Capitol Hill Screening Of Hawaii Of Voice For Sovereignty

May 5, 2009 - PRLog -- Hawaii A Voice for Sovereignty, the first of its kind documentary about the native Hawaiians plight to preserve their culture and its connection to the land and their spirituality will have its world premiere on June 4th, 2009 on Capitol Hill in the stunning new Capitol Visitor Center ( CVC) .This epic documentary contains rare interviews, 2005-2009 with Native Hawaiians such as Professor Haunani-Kay Trask, one of Hawaii’s Native leaders and scholars, Senator J. Kalani English, Willie K, Grammy nominee and award-winning musician Na Hoku Hanohan, and grass roots voices of the people throughout the islands. Included is also an interview with, NY Times best selling author Gregg Braden, of Fractal Time: The Secret of 2012 and a New World Age, who connects the value of the ancient wisdom of indigenous people to knowledge of taking care of all life on the earth today.
Hawaii A Voice for Sovereignty , is a journey led by the indigenous people themselves, which takes the viewer into rarely seen ancient lifestyles where spirituality, culture, and care for the land form a sacred and sustaining bond between humankind and the
natural world. We experience their quest to maintain their self-sustainability through their culture, spirituality and connection to the land and natural resources. Cultural, social, economic, and ecological issues of the Hawaiians and their relationship to the land
has been at the forefront of the native Hawaiians struggles since the takeover by the United States in 1893 and is at the forefront of their goals to prevent their culture and people from vanishing today.


This documentary has garnered global media coverage in the USA, China, Africa, Germany - all nations are taking interest in Hawaii A Voice for Sovereignty as it shows that the Hawaiian native experience is universal; and it demonstrates that we are all connected and depend on the land and natural resources of the planet for survival.Taking viewers beyond the broad headlines, filmmaker Catherine Bauknight’s brings us a deep understanding through the voice of the Native Hawaiians of how the culture,land,and spirituality of the indigenous people are inextricably linked. Catherine Bauknight’s
exploration of cultural identities has its origins within her photojournalist background. A professional photographer for over two decades, Bauknight’s work has been featured in such distinguished publications as The New York Times, cover of Time Magazine, The Los Angeles Times, Newsweek Magazine, USA Today,Rolling Stone, and People Magazine. She was one of five international photographers who risked their lives to cover the Tiananmen Square massacre. She has always been drawn to document the culture of people. She says it’s the identity of the people and the heart of communication within cultures and with other cutlures.

Bauknight was compelled to uncover the true story of the Hawaiian indigenous people as she saw the first sign to be the lack of presence in their homeland “I knew there was a reason Native Hawaiians were not visible and I felt I had to find out what their pain was”. Bauknight eventually gained the trust of local Hawaiians and committed to telling the documentary in the words of the Indigenous people . “It is very important to give people with a connection to Hawaii this opportunity to come together and learn about the history and communicate with each other, the indigenous, through the film. One may know about Hawaii as a tourist destination but the documentary is a vivid sensory experience of the Hawaiian’s lives and what remains important to them to maintain their people and their culture today and become sustainable for future generations,” says film director Catherine Bauknight who has been tirelessly working on this groundbreaking documentary four years.

A short version of Hawaii A Voice for Sovereignty, in 2007 has already received accolades including full house screenings at Maui Film Festival and a standing ovation at Hana Film Festival. The much anticipated world premiere of the full length documentary Hawaii A Voice for Sovereignty at Capitol Hill on June 4th will prove to be a historic and memorable occasion for indigenous people and all participants. One of the fiscal sponsor for the film is the International Documentary Association,a non-profit organization supporting documentary film making.To learn more about Hawaii A Voice for Sovereignty visit www.catherinebauknight.com

# # #

A Premiere Boutique PR Agency Specializing in Representing Small Businesses, Independent Films and Entrepreneurs in Film, Fashion, Art and Music. They also consult in Sponsorship and Marketing and Feature Film Development and Distribution