Sorry, it is not the Merrie Monarch or hula shows around Waikiki. It is rather a fantastic independent film from Japan. Just in case you didn’t know, Hula is surprisingly popular in Japan, and there are a lot women who study Hula.
Anyway, Hula Girls film will be shown at the Cupola Theater in the newly opened Honolulu Design Center on Kapiolani on July 20th (7:15 pm), 22nd (7:00 pm), and 23rd (7:00 pm). All shows are $15. I would recommend the first showing on Friday, July 20th because the Ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro will be opening up the movie with his performance. Jake actually wrote the score for the movie.
This film was featured at the Honolulu International Film Festival this year as well. If you missed it last time, you should definitely try to catch this film this time. At this year’s Japanese Academy Awards, this film won the best director, best screen play, best actress, best supporting actress, best cinematography, best lighting, and best art direction awards. The story behind the movie is also intriguing. None of the major film studios wanted to support this film, so the director had to go around and raise money from the private investors. Thanks to the unexpected success, the investors ended up with a big return at the end.
Here is the outline of the story which is based on a true story. In 1965, Japan has started to shift from coal to oil. One by one, the old mining towns begin their long slow decline. The leaders of one small town way up north and the local mining company attempt to build Japan’s first Hawaiian Village as a way to save the town. What is a Hawaiian Village without a troupe of Hula dancers? The only problem is that no one knows how to Hula not to mention what the Hula is. Sounds like this heart-warming comedy is getting somewhere, right? If you want to find out what is going to happen to the town and its people, go and check out the film. Maybe we will learn a thing of two of Aloha from Japanese.
Enjoy it!
- “Inconvenient Truth” Playing Tomorrow for Free
- Honolulu Turns 100
- $19 One Way Inter Island Flights in Hawaii
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