Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 28, Number 2, 1 February 2011 — Sundance Film Festival selects Hawaiian-language film [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Sundance Film Festival selects Hawaiian-language film

The Sundance Film Festival, considered the premiere platform for independent film, selected a Hawaiian-language film to show during its Jan. 20 to 30 run in Park City, Utah. Stones, a short film written and directed by Honolulu-born Ty Sanga, will show as part of the

festival's new Native Showcase, whieh highlights an emerging generation of Native American and indigenous filmmakers. "For 2011, we

are pleased to be able to shine a light on indigenous filmmakers working around the world in the short-form medium and to provide festivalgoers with a window into native storytelling," Trevor Groth, Sundance Film Festival Director of Programming, said in a statement. Sanga, the Director, said, "We are especially indebted to Sundance's Bird Runningwater of the Native American and Indigenous Program for his belief in our film and to the Sundance Institute for their eommitment to indigenous filmmakers and this exceptional recognition." Stones is adapted from a Native Hawaiian legend and shot in the Hawaiian language. It is a love story about the last native Mu eouple on

the island, Na'iwi (Moses Goods) and Nihipali (Rava Shastid), and their struggle to accept newcomers to the island. Mouming the loss of her son, Nihipali is torn between her desire to befriend a young girl from the village and her husband's insistence to maintain their separation.

Ty Sanga