or a woman who prefers to stay as far behind the scenes as possible, Fern Ahuna makes an explosive first impression through her work.

For the past 18 years, the unassuming special-effects technician from Mililani has set big screens ablaze in films like "Pearl Harbor" and "Tears of the Sun."

In an industry where women are sorely underrepresented, Ahuna is a rarity of particular note: a woman with an expertise in blowing up things.

"I'm the only woman I know of who is doing this," she says.

Ahuna is certainly the only woman in the state with a powder license, which is required to handle the sort of advanced pyrotechnics used in film and TV. But while explosions may be her forte, Ahuna is also adept at welding, carpentry, electrical work and all other core competencies of her profession.

"I just do whatever needs to be done," Ahuna says, matter-of-factly.

What is not unusual is that a woman of Ahuna's standing should be found working in Hawai'i. While the local film industry may have started out just like its male-dominated counterparts in Hollywood and other centers, its present state of good health has been heavily influenced by the rise of experienced, capable women throughout the field.

Statistics on women in Hawai'i's film industry aren't available, but the trends are mixed for big-money movies and TV work nationwide. A study conducted by San Diego State University professor Martha Lauzen found the percentage of women working as directors, executive producers, producers, writers, cinematographers and editors on the top 250 domestic grossing films declined from 19 percent in 2001 to 16 percent in 2004. A companion study, also authored by Lauzen, found that 25 percent of women worked in equivalent positions on network television in 2004, an all-time high.

Local observers say women are still in the minority here in the Islands, but they do hold prominent positions politically, economically and creatively.

State Sen. Carol Fukunaga, for example, is the chair of the influential Media, Arts, Science and Technology Committee. Donne Dawson is the Hawai'i film commissioner, and three of the four county film commissioners also are women.

The late Kayo Hatta produced and directed the most commercially successful independent film about Hawai'i, "Picture Bride," which paved the way for the current generation of young local filmmakers. Documentarians like Edgy Lee and Stephanie Castillo continue to produce works that are highly regarded nationally and internationally.

In recent years, women also have found work as cinematographers, script supervisors, sound mixers, directors and assistant directors, digital artists, grips and other positions that used to be almost exclusively male domain.

"We girls do pretty good here," says line producer Genie Joseph. "We don't have huge numbers in the higher positions, but we're noticeable on every level.

"We're still a minority, but there have been significant breakthroughs," she says. "There's been progress in areas you don't normally see. We have women working as drivers, which I've never seen anywhere else."

Dawson says that Hawai'i "marches to the beat of its own drum" when it comes to opportunities for women in film.

"It seems like we don't have to deal with the same issues as other places," she says. "In Hawai'i, we tend to see how talented people are, rather than judging them on the basis of sex.

"It's a demanding industry and you have to think fast and move fast," says Dawson. "We have a lot of strong women here who are assertive in what they want professionally. They've been able to adapt and adjust very well."

OVERCOMING STEREOTYPES

Ahuna gets very little recognition for her work — and that's fine by her.

"I'm in the background," she says. "I work better by myself."

If she is known at all, it is usually in connection with her husband, Archie, the veteran special-effects supervisor who recently won an Emmy as part of the visual effects team on ABC's "Lost."

It was Archie, a fixture on the local scene since the days of "Hawaii Five-0," who first convinced Fern to try her hand at special effects. Before long, Ahuna quit her job as a beautician at the old Woolworth store at Ala Moana Center, and exploding jets, dangling actresses and simulated showers became a family business.

Ahuna says her entry into the film world wasn't as difficult as it may have been for other women, because of her family connection.

"It's because of my husband that I got the chance," she says. "That's the only reason, otherwise I would never have gotten through the front door — even with all of my experience."

Even the best-intentioned men in the business hold their share of odd stereotypes about women working in the industry. Ahuna recalls a comment by Archie's mentor Jack Faggard.

"He said women have a different kind of electricity, so it was dangerous for them to do powder," she says.

Ahuna can chuckle at that, because she's heard much worse in her 18 years in the business. Whatever the disparagement, she's content to let her work speak for itself.

"I don't say anything, I just do the work," she says. "If you are really good at what you do, people will believe in you."

It's not uncommon for outsiders to question the contributions of women whose husbands are also in the business. Yet, knowledgeable industry veterans point to people like Gina Watumull (who founded Hawaii Film Partners, co-producer of the TV series "Flight 29 Down," with her husband, Rann) and Hilda Takeyama (who, with husband Roy, is a major contributor to the University of Hawai'i's Academy for Creative Media) and many others as examples of independent women who succeed on their own merits.

Producer and sound mixer Gracie Atkins knows how easy it can be for people to assume that she's riding her husband Paul's coattails. Paul Atkins ("Master and Commander") is a cinematographer and director of photography well known for his ability to capture dynamic nature scenes.

Still, those familiar with the couple's documentary work for the BBC and National Geographic, as well as their more recent feature film and commercial projects, are aware of Atkins' abilities.

