Photos: UH Hilo filmmaker ramps up production on documentary honoring 19th century Hawaiʻi Island hero
Patsy Iwasaki is completing her documentary film bringing to life the legacy of Japanese immigrant Katsu Goto. Executive producer Iwasaki says the film is back on track.
By Susan Enright. Photo essay by Bob Douglas. Additional photos by Patsy Iwasaki.
Despite two major setbacks that put the project on hold for several years, Patsy Iwasaki, an assistant professor of English at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, is completing her documentary film bringing to life the legacy of Japanese immigrant Katsu Goto. Executive producer Iwasaki says the film is back on track.
“Unfortunately and tragically, longtime film project director Danny Miller passed away in 2018 after a resurgence of cancer during the project’s post-production phase,” says Iwasaki. “After taking time to process and heal from the great loss, it was another long journey to find an editor with the film and video skills, qualifications and heart to take on this very special project.”
The hero: Katsu Gato
The story of Katsu Goto is a dark, tragic story from 19th century Hawaiʻi Island. In 1885, at the age of 23, Goto traveled to Hawaiʻi to be a laborer on a sugar plantation in ʻŌʻōkala on the Hāmākua Coast of Hawaiʻi Island. When his contract was completed, he became a local businessman and leader in the small Japanese community in the town of Honokaʻa, where he opened his own retail store.
In addition to being a successful businessman, Goto also dedicated himself to fighting for the rights of his fellow community members working as plantation labor. It was this activity that led to his tragic end. On October 29, 1889, Goto was found hanging from a telephone pole, lynched in Honokaʻa town.
This is the story Iwasaki is inspired to tell, starting with her graphic novel, Hāmākua Hero: A True Plantation Story (Bess Press 2010, revised 2022), created with illustrator Avery Berido, and then with a documentary film in honor of Goto and the noble life he led.
- Photos and videos: The making of a documentary film about historic hero of Honokaʻa, Katsu Goto (Oct. 27, 2016, UH Hilo Stories)
See also the 2015 video on the making of the film:
New and rekindled collaborations
Finding herself in need of a new director, Iwasaki reached out to over a dozen professionals involved in editing and film production in Hawaiʻi, narrowing the choice down to about eight editors. The project was explained in detail in face-to-face meetings and budget proposals reviewed.
At long last, says Iwasaki, Ryan Kawamoto of Kinetic Productions, an editor based on Oʻahu with East Hawaiʻi Island roots, was selected to complete the film project.
“The Waiakea High School graduate is a skilled director and cinematographer with a talent for storytelling,” she says. “In addition to his commercial projects, he possesses a profound passion for capturing Hawaiʻi stories that are steeped in history and deeply connected to the community.”
Kawamoto’s notable works include the films Voices Behind Barbed Wire, The Untold Story: Internment of Japanese Americans in Hawaiʻi, and Removed by Force: The Eviction of Hawaiʻi’s Japanese Americans During World War II.
In addition to the change in director, the Covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020 and the project was again paused.
But now this year, Iwasaki is excited to report they are back on track, shooting for a completion date this fall, literally. The cast and crew gathered for one full day of shooting additional reenactments on January 19, finishing up the filming that was started in 2016.
“Ryan and I felt that there was a need for additional reenactment scenes to expand and deepen Goto’s character and enhance the storytelling,” says Iwasaki. “We knew it could be done. However, due to budget restrictions, we had to condense filming from five separate locations over five days — the 2016 schedule — into a single day this time around. How could we make this happen?”
Iwasaki immediately turned to Jackie Pualani Johnson, a UH Hilo emerita professor of performing arts who was a big part of the previous production process along with the UH Hilo Department of Performing Arts; together they had successfully brought the previous student film reenactment segments to life back in 2016.
“Jackie is wholeheartedly dedicated to the project and has once again brought her incredible talent, vast experience, and vibrant personality to this UH Hilo English and performing arts department film collaboration 2.0,” says Iwasaki.
Johnson, who Iwasaki calls “our costumer extraordinaire” orchestrated all the “fabulous costuming” for all of the actors at the three locations where director Kawamoto filmed reenactment segments during one 18-hour film shoot on Jan. 19: in Papaikou at the Sweet Cane Cafe farm, and then in Hilo at the Shoroan Tea House in Liliʻuokalani Park and at the Hawaiʻi Science and Technology Museum.
Johnson did the costuming for four youth actors — Case Shiroma, Cassidy Shiroma, Abbygail Nekoba-Duarte, and Brennan Nekoba-Duarte — in traditional Japanese light yukata to play a young Katsu Goto and his classmates in Japan. She also dressed UH Hilo student actors in light yukata to play Goto’s siblings, UH Hilo student actors in Meiji period Western suits, and 10 Meiji period dancers in a ballroom scene.
