TEAM
Steve Sue – Executive Producer, Producer & Writer
Besides being the force behind SHAKA, Steve serves as Chairman at ID8, a Hawai’i 501C3 nonprofit organization, the producing entity of SHAKA with a mission of empowering the world to flourish. Steve is also a social venturer with an automation software development firm and software titles including SumoSum.com. He was always good a drawing pictures with big ideas, thus had a career as a story and conceptual expert leading the creation of theme parks, live entertainment productions, corporate theater events, retail, foodservice, product brands, and resort casinos.
Bryan Spicer – Executive Producer
Bryan is an award-winning producer and director with a 35-year reputation for consistently delivering his cinematic style to high-profile film and television projects. Early in his career, Bryan worked with Director Steven Spielberg at Amblin and ILM, where he also directed for Robert Zemeckis and Ivan Reitman. His TV credits include: “The X-Files,” “Castle,” “24,” “CSI,” and many other projects with Warner Bros., Sony, Amazon, CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX, Disney, and Universal Studios. Since 2010, Bryan has lived and worked in Hawai‘i, producing and directing more than 200 episodes of “Hawaii Five-0” and “Magnum P.I.” He purchased Sight & Sound Productions in 2020, and continues to help grow the Hawai‘i film, television, and commercial industry.
Henry Kapono – Music Director
Known as “Kapono”, the Hawaiian word for righteous, Henry is pure Hawaiian, born and raised in Kapahulu. Though he had no formal musical training, he fell in love with the guitar and in the 1970s soared to the forefront of Hawaiian music with the duo Cecilio & Kapono. They became the first Hawai‘i group to achieve a national recording contract with Columbia Records. Always musically adventurous, Henry launched a solo career in 1981. In 2017, the legacy of Henry’s music was featured in the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles. In 2018, he launched the Henry Kapono Foundation supporting Hawaii’s music and the Arts. Henry has appeared in major motion pictures, films, and many television appearances.
Alex Bocchieri – Director
Alex is an award winning Native Hawaiian filmmaker who lives and works in Honolulu. After graduating from the University of Hawai‘i, Alex turned his passion for storytelling toward creating documentaries about pressing social issues, leading to his work on the celebrated film, Ike: Knowledge is Everywhere. From there he told stories of local Hawai‘i heroes when he directed the independent feature film, “Go for Broke,” a groundbreaking Hawai‘i-produced war drama that would go on to screen at festivals around the world. Since then he has written and directed award winning short films, alongside working with nonprofits to profile individuals and institutions that are trying to make this world a better place. The connecting thread of his creative work that extends into his commercial projects is the desire to use his unique visual style to share real human stories, spotlight those that do good, and inspire action. In 2022, Alex was selected to be a part of Disney Launchpad, a pipeline to train filmmakers to work in the Disney studio system, where he directed “The Roof”, a short film available on Disney+, Apple TV.
Kristle Backe – Director of Photography
Kristle Backe is an award-winning cinematographer born in the Philippines and raised in Palau, who has worked in documentary, commercials, PSAs, and music videos. She received her bachelor’s degree in film production from the Academy for Creative Media at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and studied business at Institut d’Economie Scientifique Et de Gestion’s School of Management in Paris, France. Films she has written and directed have shown at film festivals around the world, including this prestigious Shanghai International Film Festival.
Rebecca Teresia – Associate Producer
Rebecca is a Finnish-born filmmaker known for diverse work in film and television, including the award-winning Korean-American feature “Junho” and the upcoming Cuban film “Wake.” She currently serves as the Creative Services Director at KITV4 Island News in Honolulu, Hawai’i. Her dedication to fostering a vibrant TV and filmmaking community is evident through the successful globally-hosted Filmmaker Pau Hana – meetup she founded, and co-produced with ID8 Studios. She holds an MBA and formerly represented Finland on their Rhythmic Gymnastics National Team. Above all, Rebecca’s profound passion for cultures and global storytelling compels her to create narratives that bring awareness and inspire. “SHAKA, The Story of Aloha,” is a perfect example of this, with her vision to share the message of aloha worldwide – because one can never have too much Aloha in the world.
