top of page
The First Film in the Award-Winning Hula Trilogy

AMERICAN ALOHA:

HULA BEYOND HAWAI'I

Silver HUGO Award - Chicago Internationa
Bronze Prize Best Documentary Feature -
Opening Night - Pacifika  New York Hawai
Nominated Best Dance Documentary - Monac
Excellence in Broadcast Documentary - CI
American Aloha: Hula Beyond Hawai'i
Play Video

AMERICAN ALOHA: HULA BEYOND HAWAIʻI discovers a renaissance of Hawaiian culture through music, language and dance as it continues to grow in California.  

SYNOPSIS

For Hawaiians, the hula is not just a dance, but a way of life.  Yet while most Americans know only the stereotypes of ʻgrass-skirt girlsʻ from old Hollywood movies and tourist kitsch, the revival of the ancient art of hula tells of the rich history and spirituality of Hawaiʻi.  AMERICAN ALOHA: HULA BEYOND HAWAIʻI discovers a renaissance of Hawaiian culture through music, language and dance as it continues to grow in California.  Following three kumu hula, or master hula teachers, the film celebrates the perpetuation of a culture – from the very traditional to the contemporary – as it evolves on distant shores.  With more Native Hawaiians living on the U.S. continent than on the islands, the hula is a living tradition that connects generations far from home to their heritage.  Revealing the challenges of cultural survival through the struggles of Hawaiʻi’s past, American Aloha is a proud reminder of the power of reclaiming tradition for communities creating a home away from home.

FEATURING

AAHBH_Sissy_Halau.jpg
KUMU HULA SISSY KAIO
of Hālau Hula o Lilinoe (Carson, CA)
Screen Shot 2019-10-08 at 1.43.10 AM.png
KUMU HULA PATRICK MAKUAKĀNE
of Nā Lei Hulu I Ka Wēkiu (San Francisco, CA)
faa21a2624971107f2ab6269560b8e31.jpg
KUMU HULA MARK KEALI'I HO'OMALU
of Academy of Hawaiian Arts (Oakland, CA)