ONE VOICE is an award-winning feature-length documentary following ten young Native Hawaiian high school students for one year as they prepare to compete in the annual Kamehameha Schools Song Contest to celebrate the revitalization of the Hawaiian language.
SYNOPSIS
ONE VOICE tells the story of the Kamehameha Schools Song Contest through the eyes of the student song directors. Every year in Hawai‘i, 2000 high school students compete in the Kamehameha Schools Song Contest where young leaders direct their peers in singing Hawaiian music in four-part harmony. The Contest is a unique cultural celebration that has become a major local event, broadcast live on TV, played on the radio, and streamed on the Internet.
ONE VOICE shares the thrill of the competition via the personal stories of the student song directors as they experience the trials and tribulations of competition in this annual high school event. Following the elected student song directors, the audience sees how the tradition creates an indelible experience that builds class unity, instills cultural pride, and builds character. The film also explores their world outside of school by meeting their families, or ʻohana, and revealing their hopes and dreams for the future. Through the stories and lives of these contemporary high school students, the audience will experience Hawaiian culture as it has survived, flourished, and grown through the universal power of music and song.
FEATURING
ZACHARY LUM
KA'AI'ŌHELO MCAFEE-TORCO
G. MAXWELL MUKAI
BROLIN DUKE KAWEWEHI
NADIA LE'I
SIENNA ACHONG
JOSHUA "BABA" TAVARES
KAHALA ROWE
TRUMA RAY CHUN
ISAIAH PAMATIGAN
COMPETITIONS/FILM FESTIVAL OFFICIAL SELECTION & AWARDS
· “25 in 25” Honoree, Pacific Islanders in Communications, 2016
· Honored in 25th anniversary celebration for films that positively contributed to PICʻs mission of advancement and development of Pacific Island media content
· Winner Best of Festival, Broadcast Education Association (BEA), Faculty Long Format Documentary Competition, 2012
· Nominated, Gotham Independent Film Audience Awards, 2011
· Nominated, “Best Made In Hawaiʻi Film”, Honolulu Weekly Best of Honolulu Issue, 2011
· Audience Award for Best Documentary, San Francisco Intl. Asian American Film Festival, 2011
· Nominated in Documentary Film Competition, San Francisco Intl. Asian American Film Festival, 2011
· Audience Award for Best Documentary, Hawaiʻi International Film Festival, 2010
· Audience Award for Best Documentary, San Diego Asian Film Festival, 2010
· Nominated for Best Emerging Director, Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, 2010