Last month, when Pacific Business News caught up with Steve Sue, founder and chairman of ID8, a nonprofit sound studio dedicated to fostering ideation and expression to create positive impacts, he was just about set to launch preview screenings of a film project close to his heart: “Shaka, A Story of Aloha,” a documentary he produced on the origin, meanings and uses of the hand gesture.
Now, after four years of filming across the Islands and producing at ID8’s studio in Kakaako, Sue's ready to share this story with the world, starting with the local community. The hosted series kicks off this week for members of the Outrigger Canoe Club on June 20, and the Pacific Club on June 24, according to a statement from the nonprofit.
Click here for an updated calendar of events.
“Today, the shaka stands as a mecca of positivity, one of hope and inspiration, urging people to share the aloha spirit,” Sue said in a statement. “It’s a lesson from which the world may learn for generations to come, and this film aims to start a movement of aloha around the world.”
For the next six months, companies and community organizations, such as nonprofits, schools and churches, can sign-up to host sneak-peek showings of the documentary, before it is submitted for wider distribution to film festivals beginning in 2024.
“Sneak-peeks are not premieres, but rather test screenings of content in development, where we can include many people in the filmmaking process,” Sue said in a statement.
Preview screenings, which are required to be held for free for a minimum of 50 attendees, will include a viewing of the one-hour film, a moderated discussion with the filmmakers, a shaka photo wall, and exit survey to solicit feedback “that helps to ensure story accuracy and entertainment value,” ID8 officials noted.
The mission of the film, Sue said, is to preserve Hawaiian history and make the world a better place by sharing the spirit of aloha. Project Shaka, a growing movement based on the film, includes school curriculum, Hawaii Shaka license plates and stickers, and Shaka monuments worldwide, he added.
“We are funded by grants, individual and company donors – locally, nationally and internationally,” Sue told PBN in May. “We have large funders who have helped us toward our goal of raising $500,000 for production costs, musical and film talent who are donating their time, and we are even seeing microfunding – 80% of people buying our free Project Shaka sticker online, contribute more toward the movement
“We’re still fundraising to meet our goal and above it [through the end of 2023 and] for festival admissions come 2024. The goal is to connect with a distributor who can take ‘Shaka, A Story of Aloha’ to the world,” he said.
For more information or to apply to become a presenting group, visit ShakaFilm.com
