By Will Espero
I Am Kanaka is a 15 minute documentary about the Hawaiian islands directed by Genevieve Sulway of the United Kingdom. She shares the history of Hawai’i with the 1778 visit by Captain Cook, the arrival of missionaries, the banning of Hula, and the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawai’i. From annexation to statehood, to suppressing a culture, to disease and death, to problems and social ills of today; an abbreviated historical summary of Hawai’i is presented in this documentary.
Kaina Makua, a former teacher, becomes the focus of the narrative as he works with others through his non-profit to provide guidance and leadership to young Hawaiians or Kanaka. His non-profit organization, Kumano I Ke Ala, provides education and mentorship to at-risk kids and others interested in being enlightened and empowered about the Hawaiian culture. Kaina is portrayed as a hero and a mentor activist working with youth and striving to keep the Hawaiian culture alive and thriving today and into the future.
Genevieve Sulway
Originally from Sydney, Australia, Genevieve trained professionally as an actor with Hugh Jackman at WAAPA – ranked as one of the top 30 Drama Schools Drama in the world. She went on to appear in commercials, films and TV shows such as Home & Away over the next 10 years.
A lateral move into the corporate world saw her living and working in China, Singapore, the U.S and Europe. She returned to the film industry in 2018 graduating with a Masters in Film & TV Producing.
Genevieve founded Salty Paradise Productions and is now based in London, UK. With an innate ability to speak to people, her emotionally compelling storytelling style is the hallmark of her films. She gains unfettered and intimate access to the stories that she captures on film. Her documentaries focus on the underdog experience, underrepresented communities and the power of community spirit overcoming adversity.
The first film she made at 50 was the Spanish documentary When Worlds Collide, followed by the Hawaiian film I am Kanaka with a third documentary focused on the stories behind the UK bodybuilding industry, Mind Over Muscle – Becoming Big Granty, due to launch in the 2023 International Film Festival season.
She’s also been employed as a development producer at Chalkboard TV in London and pitched projects to Channel 5 and BBC.
Eight million Americans visit Hawai’i every year and Tourists spend $43million every single day. From the outside, Hawai’i looks like paradise, a cinematographer’s dream. Stunning landscapes, vivid colors and friendly people have naturally found their way into countless Hollywood films.
However, Hawai’i has a dark history which has been repeated around the world (including my own home country of Australia). Hawai’i is a country overthrown, local language banned for four generations, and their Queen deposed and dying in exile. Today, only 5% speak the native Hawaiian language and 10% live in poverty.
I Am Kanaka gives a glimpse into Hawai’i’s future with Kaina Makua, a local ex-teacher who became disillusioned with the conventional public education system, so he set up his own organization, Kumano I Ke Ala. A non-profit program that tackles social injustice by passing on inter-generational knowledge to kids aged 5-20 from disadvantaged backgrounds: teaching Hawaiian language, culture, traditions and sustainability.
Where did I find inspiration for this film? I was on the island of Kauai to shoot another film that was unexpectedly cancelled. I just happened to be on a beach one day and noticed Kaina Makua out of the corner of my eye. He was teaching a group of kids how to use an outrigger canoe. There was something about him that drew me closer. I went over and asked to be introduced and that was it. He was immediately compelling, inspirational, funny, smart and above all compassionate about teaching these kids. He invited my film crew of two and I to come and see his team compete the next day in an outrigger race, which led to another day at his farm and this short documentary, I Am Kanaka, was born.
This is only my second film, and it was a sheer joy to make. I came to filmmaking later in life at 50 so I’m very happy that this ‘accidental’ film came about. I was keen to weave the history and Kaina’s powerful story into a visually beautiful film with an emotional music score. I also intentionally created this film with a ‘family friendly’ rating as I wanted a broader audience to see a positive example of how one person can truly change the course of the future.
I hope you enjoy watching ‘I am Kanaka’. Aloha!
Genevieve Sulway
I Am Kanaka is an Official Selection at the 2023 edition of the Global Nonviolent Film Festival, and it can be watched from September 28 to October 8 on GlobalCinema.online where the Festival is being broadcast. D!
Daria! 
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