Student Song Directors From One Voice Film Share What They Learned From Kamehameha School Song Contest

HONOLULU, HI, October 09, 2010

ONE VOICE will make its Hawaii premiere at the Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF) on October 15th at Dole Cannery Stadium 18 Theaters. It follows the students as they prepare for the Song Contest, detailing their contributions to perpetuating the Hawaiian culture. Through the stories and the lives of these contemporary high school students, the audience will experience Hawaiian culture as it has survived, flourished and grown through the universal power of music and song.

All the student song directors in the film have left Kamehameha Schools and most have moved on to college in Hawaii or on the mainland. Kahala Rowe, class of 2008 Girls' Competition Director, is attending Brigham University in Lai'e and enjoys the atmosphere of mingling with students from all over the world, such as Kenya, Russia, Samoa and Hong Kong.

"As a Kanaka (person) you gotta represent, we're a dying race, you know," says Rowe. "There's not many people that olelo (speak the language). It almost makes me jealous to hear Samoan spoken so fluently out there and I think that's what opened my eyes."

Class of 2010 Combined Class Competition Director Zachary Lum _http://hawaiipacificentertainment.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e67980652c31f98ee8ea3fa2d&id=d28f5bb44e&e=2218449fae_ is a freshman at the University of Hawaii at Manoa on a full Regent Scholarship. His goal is to study music and Hawaiian language, and he says "I guarantee that whatever I have learned here, and it's been a lot, I'm going to use it more, I just don't know what yet. It's exciting!"

Brolin-Duke Kawewehi, class of 2009 Boys' Competition Director, is attending the University of Oregon at Eugene and says although he loves Hawaii, being away from home is an opportunity to spread the Hawaiian culture. "They ask me, How come you moved away? You would be the first person who stayed home. But I told them I'm just trying to do my part. It's one thing to stay home and be a part of your Hawaiian culture because it's right here, but it's another thing to go out and be away from Hawaii and still hold the Hawaiian flag on your shoulder."

Class of 2009 Combined Class Competition Director Nadia Le'i is a sophomore at Menlo College in California majoring in communications. "Participation in the One Voice project really inspired me to get into my major. Being away from Hawaii I really try my best to show my classmates up in California the Aloha Spirit. I think it's really important to go up there and be respectful and show them our true culture."

In her second year at Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York, Sienna Achong says life on the east coast has been a culture shock. The class of 2009 Girls' Competition Director says it's frustrating because people still joke about Hawaiians wearing grass skirts and coconuts. "When I'm at college, the way that I represent being Kanaka, is just letting people know about my culture, about being Hawaiian. That Hawaiian isn't just about being from Hawaii, it's actually a blood thing that we have ancestors that lived here, that we had our own culture, we have our own language. I'm just shocked that the stereotypes are still out there."

Ka'ai'?helo McAfee-Torco is attending Emerson College in Boston Massachusetts. the class of 2010 Girls' Competition Director says directing a team of students isn't easy and this experience at Song Contest has helped her develop many important skills. "I know that throughout my life I'm going to have to communicate with other people so I've definitely learned that from Song Contest," says McAfee-Torco.

A freshman at Pepperdine University, class of 2010 Boys' Competition Director Maxwell Mukai says his experience at Song contest has taught him the importance of giving back to the Hawaiian community. "Doing something for the Hawaiian people as a service leader is what we were all about. "

Joshua "Baba" Tavares, who was the class of 2008 Boys' Competition Director, is now a student at the University of Hawaii at Hilo majoring in theater.

Preparations for filming begin months before the contest. The film follows the song leaders for an entire year as they prepare for the March 2008 competition. The theme for that year was Ola ka 'Olelo Oiwi o ka 'Aina - celebrating Hawaiian language revitalization.

RELEASE DATES

ONE VOICE's debut on Opening Weekend of HIFF on Friday, October 15, 2010 at Dole Cannery Stadium 18 Theaters is sold out. Additional screenings have been added for Wednesday, October 20th and Saturday, October 23 at Sunset on the Beach in Waikiki. The film festival runs from October 14-24.

For more information on ONE VOICE, visit the following Web sites:

http://www.onevoicemovie.com _http://hawaiipacificentertainment.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e67980652c31f98ee8ea3fa2d&id=d430af264a&e=2218449fae_
http://www.piccom.org _http://hawaiipacificentertainment.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e67980652c31f98ee8ea3fa2d&id=5ddd0a3b82&e=2218449fae_
http://www.facebook.com/OneVoiceMovie _http://hawaiipacificentertainment.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e67980652c31f98ee8ea3fa2d&id=7eed7ce0d1&e=2218449fae_
http://www.twitter.com/OneVoiceMovie _http://hawaiipacificentertainment.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e67980652c31f98ee8ea3fa2d&id=6c977cc3d4&e=2218449fae_
http://www.youtube.com/piccom1 _http://hawaiipacificentertainment.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e67980652c31f98ee8ea3fa2d&id=e1b9970d28&e=2218449fae_

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5EZ_0GbRzQ _http://hawaiipacificentertainment.us1.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=e67980652c31f98ee8ea3fa2d&id=d6a15104dc&e=2218449fae_
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cll-SBbT6MY&feature=related _http://hawaiipacificentertainment.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e67980652c31f98ee8ea3fa2d&id=3e54c6d1e4&e=2218449fae_

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The mission of Pacific Islanders in Communications is to support, advance, and develop Pacific Island media content and talent that results in a deeper understanding of Pacific Island history, culture, and contemporary challenges. Established in Honolulu in 1991 as a national nonprofit media arts corporation, PIC is a member of the National Minority Consortia, which collectively addresses the need for programming that reflects America's growing ethnic and cultural diversity. Primary funding for PIC and the Consortia is provided through an annual grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Visit http://www.piccom.org _http://hawaiipacificentertainment.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e67980652c31f98ee8ea3fa2d&id=4cfc0175f4&e=2218449fae_ for additional information.