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Act of War
The Overthrow of the Hawaiian Nation This hour-long documentary is a provocative look at a historical event of which few Americans are aware. In mid-January, 1893, armed troops from the U.S.S. Boston landed at Honolulu in support of a treasonous coup d'etat against the constitutional sovereign of the Hawaiian Kingdom, Queen Lili'uokalani. The event was described by U.S. President Grover Cleveland as "an act of war." Stylized re-enactments, archival photos and film, political cartoons, historic quotes and presentations by Hawaiian scholars tell Hawaiian history through Hawaiian eyes. Produced in association with the Center for Hawaiian Studies, University of Hawai'i. Featuring historians and scholars Haunani-Kay Trask, Lilikala Kame'eleihiwa, Kekuni Blaisdell and Jonathan Osorio. Act of War - The Overthrow of the Hawaiian Nation was one of the first productions funded by the fledgling Independent Television Service in late 1991. With supplemental funding from Native American Public Telecommunications, then called the Native American Public Broadcasting Consortium, the production was completed in 1993. It was broadcast on Hawai'i Public Television during the centennial year of the overthrow of Queen Lili'uokalani, a landmark year in the Hawaiian movement for sovereignty and independence. In that same year, the U.S. Congress passed a joint resolution admitting the illegal taking of Hawai'i and formally apologizing to the Hawaiian people. President Clinton signed the resolution in November of 1993. The program has since been aired on 93 public television stations. Length: 58 minutes 1993 Major funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting through the Independent Television Service All VHS and DVD copies are U.S. standard except for PAL VHS Read Reviews | Read Viewer Feedback Broadcast PBS WNET (New York) Aotearoa Television Network (New Zealand) Televise Samoa TV-Stop (Denmark) Cablecast/direct broadcast satellite Aboriginal Peoples Television Network - Canada Free Speech TV World Link TV Australia cable channels U.S. cable channels Awards "Web of Time" Award Two Rivers Native Film & Video Festival - Minnesota Silver Award - Independent Documentary category CPB 1994 Public Radio & Television Awards "Golden Eagle" CINE Bronze Plaque Award Columbus International Film and Video Festival Special recognition and plaque Dreamspeakers - Alberta, Canada Best of Festival Best Documentary East Bay Video Festival - Berkeley, CA Special Recognition, First Nations Film and Video World Alliance Yamagata International Documentary Festival - Japan Special recognition and statuette Aotearoa Film Festival - Aotearoa (New Zealand) nominated for best documentary nominated for best of Hawai'i Filmmakers Hawai'i International Film Festival Screenings Berlin International Film Festival Margaret Mead Film Festival - New York WYNC Human Rights Film Festival - New York 15th Festival du Film d'Amiens - France Vermont International Film Festival Kennedy Center - Washington D.C. Vancouver International Film Festival Festival International du Nouveau Cinema e de la Video de Montreal Wellington Film Festival The Asia Society - New York City San Francisco Asian American International Film Festival Asian American Film Festival - Washington, D.C. Pacific Rim Film Festival - Santa Cruz, California Black International Cinema - Chicago, New York, Berlin Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film & Video Festival World Community Film Festival - Vancouver 1994 Asia Pacific Film Tour Best of the Hawai'i International Film Festival tour Native American Film & Video Festival, National Museum of the American Indian - New York City First Nations Film & Video Festival of Chicago Festival of the Dreaming - Sydney IMAG e NATION, Aboriginal Film & Video Festival - Vancouver Native Americas International Film Exposition - Santa Fe First Nations Film & Video Festival of Chicago International Feature Film Market - New York City Reviews (selected quotes) "Act of War" makes the case for Hawaiian sovereignty in scholarly and artful fashion...this film does a good job of avoiding empty rhetoric. It is a potent educational tool. Honolulu Advertiser ...compelling documentary...relevant facts are presented in painstaking detailªartfully produced...speaks to native Hawaiians, students and history buffs. Booklist, Sept. 1, 1994 ...outstanding documentary...still photos are used and interwoven with the story to add to the history and enjoyment...music and computer animation are subtly used. I compliment the Hawaiian consultants/writers. Their dedication and hard work will allow many teachers, students, and others the opportunity to know the history of the islands. (Five star rating) Video Rating Guide - Vol. 5, No. 3 Startles in its depth and sweep of history...comprehensive and emotionally potent...a primer on the contemporary revisionist view of Hawaiian history. Hawaiian history and its gradual subjugation by foreigners is painstakingly re-enacted. Act of War speaks with the moral authority of Native Hawaiians. Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film and Video Festival This film is fascinating from two aspects, the parallels and genealogical proximity to our own Maori history and from the perspective that the US' subtle annexation of Hawai'i was really the just the beginning of what has turned into a history of stealing in the name of big business. City Voice, Wellington The question of American authority over native peoples is at the heart of this film...the film makes excellent use of still photos, film footage, artwork, and reenactments, and the moment-by-moment accounts and quotes read from diaries, letters, and press reports add to the realism of this historical event. The film's engrossing story paints a very disturbing warning for its viewers. Library Journal - Nov. 15, 1994 Hawai'i's history is presented from the Native Hawaiian point of view...like their familiar volcanic eruptions, activists threaten to disrupt the beautiful islands as they clamor for their justifiable rights...they have a good point to make. School Library Journal - May, 1994 All VHS and DVD copies are U.S. standard except for PAL VHS | ||||||||||||
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