E Ola ka ʻŌlelo: Kauaʻi Community Film Series

The E Ola ka ʻŌlelo: Kauaʻi Community Film Series is a free, public series of three ʻohana-centered community gatherings to be held at accessible locations across Kauaʻi between April and December 2026. Each gathering will feature interactive cultural and ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi learning activities followed by a community screening of Moana 2 in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi.

These gatherings are designed to strengthen kaiāulu by building meaningful connections in our community, to one another, and to valued cultural practices that nurture the welo of our ʻohana and our community. The Hawaiian-language screenings provide an accessible and joyful opportunity for families to hear, practice, and normalize ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi together in everyday public spaces.

Each event will include learning experiences led by cultural educators and respected members of the community. Activities may include oli and mele learning, moʻolelo shared by area kūpuna or kupa ʻāina, cultural demonstrations, and interactive language activities that engage both fluent speakers and learners. The gatherings are intentionally participatory, encouraging ʻohana to actively use ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi rather than passively observe.

The planning committee includes kumu and community partners from the Hawaiʻinuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Kawaikini New Century Public Charter School, Kūkulu Kumuhana O Anahola, and Kanaeokana. Together, these partners collaborate to design inclusive, place-based experiences that foster pilina among ʻohana, strengthen relationships to ʻāina, and uplift ʻike Hawaiʻi across generations.

By offering free, public gatherings in multiple communities across Kauaʻi, this film series supports opportunities rich in Hawaiian culture and language, builds connections within the kaiāulu, and activates shared spaces as places where ʻike Hawaiʻi thrives. The screenings also serve as catalysts for continued engagement in cultural practice and mālama ʻāina activities throughout the year, sustaining momentum for Hawaiian language revitalization and strengthening community bonds long after each event concludes.

Through shared language, shared learning, and shared experience, the E Ola ka ʻŌlelo: Kauaʻi Community Film Series contributes to a vibrant, connected, and culturally grounded kaiāulu.