REEL WĀHINE OF HAWAI‘I SEASON 4 CAST & CREW announced!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 10, 2023

Hawai‘i Women in Filmmaking announces REEL WĀHINE OF HAWAI‘I SEASON 4 CAST & CREW

Honolulu, HI — January 10, 2023 — Hawai‘i Women in Filmmaking is excited to announce that the 4th installment of Reel

Wāhine of Hawai‘i is currently in pre-production. Season 4 of Reel Wāhine of Hawai‘i showcases the often untold stories of Hawai‘i women filmmakers, celebrating the powerful and important work of pioneering women who paved the way to help build the local industry as well as emerging rising stars who continue to create groundbreaking work. The season offers six new episodes that document the real-life stories of these filmmakers through a female gaze, while also redressing gender inequity in the male-dominated film industry by hiring all-women filmmaking crews. Those featured in the film series include:

• Stephanie Castillo

• Ann Marie Kirk

• Jana Kealohaokeakua Park

• Leanne Ka‘iulani Ferrer

• Shaneika Aguilar

• Sancia Miala Shiba Nash

“We are thrilled to feature such powerful, creative and activist storytellers this season,” said series co-producer Shirley Thompson. “We will feature Leanne Ka‘iulani Ferrer as the first executive producer in our series. Through funding and support of local and Pacific Islander filmmakers, Leanne Ferrer and the organization she led, Pacific Islanders in Communications, have had a massive influence in building the Hawai‘i indie film industry. Likewise, seasoned filmmakers Stephanie Castillo (Sandaan: 100 years of Filipinos in America), Ann Marie Kirk (Homealani) and Jana Kealohaokeakua Park (My Partner, E Malama Pono Willy Boy) show a depth and breadth of experience in both documentary and narrative films.” Series co-producer Vera Zambonelli adds, “We are also pleased to highlight the work of two of our brightest rising stars in our local film industry, camerawoman/editor Shaneika Aguilar and camerawoman/editor Sancia Miala Shiba Nash, who are reimagining and evolving the way we tell stories with their unique visual styles.” Thompson and Zambonelli said that the core of this project is to tell the full story of Hawaiʻi filmmakers and to provide a space to feature the work of these women and have it documented for generations to come.

Each film will be directed by a Hawai‘i woman filmmaker. This season’s directors are Meleanna Aluli Meyer, Marlene Booth, Amber McClure, Fé Vásquez, as well as Thompson and Zambonelli. The all-women crews include seven aspiring young filmmakers, who will work as interns on the project and closely collaborate with the directors, who will be mentoring them through the entire creative process from pre-production to filming to editing. “It just fills my heart to see the community that we have built and continue to build and how once people are part of this project, in front of the camera or behind the camera, that keeps the community of women filmmakers growing here in Hawaiʻi. We now know each other, we have worked together, and feel like we can call each other and hire each other and collaborate to make even better films.” - Shirley Thompson “With Reel Wāhine of Hawaiʻi, we ensure that the story of all these wāhine, their accomplishments and challenges, and how they overcome those challenges in their filmmaking journey don't go untold. We ensure these stories and their contributions are not erased, ignored, or undervalued but are documented, made visible, and cherished now and forever.” - Vera Zambonelli “I'm very excited about being able to contribute to an already very impressive pot of stories about Hawai‘i women in filmmaking. This project brings together multiple aspects of my life, so I feel like it must mean I'm on the right path. I'm very honored to be here.” - Amber McClure “I envision this series to be a conduit that enhances wāhine voices especially in filmmaking which is a medium that I adore. I also want to strengthen my own voice. I work more in the marketing advertising arena of filmmaking and it is still massively male dominated. So what an amazing opportunity to work with women and have a whole different experience of femininity consciousness and awareness.” - Fé Vásquez “We need to be seen, we need

to be fully rendered. I think that's a really good way for me to put it, to have women embodied in their work, to be able to see who they really are instead of these little veneers of women that people think we are, we're so much more. So I have to say, I'm really humbled to be included” - Meleanna Aluli Meyer “I haven't been an active community filmmaker in the same way since the pandemic. So this is a chance for me to contribute and reenter. That's one of the big why's for me. I'm also working on my own film, an autobiographical portrait about my father. That kind of work can become sort of introspective, a sort of folding in on myself. So the chance to unfold and to unfold in company with other creative women is what draws me to this project.” - Marlene Booth The SEASON 4 films:

Reel Wāhine of Hawai‘i: Stephanie Castillo directed by Marlene Booth - intern: Jessi Wong Reel Wāhine of Hawai‘i: Ann Marie Kirk directed by Amber McClure - intern: Lee-Won Fulbright Reel Wāhine of Hawai‘i: Jana Kealohaokeakua Park directed by Fé Vasquez - intern: Nataly Kosevich Reel Wāhine of Hawai‘i: Leanne Ka‘iulani Ferrer directed by Vera Zambonelli - interns: Ava Nakagawa and Ka‘iulani Ferrer Reel Wāhine of Hawai‘i: Shaneika Aguilar directed by Shirley Thompson - intern: Malia Adams Reel Wāhine of Hawai‘i: Sancia Miala Shiba Nash directed by Meleanna Meyer - intern: Martha Nicholas

### For more information, press only: Vera Zambonelli (808) 206-0848 vera@hawaiiwomeninfilmmaking.org Shirley Thompson (808) 457-7924 me@shirleythompson.net Visit our page for more information: reelwahineofhawaii.org See the film trailer for Season 3 and the 1 minute trailer. About Hawaiʻi Women in Filmmaking: Hawaiʻi Women in Filmmaking advocates for women and girls (cis/trans), femmes, non-binary, gender-fluid and gender-queer to tell their stories through film with an intersectional lens. hawaiiwomeninfilmmaking.org.