Hawaiian filmmaker, Justyn Ah Chong, focuses his work on telling the stories of his people. A few months ago, Justyn won a regional Emmy for a short film, Pili Ka Moʻo. The movie follows a native Hawaiian family as they fight to protect the land where their ancestors are buried.
Hawaiian filmmaker, Justyn Ah Chong, focuses his work on telling the stories of his people. A few months ago, Justyn won a regional Emmy for a short film, Pili Ka Moʻo. The movie follows a native Hawaiian family as they fight to protect the land where their ancestors are buried.
Pili Ka Moʻo is a part of Reciprocity Project, a series of original short films made by Indigenous directors on their homelands.
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Shelby Stanger:
Hawaii holds a special place in my heart. My grandma lived on Oahu for my entire childhood, and I grew up visiting her regularly. In pop culture, we often see the side of Hawaii that features its stunning beaches and fancy resorts, but these islands have a tumultuous history, and the native language and culture is sometimes overlooked. Hawaiian filmmaker, Justyn Ah Chong, focuses his work on telling the stories of his people. A few months ago, Justyn won a regional Emmy for a short film, Pili Ka Moʻo. The movie follows a native Hawaiian family as they fight to protect the land where their ancestors are buried. Justyn has been capturing stories from his community for most of his life. He was pretty young when he realized the value of celebrating and sharing his Hawaiian heritage. I'm Shelby Stanger, and this is Wild Ideas Worth Living, an REI Co-op Studios production. Justyn Ah Chong, welcome to Wild Ideas Worth Living.
Justyn Ah Chong:
Thank you. Thank you for having me.
Shelby Stanger:
I love that you initially greeted me with aloha.
Justyn Ah Chong:
Thank you. I feel very blessed and very fortunate to come from Hawaii, to come from native Hawaiian ancestry, and our language is extremely beautiful, almost completely died out at one point, but grateful with the efforts of lots of folks in our community over the last 40 years, there's been a beautiful revitalization of our language and of our culture, so [foreign language 00:01:40]. Nice to meet you.
Shelby Stanger:
So you grew up in Hawaii, what was it like growing up there and then how did you get into film?
Justyn Ah Chong:
Yeah. So for me, born and raised here in Hawaii, I feel like I had a pretty blessed and privileged life. I grew up with my parents and my younger brother. My family, my parents didn't know too much about Hawaiian culture, didn't know Hawaiian language, neither did my grandparents. And those are really the lasting effects of generations of American colonization and the intentional actions to sort of wipe out those things from our people. And so for me, I was in seventh grade when I first started taking Hawaiian language courses and really learning about our history. And so it really lit this fire in me and this passion that started this journey of identity and love for my culture that I didn't really know I had before. Also, at the same time, in seventh grade for my English class, they gave us a project where we had the whole year to basically write a fictional story and every student had to write some sort of story in a book.
And at the time, there was this local comedy show that had just come out on TV called The [inaudible 00:02:58] Friends, and I loved it. It was the first time I really seen... I just saw local humor on TV. And so man, I was like, oh, I want to do something like that. So I asked my teacher, hey, instead of writing a book, can I team up with my classmate, my friend, and we'll write a script? And you know what, we'll even shoot the movie. And I'd never written a script, never shot a movie or anything before, but she said, yeah, okay, go for it.
Shelby Stanger:
That's cool.
Justyn Ah Chong:
Yeah. And so we did, and we wrote this sort of action comedy silly story, and I used my mom's VHS camera at the time, and we had our family members as our actors and taught myself how to edit it together. This is on an old family PC computer at the time. And then, yeah, a few days before it was due, the whole file and computer crashed and everything corrupted, and I lost all my work and was just super devastated. And so all I could show on the day that we had it all due was all the raw footage shot all out of order. And I just remember feeling both devastated by that, but also motivated to want to learn how to actually do this correctly so that this never happens again. And I think for me, that really began my journey.