Photo by Darryl Watanabe
Sean Morris – Associate Producer
Sean is president of S. Morris and Associates, LLC, a marketing and public relations firm specializing in Hawaii and Asia markets. Sean is also known as a food writer with regular columns in Lighthouse Hawaii, HI Luxury, and Oahu’s Best Coupons online and as a culinary personality on the Japanese television show “Hawaii Ni Koi Shite” aired on BS Twellv. Sean has been featured as a food personality on Hawaii culinary topics in Rurubu, Chikyu No Arukikata, Hawaii Style, Aloha Express, Wagamama Aruki, Sweet, FRaU, an an, Gold, Hanako, Brutus, Figaro Japon, Josei Seven, JAL Skyward, Hawaiian Breeze Lani Lani, Delta Sky Japan, Vogue China, ELLE Men China, Allure Korea, TBS “Wadai No Okoku,” BS Fuji TV “Koyama Kundo Tokyo Kaigi” (with Koyama Kundo, Herbie Yamamoto, and Masataka Matsutoya), BS 11 “Otona No Off,” TV Tokyo “ABChanZoo,” (with the members of Johnny’s A-B-C-Z), Fuji TV “Niji Iro Jean,” NHK “Nidotabi,” TBS “Nogizaka 46 Hawaii Special,” KIRO Radio “Seattle Kitchen” (with restaurateurs Tom Douglas and Thierry Rautureau), as well as in Naoyuki Honda’s book, “Hawaii Best Restaurant 2015.” Sean has also written food-related stories for Allure Korea, Penthouse Australia, FrolicHawaii.com, and One-Six Kaimuki to Kahala. His gourmet guide to Hawaii featuring over 365 eateries in Hawaii is slated to be released in Japan soon. His latest culinary excursions may be found on Instagram at @incurablepicure.
Jill Kuramoto – Associate Producer
A storyteller at heart, Jill is a communications professional who combines her expertise in journalism, public relations and video production to lead communications strategy and brand management. She currently is the Story Director and part-time Anchor at KHON2 News Honolulu. Alongside 20 years in broadcast journalism as anchor and reporter, her TV credits include appearances on “Lost”, “The Last Resort”, “The River” and “Hawaii Five-0.” Jill is active in community service and is a member of the distinguished Selection Committee of the Living Treasures of Hawaii and has been nominated to serve on the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts.
Ryan Kawailani Ozawa – Associate Producer
Ryan is a native Hawaiian journalist, technologist, and media maker with more than three decades of experience in traditional and online publishing, digital marketing, and community building. As founder of Hawaii Hui LLC, he provides strategic consulting services to Hawaii non-profits, organizations and businesses. He has also cofounded several startups and non-profits focused on technology and sustainability. A graduate of Mililani High School, he holds a journalism degree from the University of Hawaii at Mānoa and is the proud father of three.
Bryson Kainoa Chun – Associate Producer
Bryson is an award-winning Native Hawaiian filmmaker from Windward O’ahu and a Disney+ writer for Doogie Kamealoha M.D.. He has produced narrative and documentary films that have gone on to screen for PBS, The Smithsonian Institution, The Criterion Collection, and at festivals all over the world. He was a writing fellow for Sundance, CAPE, imagineNATIVE, LA Skins, and ‘Ohina Labs, where he was the Greenlight Award recipient for his short entitled Other People. He served on the writing team for Moana 2 and holds an MFA in Screenwriting from the Institute of American Indian Arts and is represented by Verve Talent and Literacy Agency.
Rob Webb – Associate Producer
Minette Lew-McCabe – Associate Producer
Minette was bitten by the film bug while attending New York University. She has worked in various roles on numerous independent productions in New York, Los Angeles, and Hawaiʻi, including the Sundance Award-winning “Picture Bride” and cult classic “But I’m a Cheerleader.” She helped co-write and production manage the PBS documentary, “Daniel Inouye: An American Story.” For “Shaka, A Story of Aloha,” she administrates office functions.
Robert “Lono” Ikuwa – Cultural Advisor
Lono is the former Director of Cultural-Based Education at Kamehameha Schools. He has designed and published 15 curricular projects and programs in Japanese, Hawaiian, and English and has received multiple awards. He is also the author of “Tutu Hamana: The Shaka Sign Story.”
SHAKA, A Story of Aloha is a Global Aloha film.
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Join Our Ohana
Shaka Film Media Kit
"Shaka, A Story of Aloha" is an 80-minute feature-length global quest to unravel the mysteries of the Shaka gesture from Japan's temples to Brazil's waves to Hawaii's white sandy beaches. Discover why it ignites pride in train-jumpers, surfers, and everyday adventurers alike, explore its origins and meanings, and learn how it holds the key to creating and preserving paradise.