“Jackie was amazing and went above and beyond to find what we needed,” Iwasaki says. “The costumes came from the costume shop at UH Hilo, the Hawaiʻi Japanese Center collection, the kimono collection from UH Hilo alumna Sharyse Molina and closets of the cast and crew.”
Iwasaki says when Johnson couldn’t find what she needed, she sewed, glued, and decorated the pieces herself.
An exciting addition to the project was bringing on board dance lecturer Kristi “Kea” Kapahua of the UH Hilo performing arts department.
“Kea skillfully choreographed the lovely Ostville waltz for the Meiji period ballroom dance segment and expertly taught the dancers at rehearsals,” says Iwasaki. “What began as a simple vision in my mind was transformed by Kea and Jackie into an astonishing reality that left me utterly amazed.”
Iwasaki says bringing back Hawaiʻi actor Kimo Apaka to reprise his role as Katsu Goto was also an amazing development. He couldn’t be reached for most of last year because he was a houseguest on Big Brother 26, an American CBS television reality competition show featuring strangers, cut off from the outside world, coexisting in an isolated house that is based on the Dutch reality show of the same name. “Kimo gave an outstanding performance and made the final five guests,” says Iwasaki.
“I contacted him after he came back to Hawaiʻi and he immediately said yes, he was on board for the project.”
Besides Apaka, the entire cast is new to this 2.0 iteration of the film because the scenes are supposed to be in Japan, while Goto is living before emigrating to Hawaiʻi. Apaka doesn’t have a mustache for this set of reenactments as he did in the 2016 filming because he has to play Goto at a younger age.
As with the first round of reenactments, the majority of the cast are UH Hilo students with a mix of UH Hilo’s performing arts alumni and community members such as Salome Lagman who helped with hair and makeup on the January film shoot day.
“Our actors did such an awesome job and were so convincing, they genuinely believed in their characters and the moment of time being portrayed,” says Iwasaki. “I believe the audience will be captivated by the world brought to life through everyone’s dedicated hard work.”
“This project provides an engaging, innovative, real world, professional opportunity for both students through digital humanities and artistic and literary exploration.” -Patsy Iwasaki
Crew also includes two UH Hilo student interns through a collaboration with the communication and business departments. Jun Brianna Reyes is under Iwasaki’s supervision but is receiving credit through Assistant Professor of Communication Colby Miyose’s internship course (COM 390) and Alfred Evangelista Jr, also under Iwasaki’s supervision, is receiving credit through Associate Professor of Accounting Andrey Simonov’s internship class (BUS 400).
In this hands-on applied research and learning laboratory experience, students are immersed in project development and design, acting, filmmaking, directing and script writing.
“Both Jun and Alfred are receiving guidance from me with an academically rigorous outline and learning outcomes focusing on film script writing for additional reenactment scenes for the documentary film project (Jun) and project design, development and management (Alfred),” Iwasaki explains. “This project provides an engaging, innovative, real world, professional opportunity for both students through digital humanities and artistic and literary exploration.”
Select photos of students on set, both cast and crew, by Patsy Iwasaki:
This phase of the film project is supported by a UH Hilo seed grant award and the UH Hilo College of Arts and Sciences faculty engagement support fund. Iwasaki says the project, notably the Jan. 19 shoot this year, is a testament to teamwork.
“Planning, designing, coordinating and bringing such an ambitious endeavor to fruition requires a collective effort, and I have been incredibly blessed by an amazing cast and crew,” she says.
“My heartfelt gratitude goes out to everyone involved in this UH Hilo collaboration — the cast, crew, faculty, staff, and students — our shooting location staff, and all the community members for their incredible kokua and support in making this possible,” she adds. “It genuinely showcases the outstanding and remarkable UH Hilo ʻohana and our Hawaiʻi island community. We had the very best number one team and our theme for the film shoot day with a celebration cake was Reach for the Stars!”
“…we had to condense filming from five separate locations over five days — the 2016 schedule — into a single day this time around. How could we make this happen?” -Producer Patsy Iwasaki
Photo essay by Bob Douglas.
Cast and crew
Tea house scene
Hard discussion scene
Family scene
The Ballroom Dance scene
Story by Susan Enright, a public information specialist for the Office of the Chancellor and editor of UH Hilo Stories.
Bob Douglas is a local artist and photographer who volunteers his photography skills to the Office of the Chancellor and UH Hilo Stories.