I took video production courses through high school, and when I applied to colleges, I applied only to film schools. And for me, it was this dream of anytime that we'd see Hawaii in movies coming out of Hollywood, it's often Hawaii's this paradise backdrop. And it really didn't capture the authentic lived experience of both locals and native Hawaiians alike and really what the true essence of Hawaii is. And at the same time, learning more about my culture, learning more about my history, really being moved by the stories of my past and the present and the people that I come from. I'm like, man, there's so many epic stories here. I would love to see these stories in a blockbuster type movie. And so yeah, that was the goal. And so I told myself, that's my journey.
Shelby Stanger:
Justyn ended up in film school at the University of Southern California. Once he graduated, he returned to Hawaii where he spent eight years working at a local production company. The company tells stories that highlight Hawaiian language and culture and Justyn's experience there set the foundation for his career. He's made films about a Hawaiian fashion designer, a janitor who cleans up after tourists on Oahu, and he's currently working on a film about a young male hula dancer. In 2022, Justyn made the film Pili Ka Moʻo as part of a series called The Reciprocity Project. So how did this film come to be?
Justyn Ah Chong:
In 2020, I actually was chosen to be a fellow for... It's this fellowship program called Fourth World Media Lab that is put together by an organization called Neaterro, in which they would bring together... Every year they'd have a new cohort of about seven or eight indigenous filmmakers from around the world. And essentially we'd be a cohort and they'd give us support and networking to help us out on whatever project we were working on at the moment. Shortly after that fellowship, they kind of spearheaded the idea for this film series Reciprocity Project, in which the idea behind it was, let's get together a handful of indigenous filmmakers in thinking about and reflecting on what is important, what's actually necessary to thrive. One of the things that they realized and really wanted to explore was this idea that, well, part of it is living in close connection and relationship with the natural world, with the earth, with each other.
And inherently, many at most if not all indigenous communities carry those kinds of values within their culture, within their ways, within their teachings. And so the idea for the Reciprocity Project was born out of this desire to explore this idea of what does reciprocity mean, right? In this world that we're seeing kind of crumble, this idea of capitalistic mentality where everything is take, take, take, and exponential growth, which really isn't sustainable and is really failing us at the moment, we remember that so many of our indigenous communities are built on this idea of reciprocity, of living in relationship with one another, living in relationship with the land that sustains us. And so yeah, that idea for this project was, well, let's put together a handful of indigenous filmmakers from different parts of the world, give them this prompt of exploring what does reciprocity mean within your own indigenous community and put a film together.
Shelby Stanger:
Justyn had already been shooting some footage that he realized would be a perfect fit for the Reciprocity Project. The protagonist of Justyn's Emmy-winning film is Kolea Fukumitsu, a tarot farmer on Oahu. Kolea and his family have been battling a large land developer who's building on their ancestral burial sites. When Justyn heard about what Kolea and his family were going through, he set out to document this story and to share it with the world. He did interviews with the family, followed them as they laid offerings at various sites and shot footage that showed the unique and important relationship between native Hawaiian people and their ancestors.
Justyn Ah Chong:
In Hawaiian culture, it was thought that our power, our mana, our essence of our being is located within our bones, within the EV and it resides there. And so when a person passes, all of that mana, all of that essence, all of that knowledge that they carry is still in their bones. And so where you place them in the earth, those bones and their remains really give that place mana. It really gives that place power. And so there's this inherent ask of us as the descendants to kind of continue to maintain and care for these places. And in return, they can continue to give us guidance, continue to give us support from beyond the veil. And often we ask in our prayers or in our chants or just in our meditations, I don't know if others, and I'm sure other cultures and other people do this, but we ask our family, we ask our ancestors for guidance, for wisdom, for knowledge, and oftentimes they reveal those things to us in certain ways.
I know I definitely do all the time, especially when I am about to endeavor on a new film project, I always ask for that guidance. And it was this interesting example of reciprocity in that whereas we often ask our ancestors for guidance, here's this moment in time where their remains are being desecrated, the land around them is being desecrated, and so they're really calling upon us and asking us for our abilities in this physical realm to do what we can to help them and protect them. So sort of the main character in my film, Kolea Fukumitsu who's the patriarch of his family, was asking, hey, just can you be respectful of the burials, not to do any digging or grubbing? And they didn't listen. They went in with machines and dug and all of that. And so it forced the family to sort of make a stand and kind of just put themselves in the road and try to block construction.
