Alika Maikau’s Moloka’i Bound shares a story of a formerly incarcerated parent who’s trying to reconnect with his son Alika Maikau’s Moloka’i Bound shares a story of a formerly incarcerated parent who’s trying to reconnect with his son
Winner of the Oscar-qualifying Cynthia Lickers-Sage Award for Best Short Work at ImagineNATIVE  In the live-action short film Moloka’i Bound, Director Alika Maikau shines a... Alika Maikau’s Moloka’i Bound shares a story of a formerly incarcerated parent who’s trying to reconnect with his son

Winner of the Oscar-qualifying Cynthia Lickers-Sage Award for Best Short Work at ImagineNATIVE 

In the live-action short film Moloka’i Bound, Director Alika Maikau shines a spotlight on the indigenous population of Hawai’i through a tale of an estranged father and son. Having only recently begun its festival run this prominent Hawaiian film has already been making its mark on the film world by winning multiple accolades. The awards include the Best Short Narrative at LA Skins Fest, the Best Screenplay at discover.film in London, the Best Made-in Hawaiʻi Film at the Hawai’i International Film Festival in Honolulu and more.

A wayward young man, recently released from prison, struggles to reconnect with his son and Hawaiian heritage.

Alika Maikau is a Hawaiian filmmaker based out of Honolulu, Hawai’i. In 2017 he earned a mentorship under Joe Robert Cole (Black Panther), who oversaw the development of what would become his short, Mauka To Makai, which premiered at the end of 2018 and was awarded Best Made In Hawai’i Short at the Hawai’i International Film Festival. Filmmaker Magazine published an article in 2019 entitled Made Visible, where they went on to say about Mauka “Bringing to the screen a world little seen even in Hawaiian films, it wove a universal tale of economic struggle and longtime friendship into a proudly local, indigenous setting.” Alika followed up Mauka with Moloka’i Bound, which premiered at ImagineNative 2019 and won the award for “Best Short Work,” granting them Oscar Consideration for the 2021 Academy Awards, In November he will serve on the Hawai’i International Film Festival Short Film Jury.

Producer and Cinematographer Chapin Hall is based in Hawai’i and Los Angeles. He has always practiced the visual arts, having formally studied sculpture and art history at the prestigious School of the Art Institute of Chicago, following his mother’s footsteps into still photography, assisting legendary documentary cameraman Bob Richman, and finally picking up a motion picture camera himself. Recent work includes the feature documentary, Out of State, broadcast nationally in the U.S. on PBS’ famed non-fiction program, Independent Lens. The film follows Native Hawaiian inmates of The Saguaro Correctional Center, a private prison for male inmates from the state of Hawai’i but located far across the Pacific ocean, in Eloy, Arizona. 

 Hall and Maikau are currently working on the feature of Moloka’i Bound. This topical film can soon be seen at Guam International Film Festival, Hagatna, Guam and the LA Asian Pacific Film Festival.

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Jon Dingle Editor

A film journalist, writer and a filmmaker in business for over 20 years. I am passionate about movies, television series, music and online games.