Atkins drew from early experiences in radio as the couple learned the art and business of filmmaking together.

At the time, there was no formal training available for aspiring sound mixers, so Atkins read as much as she could and picked the brains of professionals in the field. With few women around to mentor her, Atkins said she drew inspiration from sound mixer Susan Chong, a former Hawai'i resident.

Confident and assertive, she says she felt comfortable expressing herself in male-dominated environments. And while she has never confronted overt discrimination, she was never willing to present anything but the strongest argument for women in the industry.

"I haven't experienced chauvinism except within myself," she says. "I might drive myself harder than a man might. I feel that if I haven't dotted every 'i' and crossed every 't,' then I've failed. A man might do a job that isn't entirely perfect and feel that it's OK. For me, as a female, that would be a total disaster. As a woman, I feel we have to overachieve."

PROVING IT

Joseph, whose work as a producer includes recent Hawai'i-based projects like the film "Tides of War" and the TV series "Beyond the Break," says sometimes the challenge doesn't only come from within.

"(Discrimination) is the subtext," she says. "They will not come out and say it, but you feel it. You have to come out and prove yourself."

That was the vibe on the set of the 1987 film "Spookies," which Joseph wrote, directed and produced.

"It was an all-male crew, and they were probably all 10 or 15 years older than me," she recalls. "There's definitely a hard edge that is invisible but present. As a woman, you have to prove yourself every day. Men prove it once and they're in the club."

Joseph's welcome-to-the-industry moment came when she applied for a job at Columbia Pictures.

"I had just graduated from NYU and I had six films under my belt," she says. "I thought I had some good qualifications, but they asked me if I knew how to make coffee. I said 'yes,' but then I had to call my mom and ask her how to do it."

Joseph says the situation, particularly in Hawai'i, has changed drastically over the years, as women who have spent decades building their knowledge and skills have started to demand their fair shots.

"Two things," Joseph says. "One, women are more confident. Two, they're fed up over not having the power and control that men have. They've been in situations where men have been in control and have made bad decisions, and they've decided to take the reins."

As part of the evolution, Joseph says, people like herself, Dana Hankins, Angie LaPrete and Edgy Lee aren't just producing and directing, they're also raising money for projects. Just as important, investors are now willing to listen.

"It's a high-level approach," she says. "Money equals power."

'WE HAVE THE STORIES'

Elizabeth Lindsey has experienced the film world in front of and behind the camera, and she is convinced that Hawai'i's women filmmakers are on the verge of something special.

As an actress, Lindsey was a student of the late Lee Strasberg. Her work on television included a recurring role on "China Beach," and appearances on "Dynasty," "Fantasy Island" and "Charlie's Angels." She used those experiences to learn as much as she could about the craft of telling stories on film and television, skills she would later call on as a director for the documentary "And Then There Were None."

Lindsey, who holds a doctorate in anthropology, prefers to call herself a "storyteller."

"I grew up around Hawaiian kupuna who told me when I was very young that I was going to go away to share our stories, and then I'd return home to record them," she says.

With that arc of her career in mind, Lindsey says she tried to find meaning in each new experience, gleaning knowledge from skilled directors and producers. And where others chafed at the racism and sexism of prime-time TV of the era, Lindsey says she looked at each limitation as an opportunity for change.

"There were some roles that were just stereotypes of Asian women, but I saw that as a challenge," she says. "I tried to breathe life into those roles and give the characters more dimensionality than what was on the page."

Lindsey is especially proud of "China Beach," the Vietnam drama helmed by Steven Bochco ("NYPD Blue," "Over There"), which she says represented a significant shift in network presentation of women.

"It was a breakthrough because of what else was on TV at the time, like 'Charlie's Angels' or 'Dallas,' " she says. "The female characters on those shows were really beautiful but not necessarily multidimensional or relatable. They were more like fantasies."

These days, Lindsey is focusing on projects that tackle issues from a global perspective. Her goal is to raise social consciousness. And just as her kupuna conveyed history, values and cultural understanding through storytelling, she hopes local filmmakers will draw from Hawai'i's ethnic and cultural history to bring new, compelling stories to the world.

"In the publishing world, the big trend is stories that tap women's experiences," she says. "Publishing and film are always in step, so there is opportunity there. We are able to tell stories from a perspective that has not been fully tapped.

"When I was living in L.A., there always seemed to be a shortage of really good stories," she says. "We have the stories. There are so many stories that are on the surface or just below the surface, just waiting to be told if we can find our voices. I'm excited to be a part of it."

While acknowledging that there is still much progress to be made to ensure equal opportunities for women — there remains a glaring lack of women directors, assistant directors, directors of photography, and other key positions — Atkins shares Lindsey's sense of optimism about Hawai'i's film industry and the part that women will play in its future.

"I'm incredibly ga-ga over what's going on here," she says. "There is no better place to be culturally, intellectually or creatively. It's just the beginning, and women are a part of it."

Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.