And they put that out on social media. And so this all came together and I just happened to be in the area and show up that day after Kolea got arrested with a camera in my hand and thought, man, what can I do to help get this family and this story out and just spread the word about what's going on to help garner support? And so that was the focus. And then it really dawned on me that what they were talking about caring for their [foreign language 00:11:35], their ancestral remains, really was this beautiful example of reciprocity.
Shelby Stanger:
When we come back, we talk more about how Justyn made Pili Ka Moʻo, his view on storytelling and his advice to live more wildly. Filmmaker Justyn Ah Chong recently won a regional Emmy for his film, Pili Ka Moʻo. It shares the story of a Hawaiian family's battle with a large developer who's desecrating their ancestral burial sites.
Footage from film:
Why is it that Hawaiian burials don't receive the same treatment as burials in the cemetery? They said, we don't want our children to inherit this struggle. And then I told them, a lot of times we pull upon the mana, the power of our ancestors to guide us. We walk on the land, we present ourselves with humility, and we ask for their wisdom. And we feel their presence with.
Shelby Stanger:
The film is thought-provoking and raises questions about land ownership and tradition. This story doesn't necessarily have a tidy ending, and it makes it clear that issues like these continue to face native Hawaiians every day. I'm just curious, what was it like to actually make the film, and are there any things you can talk about that just didn't even make the cut that you were excited about or stories from making it?
Justyn Ah Chong:
It was a bittersweet process. It was enjoyable to be hanging out with the family, to be learning from them, to be invited into their place, to walk their land with them and to see all of those things, but at the same time, really heavy, knowing the hurt that they carry, knowing the struggle that they've had to endure, knowing that that struggle is felt by their kids who have to endure it. And so there's a long line of generational hurt and trauma that's surfacing, that's being reckoned with, but to see their resilience through it all and their fortitude is just super inspirational.
And so for me, it was just really rewarding when the film was finally finished and they got to see it, their response was just, thank you. Thank you so much for doing this. We're moved, we're blown away. And Kolea's wife Summer had said, for so long, they've been so just in the battle and in the struggle and inundated with it all that oftentimes it's hard to really take a step back and look at it from a different perspective and breathe from it. And that's sort of what the film allowed them to do is see it from a different perspective and reflect on everything that they had been through and continue to go through. And I think for her, it gave her this renewed sense of hope and peace in a way, which for me means everything.
Shelby Stanger:
Well, I mean, not to give it away to everybody listening to this, but the movie ends and you don't know if there's resolution or not. And I'm just curious, is there resolution? Has there been resolution?
Justyn Ah Chong:
Somewhat. I mean, it seems like they are on better communication terms with the ranch now and that the ranch has been a little bit more respectful of their wishes. But I do know that it is a constant and continual struggle as the ranch does seek to continue to expand in the area and all of those areas and stuff like that. And so, yeah, it is a continuing thing, but it seems like it's gotten at least a little bit more manageable.
Shelby Stanger:
What do you hope that viewers will take away from watching the film?
Justyn Ah Chong:
I guess my hope is just that I hope that viewers see the depth of love that Hawaiians have for their place, for Hawaii, and that that depth of love really is ancestral and generational, and that we're willing to fight and put our lives on the line and do what needs to be done to protect these things that are important to us. And it's not just for the sake of protecting them, but it's because of this responsibility and this bond that we have to ensure that these places and these knowledge systems and these ways of life that have sustained our people for generations continues to do so well into the future.
And I hope that people see that and can maybe expand their thinking in that burials don't always look like a cemetery with a tombstone, but that for us, so many places on our island are sacred because families have [inaudible 00:16:48] remains there because places are sacred because of the way that they provide for families and have provided for generations. So I mean, it's kind of a lot. I hope whatever people get out of it is something that makes them reflect on their own lives and on their own processes and on their own families.
