Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live Today
Interview With Lisette Marie Flanary
Aired August 06, 2003 - 11:44 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP -- "AMERICAN ALOHA: HULA BEYOND HAWAII")
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): In traditional times hula was done by people who spent years and years of diligent work to make this dance the rich cultural tradition that it was. They were not just these simple-minded dancers, Hollywood starlets dancing in there grass skirts who knew nothing of what they were dancing.
(on camera): And that's (UNINTELLIGIBLE) about this is is this what most people think that hula is, what they see.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Well to a lot of people hula means those grass skirts and coconut bras, but a young filmmaker is out to change the common stereotype of the revered Hawaiian dance. This is the real thing you are seeing here.
"American Aloha: Hula Beyond Hawaii" premiered last night on PBS. The documentary explores the storytelling, spiritual as well as artistic aspects of the ancient dance. The film's director spent many summers on the island with her mother, who is a native Hawaiian. Lisette Marie Flanary joins us from our New York bureau this morning to talk about her project and her love and her passion.
Lisette, good morning, thanks for being with us.
LISETTE MARIE FLANARY, DIRECTOR, "AMERICAN ALOHA: HULA BEYOND HAWAII": Aloha. Thank you for having me.
KAGAN: The passion and the drive for this project comes because you're -- just like a fish out of water you somehow feel like a Hawaiian off the islands, don't you?
FLANARY: Well I think that something that's brought out in the film is that no matter where you go you carry Hawaii with you. So it doesn't matter if you're in California or anywhere on the mainland, you still have this love for the Hawaiian culture and for the dance.
KAGAN: And in fact you found there is a lot of Hawaiian love and many Hawaiians living on the mainland.
FLANARY: Yes, there's a tremendous amount of Hawaiians living now away from the island. California happens to be the largest community which is the focus of our film.
KAGAN: And yet, when you went to make a documentary on hula, you didn't exactly find the financial powers waiting to dish out the money. You really had to be very -- you really had to persevere.
FLANARY: Well it took five years to make. And I mean we were fortunate. We had the support of Pacific Islanders in communication, ITBS, POV and the Minority Diverse Forces Project, the CPV. So we got lucky in the end and just kind of stuck with it.
KAGAN: With our few minutes that we have here, what would you like viewers to learn about hula, the hula they think they know and the hula they should know?
FLANARY: I would hope that they would kind of understand that the hula encompasses an entire culture. It is a way of life for the Hawaiian people. And hopefully they'll learn more about the dance and all that it encompasses beyond the stereotypes or the kind of kitschy icon of grass skirts and coconut bras.
KAGAN: And even if you have never been to Hawaii, if you're not Hawaiian, I think project this represents something that will touch a lot of people, the idea of when you do leave your homeland, whatever that is, how do you take your culture with you?
FLANARY: I think that many cultures today are kind of facing this whole idea of how can we preserve the love we have for our home if we no longer live in our homeland? It does not matter what nationality you are, where you come from, but as long as you continue to perpetuate your cultural traditions, that's really what is important.
KAGAN: Well you went for your passion. And as we said it's part of the "Point of View" series on PBS. And I imagine even though it was on last night it will be on once again and viewers can look for that.
FLANARY: Yes. Please tune in.
KAGAN: We welcome that too. Lisette Marie Flanary, thank you so much. And good luck with the documentary.
FLANARY: Thank you. Aloha.
KAGAN: Aloha to you, too.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired August 6, 2003 - 11:44 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP -- "AMERICAN ALOHA: HULA BEYOND HAWAII")
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): In traditional times hula was done by people who spent years and years of diligent work to make this dance the rich cultural tradition that it was. They were not just these simple-minded dancers, Hollywood starlets dancing in there grass skirts who knew nothing of what they were dancing.
(on camera): And that's (UNINTELLIGIBLE) about this is is this what most people think that hula is, what they see.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Well to a lot of people hula means those grass skirts and coconut bras, but a young filmmaker is out to change the common stereotype of the revered Hawaiian dance. This is the real thing you are seeing here.
"American Aloha: Hula Beyond Hawaii" premiered last night on PBS. The documentary explores the storytelling, spiritual as well as artistic aspects of the ancient dance. The film's director spent many summers on the island with her mother, who is a native Hawaiian. Lisette Marie Flanary joins us from our New York bureau this morning to talk about her project and her love and her passion.
Lisette, good morning, thanks for being with us.
LISETTE MARIE FLANARY, DIRECTOR, "AMERICAN ALOHA: HULA BEYOND HAWAII": Aloha. Thank you for having me.
KAGAN: The passion and the drive for this project comes because you're -- just like a fish out of water you somehow feel like a Hawaiian off the islands, don't you?
FLANARY: Well I think that something that's brought out in the film is that no matter where you go you carry Hawaii with you. So it doesn't matter if you're in California or anywhere on the mainland, you still have this love for the Hawaiian culture and for the dance.
KAGAN: And in fact you found there is a lot of Hawaiian love and many Hawaiians living on the mainland.
FLANARY: Yes, there's a tremendous amount of Hawaiians living now away from the island. California happens to be the largest community which is the focus of our film.
KAGAN: And yet, when you went to make a documentary on hula, you didn't exactly find the financial powers waiting to dish out the money. You really had to be very -- you really had to persevere.
FLANARY: Well it took five years to make. And I mean we were fortunate. We had the support of Pacific Islanders in communication, ITBS, POV and the Minority Diverse Forces Project, the CPV. So we got lucky in the end and just kind of stuck with it.
KAGAN: With our few minutes that we have here, what would you like viewers to learn about hula, the hula they think they know and the hula they should know?
FLANARY: I would hope that they would kind of understand that the hula encompasses an entire culture. It is a way of life for the Hawaiian people. And hopefully they'll learn more about the dance and all that it encompasses beyond the stereotypes or the kind of kitschy icon of grass skirts and coconut bras.
KAGAN: And even if you have never been to Hawaii, if you're not Hawaiian, I think project this represents something that will touch a lot of people, the idea of when you do leave your homeland, whatever that is, how do you take your culture with you?
FLANARY: I think that many cultures today are kind of facing this whole idea of how can we preserve the love we have for our home if we no longer live in our homeland? It does not matter what nationality you are, where you come from, but as long as you continue to perpetuate your cultural traditions, that's really what is important.
KAGAN: Well you went for your passion. And as we said it's part of the "Point of View" series on PBS. And I imagine even though it was on last night it will be on once again and viewers can look for that.
FLANARY: Yes. Please tune in.
KAGAN: We welcome that too. Lisette Marie Flanary, thank you so much. And good luck with the documentary.
FLANARY: Thank you. Aloha.
KAGAN: Aloha to you, too.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
