Both films began as oral histories with kūpuna. Neither could have been made from the photographic record alone — most of what you see was researched, then rebuilt.
What you can watch here are excerpts. The complete films are screened in a Discovery conversation, alongside the research file and the source list behind every reconstructed frame. If you would like to see one in full, ask.
Born in Kaimukī in 1932. A trolley to Chinatown, her grandfather's lap, and a Sunday morning in December 1941 when a pilot waved from the sky.
Excerpt from the finished film. Every film opens and closes by stating what was made and what was not.
Stills from the film. Visuals AI-generated; interview audio unaltered.
Thirteen of twenty-three scenes.
A hukilau childhood, a summer on Popoiʻa, and the day three trucks ran the gate at Kāneʻohe Marine Corps Base to take a stand at Mōkapu.
Excerpt from the finished film. Every film opens and closes by stating what was made and what was not.
Stills from the film. Visuals AI-generated; interview audio unaltered.
Thirteen of twenty-five scenes.
A hukilau in the 1960s. A trolley on Waiʻalae Avenue. A kitchen on a Sunday morning in December. These were ordinary days, and nobody was documenting them — which is exactly why they had to be rebuilt rather than found.
Tell us what is coming up and what you already have. We will screen a complete film and show you the research behind it.