Media Kit: Download PDF »
Media Contact: Steve Sue, producer/writer | steve[at]id8.org | (808) 220-6449 | @histevesue
Trailer
Logline
Everybody knows the Shaka. But where did it come from, what does it really mean, and how did a simple Hawaiʻi hand gesture conquer the world? What begins as a playful cultural “who dunnit” becomes a 100-year journey through surfers, soldiers, entertainers, politicians, Buddhism, plantation history, and the small community of Laʻie—where the pieces finally come together around a remarkable Hawaiian fisherman named Hamana Kalili. Along the way, the search for the Shaka’s origins reveals something far greater than who started it: the power of aloha and the secret to creating your own paradise.
Plot Summary
Everybody knows the Shaka. But where did it come from, what does it really mean, and how did a simple hand gesture from Hawaiʻi conquer the world?
Filmmaker Steve Sue sets out to solve the mystery, gathering years of research, photographs, archival records, and interviews onto a giant “who dunnit” crime board for Aunty Kela Miller, a Laʻie elder who insists the real story begins in her small North Shore community. What starts as a playful investigation soon becomes a journey spanning more than a century of Hawaiʻi history.
Steve first follows the Shaka through the many people who helped make it famous. Hawaiʻi soldiers use it to build trust in war zones. Television turns it into a statewide symbol. Surfers carry it around the globe. Elvis Presley flashes it before millions. Mayor Frank Fasi adopts it as his political signature, while entertainer and master promoter Lippy Espinda helps popularize the word “Shaka.”
But each answer leads Steve further back in time.
The word itself leads to Japan, where Shaka has for centuries referred to Shakyamuni Buddha, and Buddhist hand gestures carry meanings including the powerful message “fear not.” The physical gesture leads elsewhere—to Laʻie and Hamana Kalili, a revered Hawaiian fisherman and community leader who lost three middle fingers, leaving him with the distinctive hand that generations of Laʻie residents remember as the genesis of their familiar wave.
As Steve uncovers Hamana’s extraordinary life of courage, service, generosity, and leadership, the investigation shifts. The mystery is no longer simply about who created a gesture. It becomes a search for the values that gave the gesture its meaning.
The trail leads to Laʻie’s historic hukilau, where Hamana and an entire community worked together to pull fishing nets from the sea, feed one another, welcome visitors, and transform limited resources into something extraordinary. The hukilau becomes a living metaphor for aloha: everyone has a role, and everyone must pull together.
Returning to his crime board, Steve finally sees the whole picture. Hamana, Laʻie, Buddhism, entertainers, politicians, surfers, soldiers, television, and generations of ordinary people all contributed different pieces to what the world now knows as the Shaka.
The investigation that began with “Who invented the Shaka?” ends with a much bigger discovery.
The Shaka is more than a gesture. It represents connection, service, gratitude, courage, cooperation, and the willingness to fear not and go for it. And the people of Laʻie reveal the film’s ultimate lesson: paradise isn’t simply a beautiful place we’re lucky enough to find.
Paradise is something we create together. Paradise is a choice.
Backstory
Says producer/writer Steve Sue, "Our original goal was to produce a 20-minute short for classroom use but the story turned out to be bigger than anyone could have imagined. In the end, we discovered the Shakaʻs magic and how itʻs the secret to creating and maintaining paradise." He continues, "If you want to know how to throw a truly legit Shaka or how to create paradise in your corner of the world, watch this film."
After an award-winning run through global film festivals and winning the coveted People Choice Award at Hawai'i International Film Festival, the film was up by Byron Allen's Freestyle Media Group. On January 16, 2026, the film became available on wide On Demand streaming distribution services including Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Fandango, YouTube Movies, Google Movies and some months later on Kanopy. picked distribution, hopefully on streaming channels and possibly in cinemas. It has been in production since 2019 when first-funding and cultural experts were provided by Kamehameha Schools. During production, the COVID Pandemic forced a 2-year hiatus, but the project continued in 2022 with epic shots including the one-time running of an authentic Hukilau expedition that had not run in 60 years and the worldʻs first-ever Shaka Contest.
Through the production, it became clear that there are many origin stories, thus multiple theories are presented in the film, allowing audiences to decide which theory they find most credible. Says Sue, "The titling of the film as 'A Story...' represents only our group's intent to present multiple origin stories, as several origin stories have evidence and testimony available. This leaves room for each audience member to decide for themself which story they favor as well as for other storytellers to present their own versions of the story." Sue continues, "The more important thing for our team is providing a deep understanding of the meaning of it and how it can be used to share aloha and create paradise around the world."
