The new movie Sharing Aloha provides a sneak peek into the lives of the students who perform at the Polynesian Cultural Center, Hawaii’s most popular attraction.

This feature-length documentary dives behind the scenes for a rare look into one of Hawaii’s most popular (and least understood) tourist attractions. It is a backstage, unscripted exploration of what it means for young Pacific Islanders to preserve and pass on the culture of their ancestors, even as the winds of Hawaiian tourism (both over-tourism, and the pushback against it) shift and change, potentially threatening the foundation upon which they stand.

The movie will premiere at the Zions Indie Film Festival (formerly LDS Film Festival).

• Wednesday, February 26 at 7:30pm.
• Clarke Grand Theatre at the SCERA Center for the Arts in Orem, Utah.
• Come early to see Polynesian dancers before the film.
• A question-and-answer session will follow after the film, with a chance to meet the filmmakers and cast members.
• Buy tickets before they are sold out.

The Polynesian Cultural Center provides a way for students at Brigham Young University–Hawaii to earn money for their education and as a means to preserve and portray the cultures, art, and crafts of the people of Polynesia. Essentially, for 19 hours of work per week, a student can graduate from the university debt-free.

The film follows college students standing at a crossroads: a young dancer struggling with his body image, another walking the razor-fine line between family obligations and performance expectations, twin sisters whose legacy and inheritance is spinning actual fire, and a star performer who’s trying to prove to his parents that he’s not a failure after all. Sharing Aloha explores what it means to seek out your place in the world when one audition determines the role you’ll play in determining how—and if—you and your culture are seen at all.

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The film is directed by Blair Treu, who also directed the movie Meet the Mormons.

To be informed when Sharing Aloha becomes available in additional venues, subscribe at SharingAlohaTheMovie.com.

Learn more in the article “Documentary Goes Behind the Scenes at the Polynesian Cultural Center.”