Local Film One Voice To Hit Theaters Internationally And In Hawaii
The 100% Locally Funded, Locally Produced Documentary Opens in Theaters
August 6 in Japan & August 26 in Hawaii.
- Honolulu, HI (1888PressRelease) July 07, 2011 - Multi-award winning documentary One Voice is set to make its worldwide theatrical release in Japan on August 6th and will open in Hawaii at Consolidated Theaters on August 26th.
"Hawaii is a Mecca for talented producers, directors, writers and actors and we hope One Voice's worldwide distribution brings much needed attention to the accomplished artists working today in the film industry here in Hawaii", said Ruth Bolan, President of Pacific Islanders in Communications.
The locally produced film about ten Kamehameha Schools student song leaders on their journey to Song Contest won the Audience Choice Award last year at the Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF). Fully funded by Pacific Islanders in Communications (PIC), One Voice also won the 2011 San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature and the 2010 San Diego Asian Film Festival Overall Audience Award.
The story One Voice tells is unique to the islands of Hawaii. Every year, Kamehameha Schools holds a Song Contest where 2,000 high school students compete and young leaders direct their peers in singing Hawaiian music in four-part harmony. One Voice shares the thrill of the competition via the personal stories of the student song directors as they experience the trials and tribulations of competition in this high school event.
"The Kamehameha Schools Song Contest is a unique tradition of cultural celebration. The film gives viewers a front row seat into Hawaii's heritage, demonstrating our love for community, passion for Hawaiian music, and the story of a people who nearly lost their language and culture", said Bolan.
Following the elected student song directors, the audience sees how the tradition creates an unforgettable experience that builds class unity, instills cultural pride, and builds character. The film also explores their world outside of school by meeting their families, or ohana, and revealing their hopes and dreams for the future. Through the stories and lives of these contemporary high school students, the audience experiences Hawaiian culture as it has survived, flourished, and grown through the universal power of music and song.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR/PRODUCER:
As a filmmaker and hula dancer, One Voice director Lisette Marie Flanary creates documentary films that celebrate a renaissance of traditional Hawaiian culture in the modern world. A graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Flanary is the writer, producer and director of Lehua Films based in New York City. Her award- winning movie ²Na Kamalei: The Men of Hula,² was part of the Independent Lens series on PBS in 2008, and screened in numerous film festivals both in the U-S and abroad. The film premiered at the Hawaii International Film Festivalıs Sunset on the Beach event in 2006, where Flanary received the Hawaii Filmmaker Award and an
Audience Award for Best Documentary. In 2007, "Na Kamalei: The Men of Hula"
garnered an Emerging Director Award at the New York Asian American International Film Festival, the Audience Award at the San Francisco Asian American Film Festival, Best Non-Fiction Feature at the VCFilmFest and Best Documentary at the San Diego Asian American Film Festival.
Currently, Flanary is in pre-production on the final film of her trilogy entitled "Tokyo Hula", which focuses on the intense popularity of hula dancing in Japan. And, One Voice won her a nomination for Best Director of a Documentary at the 2010 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Rim Festival.
Executive Director of Pacific Islanders in Communications and film producer, Ruth Bolan graduated with Honors from Harvard University, where she ran the Experimental Theater at the Loeb Drama Center. Her first job was at the John. F. Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. working with Artistic Director Peter Sellars. She then produced theater on and off Broadway. While in New York, she was Spalding Gray's manager and produced works for American Playhouse and HBO. In Hollywood, she ran the Film Division of Overland Entertainment and founded her own Media Development Company. Recently, in Honolulu, she was the Executive Director of the children's theater Lisa Mastumoto's Ohia Productions. She has been the Executive Director of
Pacific Islanders in Communications since April 1, 2005.
Co-producer Heather Haunani Giugni is a passionate Hawaiian media content collector who celebrates her community through the lens of a camera. For more than 25 years, Giugni has been the guiding force behind Juniroa Productions, which has produced hundreds of short and long programs about Hawaii and its native people. Giugni also mentors, produces, directs, writes and connects the Hawaiian dots that help tell the story of Native Hawaiians, to a global audience. Since 2006, she has produced the Kamehameha Schools Song Contestıs live broadcast. She also produces the highly acclaimed Merrie Monarch Festival, broadcast locally and viewed worldwide, via the Internet. Most recently, Giugni established a digital film and video archive for the State of Hawaii. Her success can be attributed to great collaborations, including a partnership with PIC on One Voice.
For more information on One Voice, visit the following websites:
www.onevoicemovie.com
www.piccom.org
www.facebook.com/OneVoiceMovie
www.twitter.com/OneVoiceMovie
www.youtube.com/piccom1
About Pacific Islanders in Communications:
The mission of Pacific Islanders in Communications is to support, advance, and develop Pacific Island media content and talent that results in a deeper understanding of Pacific Island history, culture, and contemporary challenges. Established in Honolulu in 1991 as a national nonprofit media arts corporation, PIC is a member of the National Minority Consortia, which collectively addresses the need for programming that reflects America's growing ethnic and cultural diversity. Primary funding for PIC and the Consortia is provided through an annual grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Visit www.piccom.org for additional information.
Media Contacts:
Pacific Islanders in Communications: Micky Huihui 808-591-0059 ext. 12
Hawaii Pacific Entertainment: Lincoln Jacobe 808-391-7441 or
Chimaine Pouteau: 808-636-1512
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