Shelby Stanger:
I'm really glad you told this story. I could talk a lot about it. So there was a lot of things in the film that you didn't say but you could see. And I'm just curious to know how intentional that was or it just kind of happened.
Justyn Ah Chong:
Yeah. One thing I really love about film is its ability to show and not tell. The true power of films and filmmaking and the tool of filmmaking is hopefully to create connection and empathy with those that watch it, that see it, that hear the story. And I think the beautiful thing of the medium of film is that it's visual, it's auditory. And so when you really use these tools to its fullest capacity, you're able to communicate emotion and communicate ideas and generate connections and catalyze thoughts without having to actually say the words or specifically spell things out.
Shelby Stanger:
When Justyn started filming Pili Ka Moʻo, he had no idea what it would become. It's been featured at film festivals across the country and has won numerous awards. Since the film came out in 2022, Justyn has been busy with screenings, new projects, and some personal changes too. Pili Ka Moʻo is all about family, so it's fitting that two weeks after Justyn won his regional Emmy, his first child was born. Do you think becoming a dad will shift the way you tell stories?
Justyn Ah Chong:
I think for me, since becoming a dad, it's definitely made more real what I'm putting my energy into and what I'm putting out into the world, knowing that he will be shaped by it, he'll be hopefully inspired by it. And the challenge that I'm looking at is making sure that I am a little bit more intentional with the work that I take on, because I do also want to make sure I'm present with him and his life and spending time with him. Before he came along, I can definitely throw myself into work and be very consumed by work and those kinds of things.
And so for me, part of the challenge is really trying to strike that balance and be present. But I think I'm also looking very much forward to bringing him along on a lot of these journeys and a lot of these adventures, and hopefully he enjoys hanging out on set or carrying a camera eventually or those kinds of things. And so yeah, I'm excited to share what I love and what I know with him as he grows up and just also be present and open for him to explore whatever moves him and inspires him.
Shelby Stanger:
Any advice you can give to people who want to become a filmmaker or want to live a little more wildly with intention?
Justyn Ah Chong:
I think as far as any advice for those that want to be a filmmaker, the best way to learn is by doing it. And you don't have to start really big. You don't have to start with all the best tools, but going through the process, sort of like I had the chance to do when I was in seventh grade and failing in the processes is extremely important as well. But every time you create something, and this is still true for me today, but every project that I work on or create, I learn something new from it. There's something that I can take with me into the next project that either, okay, I'm not going to do this again, or, oh, maybe this next time I'll try it this way.
And I think that's so reflective of life. It's like, how can we move through our life and be cognizant of all the lessons that it's showing us to then take on to our next journey, our next adventure, and shape it to be a little bit better, a little bit more refined? In terms of filmmakers, the tools are nice and the tools will come, the fancy tools, but really it starts with a story and a good story. And so if there's a story that you're burning to tell and to share, then you're probably the one to do it.
Shelby Stanger:
We often think that finding a wild idea means traveling far from home, but there are empowering stories to be told right in our own communities. Justyn's films show the many sides of being Hawaiian, the traditions, the struggles, the celebrations, and the relationship with the land. I can't wait to see what he makes next. Justyn, thank you so much for coming on Wild Ideas Worth Living. I'm so glad you made this film and are sharing this story with the world. Congrats on your Emmy and your new baby.
I highly recommend watching Pili Ka Moʻo, which was produced by the Reciprocity Project in Association with REI Co-Op Studios. If you're interested in following Justyn, check out his Instagram at J-A-H-C-H-O-N-G. Wild Ideas Worth Living is part of the REI Podcast Network. It's hosted by me, Shelby Stanger, produced by Annie Fassler, Sylvia Thomas, and Sam Pierz Mintzberg of Puddle Creative. And our senior producer is Jenny Barber. Our executive producers are Paolo Motala and Joe Crosby. As always, we love it when you follow the show, rate it and take time to write a review wherever you listen. And remember, some of the best adventures happen when you follow your wildest ideas.