|
|
|
 |
|
  |
|
|
|
Table of Contents
LIVING PONO Screenings
Rick Bacigalupi JASON SOEDA: Aloha, Rick! We know you've been involved in educational and socially meaningful filmmaking for many years. What attracted you to the LIVING PONO project? RICK BACIGALUPI: I heard about what Jason was doing at his Big Island taro farm on an episode of "Pacific Fusion" on television in San Francisco, hosted by Brook Lee. I was looking for my next film project and it sounded like something that would fit nicely with the environmental and cultural themes I've been focusing on so far. JS: Tell us what it was like pitching the idea to Jason Scott Lee. RB: At first I thought to myself, who are you kidding? A big star like Jason Scott Lee doesn't have time for an unknown independent like me. But then I got to thinking, "What the heck," and e-mailed Jason. After a few weeks and a meeting, to my amazement he generously said, "Let's do it!" So it turns out the hard part wasn't actually dealing with a celebrity, the hard part was deciding to ask in the first place. JS: During principal photography, what challenges did you encounter between Hollywood and the Big Island? RB: Production has gone very smoothly so far. JS: How has working on the LIVING PONO affected your views on sustainability and the environment? RB: The experience of shooting and staying at Jason's off-the-grid farm Pu Mu has really stuck with me. For one thing, I'll never take a warm shower for granted again! More importantly, the story is about a person who is making a conscious decision to be aware about his impact on the environment and the community he lives in every single day. Someone who is looking to indigenous traditions and listening to the elders to instruct a plan for living that just makes more sense. It's a story about Hawaii and Hawaiians but it's also a story about the Earth and all of us who aren't planning to leave it any time soon. I really hope the film will be a vehicle for the subjects' message to inspire others to start thinking about changes they can make themselves, wherever they are. JS: You had great Hawaii talent on your production team. Jeannette Paulson Hereniko. Justina Mattos. Brook Lee. Do you have plans to work with any of them again? RB: This cut of LIVING PONO is a work-in-progress, so my fantastic production team is not off the hook yet! Co-producer Justina Mattos has been the backbone of the operation and the project simply would not be possible without her invaluable contribution. Consultants Jeannette and Brook's encouragement and input has been sustaining from the very beginning. Roland Joseph Torres of Kama'aina Backroads has joined as a co-producer and is assisting in putting together a board of cultural advisors who will begin close review of the cuts as they progress. I would work with any of these talented people again at the drop of a hat. But first things first: let's get TOWARD LIVING PONO (our new working title!) in the can! JS: What do you want audiences to take away from this film? RB: I hope the example that Jason and the kupuna in the film set will help each of us become more mindful of how we're living our own lives on a daily basis and get us thinking about the influence we have on our neighbors and the planet. As it has with me, I hope the piece may get people to begin redefining what we think of as being "successful" in life.
Just For Fun: HIFF Survey
|
|
 |
|
||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||
