets it on fire in the first place?
Surrounded by performers with massive bodies and even bigger personalities, is carrying an additional weight on his slight frame: his father was a dancer on the very same stage. How can he keep the heavy burden of expectations and self-doubt from crushing him?
A walking a tightrope… On one side, the mother who sacrificed everything for him; on the other, a world that’s widening the enormous cultural and economic gulf between them. Will being a student performer drive him even further away from his roots?
Isn’t sure where, or if, she belongs. A quiet introvert still searching for her voice, it’s not entirely clear if she has what it takes to be on stage in the first place – or what that place should be.
Performs – on stage, and off – with a lightness and joy that’s hiding a deep, aching pain. The emotional heart of the show, every step she takes in front of the public eye takes her further away from what (and who) she really wants.
A star performer who shines in the spotlight… but his journey to stand before thousands of audience members each night started in some very dark and lonely places. Just how far does he need to go, literally and figuratively, for his family to be proud of him?
