Visibility is always a big step in building a community, and on June 11, the Māsima Pacific Island Film Tour took place at California State University, Los Angeles, to help bolster the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander diaspora. The film tour showcased three Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander feature-length screenings followed by a panel discussion featuring:
- Kristian “Krit” Fanene Schmidt
- Freddie Gutierrez
- Dr. Lani Cupchoy
- Lauren To’omalatai Ulugia
These illustrious speakers highlighted the importance of authentic representation within the NHPI communities in film and media.
The Māsima Film Tour Event Screenings included
- James & Isey (2021): Directed by Florian Habich.
- Every day in Kaimukī (2022): Directed by Alika Tengen.
- Waikiki (2020): Directed by Christopher Kahunahana
The featured films showed the importance of diversity in NHPI representation and how vital it is to broaden and support platforms that recognize Pasifika voices and narratives.
“I want to see a revolution. Our voices need to not be silenced anymore – from programming to film festivals to writing rooms, etc. – we need strong authentic allies to support our creative work,” Educator at California State University, Los Angeles, Artivist, and Filmmaker Dr. Lani Cupchoy said. “This means developing stories that move beyond the stereotypical representations of us being the ‘happy native,’ hypersexualized, or simply a backdrop to reveal the rich diversity and complexity of issues emerging from our communities.”
About Māsima: Māsima is a week-long film festival established in 2020 that takes place in Salt Lake City, Utah. Māsima is the Sāmoan and Tongan word for “salt” and symbolizes the Salt Lake Valley where it was created and the Salt of the Pacific Ocean that unites the Pasifika histories and experience. Māsima is dedicated to prioritizing and showcasing Pacific Island stories.
