Act of War: The Overthrow of the Hawaiian Nation

The illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian sovereignty in 1893 and Hawaii's subsequent U.S. annexation impacted the native people.

Film Signature Image
Premiere Date
August 1, 1994
Length
60 minutes
Funding Initiative
Open Call
  • Award laurels-r Created with Sketch.
    1993 CINE/Eastman Kodak Funding Panel-Golden Eagle
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    1993 East Bay Video Festival-Best of Fest Documentary
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    1993 Black Maria Film & Video Festival-Director's Citation
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    1993 Aotearoa Film Festival, New Zealand-Statuette
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    1993 First Nations Film & Video Alliance, Yamagata International Documentary Festival-Special Recognition
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    1994 Independent Documentary-CPB Silver Award
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    1994 Columbus International Film & Video Festival-Bronze Plaque
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    1995 Two Rivers Native Film & Video Festival-"Web of Time" Award
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    1993 Dreamspeakers International Film Festival-Special Plaque
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    Producer

    Puhipau

    Puhipau is a founder of the independent production company Na Maka o ka ʻAina (“the eyes of the land”), which he founded in 1982 with Joan Lander. They have specialized in films focused on the land and people of Hawaiʻi and the Pacific, and have produced programming on culture, history, language, the environment, and the politics of self-determination.… Show more Their documentaries have screened at festivals from Berlin to Japan, capturing recognition from the Hawaiʻi International Film Festival, Dreamspeakers, Aotearoa Film Festival, Earthvision, Two Rivers Native Film Festival, Native American Film and Video Festival, National Geographic’s All Roads Film Festival, Columbus International Film Festival, Berkeley Video & Film Festival, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Show less

    Producer

    Joan Lander

    Joan Lander has run the independent production company Na Maka o ka ʻAina (“the eyes of the land”) since 1982 with Puhipau. The filmmaking team has focused on the land and people of Hawaiʻi and the Pacific and produced programming on culture, history, language, the environment, and the politics of self-determination. Their documentaries have screened at… Show more festivals from Berlin to Japan, capturing recognition from the Hawaiʻi International Film Festival, Dreamspeakers, Aotearoa Film Festival, Earthvision, Two Rivers Native Film Festival, Native American Film and Video Festival, National Geographic’s All Roads Film Festival, Columbus International Film Festival, Berkeley Video & Film Festival, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Show less

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    The Film

    This hour-long documentary is a provocative look at a historical event of which few Americans are aware. In mid-January, 1893, armed troops from the U.S.S. Boston landed at Honolulu in support of a treasonous coup d'etat against the constitutional sovereign of the Hawaiian Kingdom, Queen Lili'uokalani. The event was described by U.S. President Grover Cleveland as "an act of war." Stylized re-enactments, archival photos and film, political cartoons, historic quotes, and presentations by Hawaiian scholars tell Hawaiian history through Hawaiian eyes.Act of War: The Overthrow of the Hawaiian Nation was broadcast on Hawai'i Public Television in 1993 during the centennial year of the overthrow of Queen Lili'uokalani, a landmark year in the Hawaiian movement for sovereignty and independence.

    In that same year, the U.S. Congress passed a joint resolution admitting the illegal taking of Hawai'i and formally apologizing to the Hawaiian people.

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