Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 27, Number 10, 1 ʻOkakopa 2010 — Naʻalehu Anhnoy from the Hokuleʻa to the helm of ba feature film [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Naʻalehu Anhnoy from the Hokuleʻa to the helm of ba feature film

By Francine Murray KaWai Ola Mau Piailug could read the sky, its weather and the many faces of the sea. The stars revealed themselves to him like ancient maps. He was one of the last true wayfinders. He was a man of the sea. This man and the Hōkūle'a are forever bound in spirit. Their story unfolds in the first solo feature-length documentary film by the filmmaker/producer Na'alehu Anthony. Inspired by a real simple concept, "We wanted to do an oral history with him," said Anthony. "We wanted to do the bulk of his interviews in Satawalese, because that's the language that he ean be very descriptive and very honest with." And when it eame time to scout a location where Piailug would be as comfortable as possible, there was only one plaee that made sense. "We had to do it in Satawal," Anthony said, referring to Piailug's home island. The production across the Paeilie wasn't easy, "We went through amazing amounts of impossible tasks to tell the story," said Anthony. "I feel like we've done justice for Papa Mau's story. I'm proud I got to meet him. I'm really, really proud that as a crew we got to take the canoes over

there and honor all the work that he has done." Anthony started working on the Hōkūle'a while it was in dry dock in 1997. "I've always liked to work on things with my hands, building stuff and creating stuff." At the same time he was a student at the University of Hawai'i when he sought advice from kūpuna. Should he follow his love for Almmaking and further his education abroad or stay at UH and pursue an MBA? Words of wisdom suggested, if he planned to have a career in Hawai'i the networking in college here would serve him well. The young entrepreneur stayed at UH and earned his master's in Business Administration.

while starting a muhimedia production company that evolved into Palikū Documentary Films. The sound networking advice rang true for Anthony, who frequently collaborates in business ventures with contacts within his eollege network. One of them, Keoni Lee, heeame his partner in a eahle TV venture. With the help of Oeeanie Cable, they created 'Ōiwi TV, an on-demand Hawaiian television station free on Oeeanie digital eahle 326 or online at oiwi.tv. Anthony's advice for others? "Just go do it. Kū'ē something - stand up for something. It doesn't matter what it is. If it brings some emotion to you, it will to other people. And if you believe in it then you should just do it." Anthony continued, "Don't let anyone take that away from you and tell you that's not a story worth telling or that's not a journey worth taking." Take the journey. Watch the movie. ■

Papa Mau: the Wayfinder By Na'alehu Anthony Palikū Documentary Films Premiere at HIFF 0ct. 16, 5 p.m. 0ct. 23, 11:30 a.m. Tickets anel information at HIFF.org

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Hōkūle'a. -Photos: Courtesy of Na'alehu Anthony