Kūkini

In 1790 Hawaiʻi, an elite warrior must leave his family behind when sent on a deadly mission to report on the bloody war waged by Kamehameha against Maui. When captured by the enemy, he is miraculously saved by someone who has a message for him of their own.

Directed by Mitchel Merrick
Produced by Paula Fuga, Gerard Elmore, Chris Kahunahana, Brian Keaulana, Linda Nichols, Robert Nichols, Kaitlyn Ledzian

Director’s Bio: Born and raised in Hawaiʻi, Mitchel Merrick is a filmmaker who first fell in love with making movies with the camcorder he
received as a birthday present when he was 10. He received his Bachelor’s of Media and Creative Technology from the University of Waikato in Aotearoa, then returned home to continue developing his craft. After self-producing a series of shorts, he had the honor of participating in ‘Ohina’s inaugural filmmaker’s lab and received mentorship for his script “Kālewa” under Joe Robert Cole (Black Panther). “Kālewa” received the Greenlight Award from ‘Ohina along with full funding to be produced, then went on to screen at dozens of festivals around the world. Since “Kālewa” (2018), he has produced a handful of other shorts, a feature film “Water Like Fire” (2020), and continues to work on elevating Hawai’i-centered stories through film. His current film, Kūkini, is traveling to film festivals around the world.

Plays in

Moananuiākea: An Anthology of Us

Moananuiākea – the ocean, not only connects millions of miles between the islands of the Pacific, but connects the people who inhabit it. The Anthology of Us are the stories that tie people together across time and space. It aims to celebrate the diversity of human experiences from the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander point of view, while also reflecting on the universal emotions and connections that define “us” as a community or society.