Maui man’s decade-long passion project, ‘The Sailing Movie’ planned for public release in the fall

Haʻikū filmmaker Ryan Luskin’s film “The Sailing Movie” is scheduled for public release this fall. He has already won numerous awards, including recognition for the film’s original sound, and an award for Best Documentary Feature Film at the Navy International Film Festival earlier this month.

Luskin has been working the film for over a decade, and much of the film was edited with support from Akakū: Maui Community Media.

The cast includes Luskin’s sons Zeb and Saelyn, in addition to their mother, wild food expert Sunny Savage. Saelyn, who is now 20 years old, narrated the film when he was a senior at Baldwin High School; and younger brother, Zeb, plays Saelyn in the film.

“The Sailing Movie” is the tale of Saelyn’s right of passage, as he sails with his parents through 16 countries in search of “six essential life skills to thrive on a quickly changing planet.” While the bulk of the project was shot in 2013 in the Caribbean, crucial segments were filmed more recently on Maui.

One of the hallmarks of “The Sailing Movie” are the diverse locations featured. According to a review by the Kids First! Film Festival, “the variety of shots and locations is absolutely extraordinary.” Shot over a three year, 6,000 mile voyage, Luskin, an anthropologist, leads his family on an adventure from high into Colombia’s mountains, through Panama, and then to the United Nations mandated University for Peace in Coast Rica.

The project addresses a myriad of themes, including sailing, education, music, self help, human rights, non-violent communication, and positive discipline. Much of the film’s soundtrack was recorded on location, and includes the family jamming music with people they meet along the way.

Luskin, a Maui educator that has taught at Baldwin High School, Lahaina Intermediate, specifically taught life skills for Maui Youth and Family Services as their experiential education coordinator. In 1999, The Maui News selected Luskin on a list of “People who Made a Difference” on Maui.

The road to completion has come with challenges and triumphs. Luskin tells the story of his son Zeb unplugging his film’s hard drive when he was three… corrupting the device so it wouldn’t open. Former Akakū staff member Stephan Luksic was able to get the hard drive working again, and encouraged Luskin as he forged ahead.

Luskin says his dream is to be accepted right here at home, at the Maui Film Festival. “While it feels really good to be acknowledged internationally, Maui is my home,” said Luskin, a 30 year resident of Hawaiʻi. “And I’ve been going to the Maui Film Festival since it began in 2000. It has long been my dream to watch my film on the big screen, with all my friends, at the Maui Film Festival.”

For more details, visit www.thesailingmovie.com.