Hidden Hawaii: National Parks Collection

Like a Mighty Wave(en)

On Wednesday, July 17th 2019, a heavily armed police force arrested 36 Native Hawaiian kūpuna peacefully protecting Maunakea from desecration. The actions from that day sparked an international outcry and brought new life to the ongoing movement for Native Hawaiians’ rights for self-determination.

Mauna Kea: Temple Under Siege(en)

Although the mountain volcano Mauna Kea last erupted around 4,000 years ago, it is still hot today, the center of a burning controversy over whether its summit should be used for astronomical observatories or preserved as a cultural landscape sacred to the Hawaiian people. For five years the documentary production team Nā Maka o ka 'Āina ("the eyes of the land") captured on video the seasonal moods of Mauna Kea's unique 14,000-foot summit, the richly varied ecosystems that extend from sea level to alpine zone, the legends and stories that reveal the mountain's geologic and cultural history, and the political turbulence surrounding the efforts to protect the most significant temple in the islands: the mountain itself.

Hawaiian: The Legend of Eddie Aikau(en)

Director Sam George chronicles the remarkable life and times of the late Eddie Aikau, the legendary Hawaiian big wave surfer, pioneering lifeguard and ultimately doomed crew member of the Polynesian voyaging canoe Hokulea.

Back to the Roots(en)

Kalo (taro) production on each of the major islands of Hawai'i circa 1994. Meet the amazing people who love and continue to cultivate taro on lo'i that in some cases has been in the family for generations and centuries! Young, old, and family growers on Maui, Moloka'i, Hawai'i, O'ahu, and Kaua'i islands. Includes history/culture of kalo, Issues related to land and water, uses of kalo, and prospects for the future.

Pele's Appeal(en)

In the swirling volcanic steam and misty rain forest of Kilauea volcano’s east rift zone on the island of Hawai’i, two forces meet head on. Geothermal development interests, seeking to clear the rain forest for drilling operations, are opposed by native Hawaiians seeking to stop the desecration of the fire goddess, Pele. Pele is a living deity fundamental to Hawaiian spiritual belief. She is the eruption, with its heat, lava and steam. Her family takes the form of forest plants, animals and other natural forces. But geothermal development interests see Pele as simply a source of electricity. When Hawaiians take the issue to court, they find that nature-based religions are not respected by U.S. law.

Under a Jarvis Moon(en)

Under a Jarvis Moon is a 2010 documentary film about the young men, mostly of Hawaiian origin, sent in the 1930s and 1940s to colonize the Line Island of Jarvis and the Phoenix Islands of Howland and Baker.

American Aloha: Hula Beyond Hawai'i(en)

American Aloha: Hula Beyond Hawai’i shows the survival of the hula as a renaissance continues to grow beyond the islands. With the cost of living in Hawai'i estimated at 27 percent higher than the continental United States, large numbers of Hawaiians have left the islands to pursue professional and educational opportunities. Today, with more Native Hawaiians living on the mainland than in the state of Hawai'i, the hula has traveled with them. From the suburbs of Los Angeles to the San Francisco Bay Area, the largest Hawaiian communities have settled in California, and the hula continues to connect communities to their heritage on distant shores.

Kahuku: Survival of a Plantation Town(en)

When the Kahuku sugar plantation and mill shut down in the 1970's, workers who lived in plantation housing had to decide how to hold the community together and create something new out of an industry that had come to an end. This is the story of their successful transition from plantation to self-governing community.

In Search of Balance(en)

An exploration of a new paradigm of health, science, and medicine, based on the interconnections between us and nature.

95 and 6 to Go(en)

Filmmaker Kimi Takesue captures the cadence of daily life for Grandpa Tom, a retired postal worker born to Japanese immigrants to Hawai’i in the 1910s. Amidst the solitude of his home routines — coupon clipping, rigging an improvised barbecue, lighting firecrackers on the New Year — we glimpse an unexpectedly rich inner life.

Nature Amazing Places Hawaii(en)

Program One KILAUEA: MOUNTAIN OF FIRE Ecosystems on Big Island Face No Small Challenge Kilauea, violent and beautiful, destructive and creative, continually molds Hawaii's Big Island. Kilauea: Mountain of Fire explores the incredible power of the volcano and the challenges of like in its shadow. Academy-winner F.Murry Abraham narrates. TV-G Program Two VIOLENT HAWAII From Rivers of Lava Springs Bedrock of Life Imagine a lost word with lava flowing down mountainsides, violent storms, monster waves, rock sides and even heavy snows. This isn't science fiction. It's Hawaii-where spectacular beauty was forged by fire, and created by Turbulent natural forces. Tony Award-winner James Naughton narrates this riveting HD visual journey. TV-G

Hawaï, l'archipel le mieux gardé d'Amérique(fr)

Songs of Love from Hawaii(ko)

Embark on a mesmerizing musical journey through the multi-faceted history of Korean American immigrants in Hawaiʻi with SONGS OF LOVE, a captivating reverie of song and history.

After the Endling(en)

A shadow puppet film inspired by the story of an extinct Hawaiian tree snail (pūpū kani oe) named Lonely George.

Hawaii: Living on the Edge in Paradise?(en)

During the summer of 2018, hundreds of earthquakes shook the summit of Kiilauea, sparking the volcano's largest eruption in 200 years. To some, it was a disaster. To others, it was the goddess Pele's way of creating new aina (land). The Hawaiian peoples' resilience and cultural unity is a lesson in the true spirit of Aloha.

Lava Land - Glowing Hawaii(en)

Hawaii, with its tropical rainforests and diverse coral reef is a spectacular natural paradise for travellers, surfers and all fans of breathtaking sandy beaches and lush green mountains. But life on the American island chain also has a dangerous side: permanently active volcanoes, lava caves, and even burning lava pours into the sea! Here you can see black smoke rise up, spray the red-hot magma into the sky and feel how the earth trembles. Located on the Pacific plate is unusual for volcanoes, Hawaii is thus researchers a fascinating destination. At Kilauea, the most active volcano on earth, the inhabitants have to live in constant danger found over the centuries cope. Lava Land - Glowing Hawaii takes you into the world of researchers and residents on the Big Iceland, the largest island of Hawaii.

Riding Giants(en)

Riding Giants is story about big wave surfers who have become heroes and legends in their sport. Directed by the skateboard guru Stacy Peralta.

Rise of the Wahine(en)

In the years following the Civil Rights movement and the passage of Title IX in 1972, Dr. Donnis Thompson (a headstrong African-American female coach), Patsy Mink (the first Asian-American U.S. congresswoman), and Beth McLachlin (the team captain of a rag-tag female volleyball team), battled discrimination from the halls of Washington D.C. to the dusty volleyball courts of the University of Hawaii, fighting for the rights of young women to play sports.

E Haku Inoa: To Weave a Name(en)

A mother and daughter, estranged by divorce and mental health issues, reconnect through patience, understanding, and their a shared appreciation of their Native Hawaiian heritage.

Over Hawaii(en)

Go to the Big Island and hover above erupting craters at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, watch flowing orange lava ooze across charred rock and steam billow from the Pu'u 'O'o Vent. Glide over Maui's Haleakala National Park and discover the diversity of Hawaiian landscapes. Island hop to Lanai for spectacular beaches. Visit Pearl Harbor from above and the memorial sites before exploring the rest of Oahu. Narrated by Tom Skerritt