RECLAIMING PARADISE: CINEMA AND HAWAIIAN NATIONHOOD

Authors

Judith Schachter, Carnegie Mellon UniversityFollow

Abstract

This essay explores the enduring power of the “paradise” trope in cinematic portrayals of Hawai‘i and its evolving role in articulating Native Hawaiian nationhood. While Western media has long romanticized Hawai‘i through idyllic imagery of natural beauty and sensuality, contemporary indigenous filmmakers have begun to reclaim and repurpose these visual conventions. Rather than marking a shift from fantasy to realism, these films strategically reframe romantic imagery to assert cultural autonomy, political sovereignty, and a renewed relationship to the land (‘āina). Through analysis of both outsider and insider productions, the essay reveals how visual narratives critique colonial histories and resist hegemonic control. These films challenge the visual appropriation of Hawai‘i by turning the lens inward, using familiar aesthetics to foreground Native perspectives and redefine what it means to be a nation within the American state. Ultimately, the essay argues for the significance of indigenous cinema as a site of resistance, identity formation, and cultural resurgence.

Recommended Citation

Schachter, Judith (2015) "RECLAIMING PARADISE: CINEMA AND HAWAIIAN NATIONHOOD," Pacific Studies Journal: Vol. 38: No. 1, Article 9.
Available at: https://digitalcollections.byuh.edu/pacific-studies-journal/vol38/iss1/9