COMPONENTGEEK | Archive | My KoAloha Story

ALOHA COMPONENTGEEK!! Great News!!!

I am very proud to announce My KoAloha Story will have it's official World Premiere debut for a public audience at the Hawaii International Film Festval. Woo hoo!!

I and all of KoAloha Ukulele are deeply grateful to HIFF and the judging committee this year for selecting our film to have it's World Premiere screening in Hawaii. I would not have seen it any other way. It is really a dream come true and a blessing to bring this film first and foremost to where the story originates and that is in beautiful Honolulu, Hawaii and home of KoAloha Ukulele. We are also so lucky to have not just one but THREE SCREENINGS!!! Let me repeat that!! THREE Screenings!!

This is pretty rare in the film festival world and all of us at KoAloha are extremely ecstatic and hope to bring as many ukulele and KoAloha family there. I really want to make sure we can pack the house at both screenings and send a message to the world that this film needs to be seen by everyone from the mainland and beyond. This film is not your run of the mill ukulele documentary. It is far from that. It is the story of the Okami family, the story of individual lives they have been touched through their ukulele and the power of KoAloha as a message of hope, love, and Ohana.

If you live on Oahu you have no excuse. This is your chance to see something special, share in a momentous occasion and to celebrate the life long work of KoAloha through this film. So please do not delay! Purchase your tickets in advance by going to the HIFF website: My KoAloha Story Tickets! Mahalo to KoAloha Ukulele, the Okami family, and all who contributed their stories, music, and time to this film. This film would not have been made with out the help of the entire KoAloha Ohana. I thank you so much for believing in this work. Gary San Angel Director

My KoAloha Story will have the World Premiere and Screening at three venues:

Saturday, October 15 at 7pm

Sunset on the Beach in Waikiki

Queens Beach, Waikiki (intersection of Kalakaua & Kapahulu)

Parking: Free parking at the Waikiki Shell, Metered parking at the Honolulu Zoo and on Kalakaua Ave (South of Monsarrat). Public Transportation: Buses B, E, 2, 4, 8, 14, 19, 20, 22, 23, 24, 42, 98, 201, 202, 203 stop near the intersection of Kapahulu Ave & Kalakaua Ave. Thursday, October 20th at 6:30pm at Dole Cannery A

Thursday, October 20 at 6:30PM

Regal Dole Cannery Stadium 18 Theatres & IMAX

735 Iwilei Rd Honolulu, HI 96817

Phone: (808) 528-3653

Parking: Validated parking is available at the Dole Cannery garage. Enter garage on Pacific St. Public Transportation: Buses 19, 20 stop in front of Dole Cannery. Driving Directions: How to get to the theater from Waikiki

Friday, October 28 at 7:00PM

Hilo Palace Theatre

38 Haili Street, Hilo, Hawaii 96720

Phone: (808) 934-7010

Aloha Everyone! I just want to announce the launch of the new KoAloha Story site at www.koalohastory.com. Home of the KoAloha Story Film Series and the new "TalkUlele" Online video collection of KoAloha stories.

The KoAloha Ukulele Story is an animated documentary film short about Hawaii’s very own Renaissance man and inventor Alvin Okami and his amazing story about how he changed his plastics company into one of the worlds most admired and respected ukulele companies.

I was really inspired by people’s reactions to our little animated film and how it was an opportunity for people to share their own personal stories and experiences about how they found the ukulele and found a connection to the Okami and KoAloha family. Because of the amazing response we had from the first film I touched base with Alvin’s son Alan Okami about the possibility of putting together a Part 2 to the animated film which would tell the story of their family after the miniature ukulele was made.

The film project is called "My KoAloha Story" the idea being everyone has their own KoAloha Story, a story with heart, passion, and inspiration, a story that connects us to family.

For part of the films process, I worked with people around the country and even in Great Britain who wanted to share their KoAloha Story. I even arranged for my personal HD video camera to be sent out or had them film themselves with their own high quality camera. The process of crossing borders and building relationships with people who I had no contact with before except for their connection to KoAloha was rather quite powerful. Each person had a set of simple open questions to answer about their connection to KoAloha and their love of the ukulele. It was really that simple- Just tell your story. Sometimes we were even blessed to get a song or two on their KoAloha ukulele so much of the music from the interviews became the soundtrack to the film.

Part of this unique community style of filmmaking comes from years of working in the theater and building communities through this unique story telling process. I was fortunate enough to test it out with NYC based artist Taiyo Na using his beautiful song "Lovely to Me (Immigrant Mother)" and working with the Asian Arts Initiative community as the story gathers for the images to the song. I put the camera in the hands of the community and youth and they filmed their moms and grandmothers. It was really a moving experience. Lovely to Me (Immigrant Mother) premiered at the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival and now has a home online at www.lovelytome.com where you can see the music video and documentary film as well as contribute your own photos to honor your mom.

I hope this gives you an idea of the simple and profound concept of putting the camera in the hands of the community and why I feel passionately about the work of the KoAloha Story Film Series. My KoAloha Story is not only the story of the Okami family but it is your story too, a community story that makes up the larger KoAloha Ohana. It reminds us to never forget our stories, to never forget where we came from "warts and all" because life at it's most honest and vulnerable place of challenge and strife is where we see our true inner beauty, our humanity.

I have been very blessed to be sort of a conductor of this KoAloha Symphony of Stories. I have had the humble honor of making two documentary films about Papa KoAloha and the Okami family that I hope captures the heart of what KoAloha does best and that's sending love out to the world with their beautiful instruments.

Papa KoAloha's story was just the seed. And I hope that you can help me by continuing to be a part of this oral history project which does not end with the film but continues as a living archive online here at www.koalohastory.com. Whether you are a novice ukulele player or master, or just a person with a story to tell, please share and be a part of this project. This is an opportunity to share your story and to celebrate a unique and inspirational ukulele company and to add your story to the KoAloha Ohana.

Many thanks for supporting KoAloha and the work of these films. I encourage you to sign up and be a subscriber. We will be celebrating the work of the KoAloha films by screening them through the KoAloha Story website and posting never before seen stories and short films. So stay tuned!

I hope that all these collective stories inspire you to share your KoAloha story at www.koalohastory.com or in your own communities.

Mucho Maholos to all! I look forward to hearing from you soon!

Gary San Angel
Director
The KoAloha Ukulele Story and My KoAloha Story

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Browsing Category My KoAloha Story

My KoAloha Story – World Premiere at the Hawaii International Film Festival