Hawaiian Filmmaker's Long-Lasting Legacy

by Charles Nguyen

Kayo Hatta is a pioneer in the purest sense of the word.

Hatta’s first film, PICTURE BRIDE, was also a first for many others; the movie was one of the first independent films made in Hawaii, and the first feature film produced and directed entirely by an Asian American woman. The film follows a teenage girl from Japan who journeys to Hawaii for her prearranged marriage in the early 1900s.

PICTURE BRIDE made a splash in the islands, becoming a best-selling video, and is currently used as part of many Hawaiian educational curriculums. As a Hawaiian-born Japanese American of the Sansei generation, Hatta’s heartfelt connection to her work allowed her to capture a variety of fundamental issues of the islands’ history: ethnicity, gender differences and the culture of Hawaii.

Kayo (right) and Billy Lam on location for FISHBOWL

“She definitely was a perfectionist that paid attention to detail, almost to a fault,” said Linda Barry, a producer of Hatta’s newest film FISHBOWL. “She set the stakes high and a mentor icon. Every small little detail was important, but she also had a great wider vision for all of her works. She was enthusiastic, full of life, determination and passionate, which was infectious for everyone working on her projects.”

PICTURE BRIDE went on to garner more acclaim, winning the Audience Award for Best Dramatic Film at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival and being an Official Selection at the 1994 Cannes International Film Festival.

Tragically, Hatta passed away earlier this year. Her career, however, lives on through her last work, FISHBOWL, which is playing in the San Diego Asian Film Festival’s Young at Heart shorts program. The film is trademark Hatta, exploring niches of Hawaiian culture and history.

FISHBOWL is adapted from three chapters ("Obituary," "A Fishbowl and Some Dimes" and "Blah, Blah, Blah) of "Wild Meat and the Bully Burgers" by award-winning and beloved Hawaiian author, Lois-Ann Yamanaka.

The film, set in 1975 Hawaii, was made with an attention to genuineness, Barry said.

“We scouted for so many locations, and finally found an authentic place in Hawaii to shoot,” Barry said. “It was very important to us, and especially to Kayo, that we honor Yamanaka’s work. The author was so loved in Hawaii we wanted to keep her voice in the film.”

FISHBOWL is a coming-of-age tale, following Hawaiian ‘tweens in their trials and tribulations in school. One character, Lovey Nariyoshi, uses “Pidgin English,” a form of Hawaiian-style language birthed on plantations in the late 1800’s. The use of the language was a must for Hatta, Barry said, to preserve, as always, the historical impact of her work.

And with her last work, Kayo Hatta managed to establish a long-lasting legacy in the film community.

“I hope that those who see FISHBOWL leave with a better appreciation of the talent and passion of a filmmaker who loved her culture and showed a great sensitivity of human nature,” said SDAFF director Lee Ann Kim. “Even in her death, Kayo Hatta still touches people through her work, and hopefully will encourage more Asian Pacific Islanders to follow her path.”