We turned 35 🎂
This year marks our 35th anniversary of amplifying Pacific Islander stories! We honor the generations of ancestral storytellers whose work made this moment possible, as well as the filmmakers, partners, and audiences who continue to show us the power of storytelling as a force for connection and change.
As Cheryl Hirasa, our Executive Director, stated, “We’ve come a long way and we intend to go much further.” What a perfect way to express the energy we have going into 2026. Please join us in year-long celebrations that honor our history and motivate us to carry this work forward.
Stay tuned for exciting announcements!
In this four-part cinematic poem, Fijian storyteller Fenton Lutunatabua utilizes landscape, dance, and language to illustrate and encourage the Pacific’s role climate activism.
Stream VAKARAITAKA on YouTube 🔗 link in bio
This film was directed, written, and produced by Fenton Lutunatabua.
What stands to be lost if Hawai'i’s snails go extinct? More than you may think...
Stream the KĀHULI documentary directed by Chris A. Johns on YouTube 🔗 link in bio
Kāhuli not only play an integral role in the forest ecosystem, but also in Hawaiian culture and lore. They were the jewels of the forest, often used in lei displaying their beautiful and intricate shell designs. Places on the Hawai’i islands were named according to the snails that roamed the land, such as Pūpū kea meaning “white shell”. And Hawaiian folklore describes kāhuli as the voices of the land. Can you guess why snails were akin to sound?
Happy AAPI Heritage Month 💙🌺
Celebrate Pacific Islanders all month long by streaming our newest season of Pacific Pulse+ on YouTube 📺 Our series aims to honor the depth of histories, cultures, and peoples that call Earth’s largest ocean “home”.
🔗 link in bio to start watching!
In 2019, these teens from Aotearoa led a global fight against climate change. But planning a movement and building momentum are the easy parts as they face political indifference, their own privilege, and the ongoing struggle to be heard…as the tides continue to rise.
Stream the full documentary on YouTube 🔗 link in bio
HIGH TIDE DON’T HIDE was co-directed by Phil Stebbing, Niva Kay, Emily McDowell, and Nia Phipps
We are proud to support CAAMFest’s Spotlight Documentary of the PIC film BEFORE THE MOON FALLS (directed by Kimberlee Bassford). Make sure to get your tickets for this screening w/ panel on Friday, May 8, 2026 at 6:30 pm! 🔗 link in bio
Congratulations to 5 PIC films selected to screen at the 2026 LA Asian Pacific Film Festival @vcmediaorg
We’d also like to celebrate the Pacific Cinewaves Showcase! Every year, we are proud to sponsor this showcase, that helps platform stories and storytellers from the Pacific. We are so excited for audiences to view all these films on the big screen!
Check out the link in bio to secure tickets
(Correction in slide 6: Samoan* woman)
Merrie Monarch turned 50 in 2013! This film documented how the festival celebrated this special achievement, including full performances.
Stream now on YouTube 🔗 link in bio.
HULA: MERRIE MONARCH’S GOLDEN CELEBRATION - directed by Rolan H. Yamamoto and produced D.H. Kalama Kr.
Mahalo to Hawai’i News Now, the proud sponsor and official broadcaster of The Merrie Monarch Festival. For more information about the festival and a full broadcast schedule, please visit /merriemonarch/
🎬 ART AT THE CAPITOL 2026 🎬
Friday, April 17th at the Capitol
Join us for an evening of powerful storytelling, music, and community as we showcase the voices shaping Hawaiʻi’s creative future.
✨ 5:30–6:00 PM
Screenings featuring The Arrangements (ʻOhina Labs Green-light film) + a behind-the-scenes look at its score in collaboration with Hawaiʻi Youth Symphony & Hawaiʻi Public Radio.
✨ 6:00–6:30 PM
Panel: Building Stories, Building Community
A conversation on how film, music, and cultural practice come together to uplift and amplify our communities.
✨ 6:30–7:00 PM
Film excerpts from Family Ingredients, Paʻakai, and Kūkini.
✨ 7:00–7:30 PM
Panel: Narrative Sovereignty & Filmmaking as Cultural Preservation with @picpacific
Exploring how Pacific storytellers reclaim their narratives and use film as a tool for cultural resilience and self-determination.
Come through. Bring your people. Be part of the conversation.
#ArtAtTheCapitol #OhinaLabs #PacificStorytelling #HawaiiFilm #NarrativeSovereignty SupportLocalStories IndigenousStorytelling
The largest hula festival competition in the world was named after King Kalākaua, known as the Merrie Monarch! This documentary highlights the 2012 Merrie Monarch Festival and shares hula’s role in the past, present, and future of Hawai‘i’s people.
Stream now on YouTube 🔗 link in bio.
HULA: LANGUAGE OF THE HEART - directed by Rolan H. Yamamoto and produced D.H. Kalama Kr.
Mahalo to Hawai’i News Now, the proud sponsor and official broadcaster of The Merrie Monarch Festival. For more information about the festival and a full broadcast schedule, please visit /merriemonarch/
What would you gift the last monarch of Hawai’i, Queen Lili’uokalani?
Stream THE QUEEN’S FLOWERS on YouTube 🔗 link in bio.
A short film directed and written by Ciara Leina’ala Lacy, produced by Concepcion Saucedo-Trajo, and animated by Daniel Sousa.
