Akakū Maui Community Media has been awarded a $10,000 grant from the 2023 POV ‘Our America: Documentaries in Dialogue’ initiative. Akakū has organized simultaneous in-person screenings of Wisdom Gone Wild across the three islands of Maui County. The program takes place on Saturday January 27th and includes a panel-presentation highlighting experiences and perspectives on the issues of Maui Countyʻs aging community, the prevalence of dementia in the demographic, caregiving challenges, and the importance of documenting and preserving Hawaiiʻs multi-cultural kupuna (elder) stories.

POV (a cinema term for “point of view”) is television’s longest-running showcase for independent nonfiction films. POV premieres 14-16 of the best, boldest and most innovative programs every year on PBS.

‘Our America’ was established in response to the polarizing repercussions resulting from the 2016 elections. “The ‘Our America’ initiative challenges us to imagine what is possible when we come together to share our stories and have a dialogue about what matters in our own communities. The initiative is fueled by the deep human need to connect, and we are grateful to support communities working to make those connections happen,” said Robert Salyer, Manager of Outreach and Impact for POV Engage who has led the program since 2021. Read the full POV press release here (www.amdoc.org/pressroom/our-america-documentaries-2023-grantees/#overview).

Film Summary: A vibrant tender cine-poem, a filmmaker collaborates with her Nisei mother as they confront the painful curious reality of wisdom ‘gone wild’ in the shadows of dementia. Made over 16 years, the film blends humor and sadness in an encounter between mother and daughter that blooms into an affectionate portrait of love, care, and a relationship transformed.

The film touches on the following themes: Caregiving; parental loss; mother/daughter relationship; preserving family history; dementia; memory; poetry; anti-Asian racism; policing; beauty culture; internment of Japanese Americans; spirituality; aging and transformation.

Joining us for conversation post screening are:

Rowena Dagdag-Andaya: Maui County Office on Aging, Executive on Aging

Kathleen Couch: Maui Adult Day Care Centers, Program Coordinator

Heather Greenwood: University of Hawaii Manoa-Cooperative Extension Faculty, Aging & Intergenerational Programs

In-person screenings on Maui, Molokai and Lanai as well as a Virtual Zoom webinar option are all available for free registration (bit.ly/Wisdom-Gone-Wild).

The in-person screening location details are as follows:

Maui: Akakū Maui Community Media (333 Dairy Road, Suite No. 205, Kahului) 

Moloka‘i: Maui Economic Opportunity’s Moloka‘i office (380 Kolapa Place, Kaunakakai)

Lana‘i: Lana‘i Senior Center, hosted by MEO Lana‘i (309 Seventh St., Lana‘i City)

All doors open at 9:30AM and the screening and discussion runs from 10AM - 2PM.

For those registering for the Virtual Livestream via Zoom Webinar, the Zoom link will be sent to your email address one week before the event. 

More details and information are available here (www.akaku.org/pov-american-documentary-ʻwisdom-gone-wildʻ-screening-discussion).

Mahalo to our partners MEO and Office of Councilmember Gabe Johnson Lānaʻi Seat.