Ke Kahea: An Invitation into Sacred Space

After receiving a kahea (calling) from ancestral lineages on Maui to create kapa for unearthed iwi kūpuna (skeletal remains), cultural practitioner Aʻiaʻi Bello extended the calling to her circle of women in the community. Those that stepped forth were propelled on a transformative journey, and as they learned to transform the wauke plant into sacred kapa, they found themselves changed in the process as well.

Directed by Justyn Ah Chong
Producted by Aʻiaʻi Bello

Director’s Bio: Justyn Ah Chong is a Native Hawaiian filmmaker from Mililani, Oʻahu. After graduating from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts in 2011, Justyn worked as a cinematographer and editor at ʻŌiwi Television Network – Hawaii’s premiere Indigenous broadcast station. In 2019 his debut narrative short Down on the Sidewalk in Waikīkī screened at over 25 festivals around the world, winning several awards. Most recently, Justyn was involved in producing the George Helm narrative bio-pic, Hawaiian Soul, which won best short at ImagineNative Film Festival, Hawaii International Film Festival, and several others. He’s currently producing Kekama Amona’s narrative short film, E Mālama Pono Willy Boy, and is on the festival circuit with a short doc Pili Ka Moʻo, which recently won Best Short Documentary at the 2022 Maoriland Film Festival. Justyn is now in pre-production on a narrative anthology feature film entitled Makawalu. Concurrently, Justyn shoots, directs, and edits culturally-inspired, place-based films, music videos, and commercials on a work-for-hire basis through his production company, Olonā Media.

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