Hula films kick off monthly series at Bishop Museum
Advertiser Staff
The first films in the Bishop Museum Association Council's year-long Hula Film Festival screen tomorrow.
The premiere in the series are "Iolani Luahine: Hawaiian Dancer" and "The Hula of Old Hawaii," to be shown beginning at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 12.
For "Iolani Luahine: Hawaiian Dancer," filmmaker Tip Davis traveled throughout Hawaii to shoot famed hula dancer Iolani Luahine performing in locations ranging from remote beaches to Kilauea Crater. The rare film was produced by Hawaii Public Television.
The guest speaker for the evening is DeSoto Brown, Bishop Museum Archives Collections Manager.
The film footage in "The Hula of Old Hawaii" features Bishop Museum hula authority Mary Kawena Pukui and her daughters Pat (Bacon) and Pele (Suganuma) demonstrating traditional hula dance movements and chants. This footage was filmed by noted photographer George Bacon.
The Hula Film Festival, sponsored by Kamehameha Schools, is coordinated by Hawaiian historian Nanette Napoleon, and presented under the auspices of the Council's Traditions of the Pacific education program.
The film festival continues through November, with films each month at Atherton Halau on the grounds of Bishop Museum.
Films will include a special introduction by a Bishop Museum cultural expert or special guest affiliated with the film.
General admission to the screenings is $5; free for Bishop Museum members. Reservations are recommended: e-mail courtney.chow@bishopmuseum.org or call 848-4187.
