ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi Month to be observed on UH West Oʻahu campus with mini-film festival

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UH West Oʻahu will be treated to a “mini-film” festival of sorts in February in keeping with the month being observed as ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian Language) Month by the state.

The celebration being hosted by the James & Abigail Campbell Library will feature three free films that will be shown at 12:30 p.m. in the ‘Uluʻulu Exhibit Space located in the library.  Students, faculty, staff and the community are invited to attend.

The films are:

  • Feb. 19: Out of State This award-winning film, shown at more than a dozen film festivals from Australia to Finland, is the story of two Native Hawaiians who discover their indigenous traditions while incarcerated at a private prison in Arizona. Eager to prove the experience has changed them, the two return to Hawaiʻi and face struggles coming home. Winner of the Best Made in Hawaiʻi Feature and Audience Choice Feature at the 2017 Hawaiʻi International Film Festival. Director Ciara Lacy will be available for a Q&A session.
  • Feb. 20: Moana in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi with English Subtitles. This breakthrough version of Moana represents the first time  a Disney picture was re-recorded in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. The University of Hawaiʻi’s Academy for Creative Media System funded and coordinated the re-recording of Moana with the goal of sharing the film for educational purposes in Hawai‘i and beyond. The collaborative production included faculty and staff from the University of Hawaiʻi – West Oʻahu, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, and Honolulu Community College.
  • Feb. 21: Hae Hawaiʻi This historical drama is set during the overthrow of the Hawaiian Monarchy and tells the story of a young Hawaiian recruited to protect the unifying symbol of the kingdom, the Hawaiian flag. Director Ty Sanga will be available for a Q&A session.

In 2013, the Hawaiʻi State Legislature passed a law designating February as ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi Month to celebrate and encourage the use of Hawaiian language, which is one of the two official languages for the state. In keeping with this, the law establishing the designation, Section 8-24 of the Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes. is written in both Hawaiian and English.  

Image courtesy of UHWO Staff