Documentary “Hawaiʻi A Voice For Sovereignty” to be Aired Nationally

Hawaiian flag. File photo by Wendy Osher.

By Maui Now Staff

A documentary film entitled Hawaiʻi A Voice for Sovereignty will be broadcast nationally on PBS stations affiliated with the First Nations Experience Network.

The film will air in eight states on Sunday night, Feb. 22, 2015, with a rebroadcast planned for March 22, 2015.  The latest broadcast schedule does not include Hawaiʻi.  (A complete listing is available below.)

The award winning documentary focuses on the Native Hawaiian struggle to reconnect to the land and to obtain sovereign rights after the illegal takeover of by US businessmen and military on Jan. 17, 1893.

On November 23, 1993, President William Jefferson Clinton signed United States Public Law 103-150, also known as the “Apology Resolution,” acknowledging the 100th anniversary of the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi and offering an apology to Native Hawaiians on behalf of the United States.

In the film, photojournalist and producer Catherine Bauknight explores the Native Hawaiian culture and the social, economic and ecological issues that have developed since the overthrow.

“I have witnessed firsthand what happens when a small, sustainable society is separated from their land, fresh water and ocean resources and then converted for profit by western powers,” said Bauknight in a press release statement.

“Today, with over 8 million tourists a year crowding their small and ecologically-fragile islands, the Hawaiians are disconnected from their own land and suffer some of the highest rates per capita of poverty, homelessness, health issues related to diet and incarceration in the state. My goal is to continue to share the story to assist the Hawaiian’s ongoing struggle for sovereign rights and their efforts as stewards of the land to protect what’s left from further destruction.”

The documentary was initially released in 2012, and has since been shown internationally at various festivals, screenings, and events.

It was recently honored with the “Best Global Documentary Film Creating Change” during the Pacific Talent Film Festival in Los Angeles, California.  Here in the islands, it earned the Audience Award for Best Hawaiʻi Film at the Maui Film Festival.  Other accolades include the Mana Wairoa Award from the Maori Film Festival, and the Best Global Documentary Film Creating Change from the Pacific Talent Film Festival.

The soundtrack for the film features some of Maui’s talented musical artists including:Richard Hoʻopiʻi, George Kahumoku, Willie K, Keʻeaumoku Kapu, Charles Kaʻupu, Kealiʻi Blaisdell, and Wilmont Kahaialiʻi.

***View Hawaiʻi A Voice for Sovereignty trailer.

BROADCAST SCHEDULES: 6:30 p.m. PT, 9:30 p.m. EST on Feb. 22 and March 22, 2015.

• Alaska: KUAC Channel-9.4
• California: Greater Los Angeles Area – FNX available on Verizon Fios-KVCR (channel 471); Direct TV KVCR 24-2 (channel 24.2 Over the Air), and locally (channel 24.2) in the greater Los Angeles; KEET TV Channel-13.4 (California Public Television for the Northcoast; Eureka, Hoopa & Fortuna); KJHP-LP Channel-18 (Morongo Valley)
• Illinois: Chicago WYCC PBS Channel-20.2
• Indiana: Comcast Channel-373
• Minnesota: Paul Bunyan Channel-173; Lakeland Public Television (LPTV) in Bemidji Channel-9.2; Lakeland Public Television (LPTV) in Brainerd Lakes Channel-22.2; Mid Continent Communications Channel-595
• Oklahoma: Cat Channel-47
• Utah: UEN Channel-9.3
• Wyoming: K32EL-D Channel-32.1