How Da Haoles Wen Stole Hawaii: The Film(s)

Queen Lili'uokalani, Hawaii's last queen

The Honolulu Star-Bulletin's John Heckathorn reported Sunday that filming on a feature-length documentary on the 1893 overthrow of the Hawaiian kingdom will begin this Friday on Molokai. "Ku'u A'ina Aloha: My Beloved Country" is being produced and directed by well-known local documentary filmmaker Stephanie Castillo and Meleanna Aluli Meyer. Alice Walker, author of "The Color Purple," who contributed $50,000 to the film, is an executive producer.

This won't be the first time the overthrow is depicted on film. Past documentaries that feature the subject include Puhipau and Joan Lander's "Act of War: The Overthrow of the Hawaiian Nation," Kristin Zambucka's "A Cry of Peacocks," Edgy Lee's "The Hawaiians: Reflecting Spirit," and "Hawaii's Last Queen," part of PBS's "American Experience" series. There was also a made-for-TV narrative feature about the overthrow called "Betrayal," starring Marlene Sai as Queen Lili'uokalani.

>> Filming nears on overthrow documentary [Hnl Star-Bulletin, 2/5/06]
>> The Annexation Of Hawaii: A Collection Of Documents [UH Library]
>> UPDATE: International film crew begins documentary on Molokai [Molokai Island Times, 2/11/06]

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