While the film was originally intended as a non-profit education piece, there are now prospects for it to be distributed in public entertainment channels. Says Sue, "There are no investors to the film and none of us as producers own any part of it, so any distribution proceeds will go to our non-profit to support Shaka-based programs that benefit Hawai’i and the world beyond."
The Global Aloha Movement
Even before release of the film, the publicʻs appetite for the story has resulted in several Shaka-based programs, now recognized as Project Shaka, a movement that includes the documentary, a free Shaka Decal program, a Hawai’i State Bill to recognize the Shaka as the official Hawai’i State Gesture (authored by Steve Sue, filed by Senator Glenn Wakai and Representative Sean Quinlan, signed into law by Gov Green, 2024), an official Hawai’i State DMV Shaka License Plate (went live 2024), and curriculum models that teach the values and uses of the Shaka. In turn, Project Shaka is now part of a larger, movement called Global Aloha. See GlobalAloha.org »
For more, see Filmmaker's Statement »
Production Team
The film is produced by ID8 (ide•ate), a Hawai’i 501C3 nonprofit organization. Top-level producers/artists include Exec Producer/Producer/Writer Steve Sue, Executive Producer Bryan Spicer (director/producer Hawaii-Five-O, Magnum PI), Grammy-nominated Music Director Henry Kapono and Director/Editor Alexander Bocchieri. Associate Producers Sean Morris, Jill Kuramoto, Ryan Ozawa, Rob Webb, Rebecca Teresia, Minette Lew-McCabe. Cultural Advisors include Robert “Lono” Ikuwe, Manu Boyd and Hailama Farden.
Poster:
Utilizing Hawai’i Talent
The production team (paid living wages) is built from local talent from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa Academy of Creative Media Program. These include native Hawaiian Director Alex Bocchieri, Cinematographer Kristle Backe, Co-Editor Shaun Oliqiano, Assistant Editor Sara Brekke and Coordinator Eve Ordinario. Dozens of additional locals served on the production and post-production teams.
60+ Expert Interviews
Many ask "who's in the film?" Credibility counts as does factual evidence. We've treated this project like a court case, presenting direct testimony. Over a 5-year period, we conducted 60+ interviews including Joel “Baldy" Apuakehau, Charles Bargas, Todd Bradley, Cy Bridges, Renee Cabrinha, Ian Cairnes, Wally Camp, Jack Cione, Kathy Collins, Benjamin Dela Cruz, Frank Delima Jr., David Espinda, Joyce Fasi, Charles Fasi, Mike Foley, Victor Foniomoana, Gen. Kenneth Hara, Karl "Kini Popo" Hebenstreit, Fred Hemmings, Robert "Lono" Ikuwa, Mona Kahawaii, Henry Kapono, John “Keoni” Kauwe III, "Unko" George Kahumoku, Maria Latu, Brook Lee, Jeff Livingston, Vonn Logan, Kekela Miller, Riley Moffat, Jon Nouchi, Vernal Pratt, Harold Pukahi, Laverne Pukahi, Bill Sharp, Bob Sigall, Bryan Suzuki, Lanai Tabura, Willa Tanabe, George Tanabe, Rev. Ryoso Toshima, Peter Townend, Paul Udell, Caroline Vargas, Michael Victorino, Isaiah Walker, Moana Jones Wong.
Media Contact: Email Steve Sue »
Connects
Follow the project or find story assets:
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- Official Websites: https://shakafilm.org
- Instagram: @globalalohaorg
- Facebook: @globalalohaorg
- X: @globalalohaorg
- LinkedIn: @globalalohaorg
- YouTube: @globalalohaorg
- Hashtags: #ShakaFilm #GlobalAloha
- Official Websites: https://shakafilm.org
Intended Uses
COMMERCIAL DISTRIBUTION: Seeking cinematic, online streaming and broadcast screenings to share the film's message with the world.
EDUCATION: The film is designed to teach modern era Hawai’i history, virtues and values. Curriculum and workshop models are in development.
FAQs
- How did the project get started? Producer/writer Steve Sue had a passing curiosity on the origin of the Shaka and was referred to Aunty Kela Miller of Lā’ie who asked him to capture her first-hand story for future generations.
- How can it be seen? While the film was made for educational use, public demand has resulted in an openness to consider commercial release. Ideally, a distributor will make the film available in late 2024 or Spring 2025.
- Who is in it? The film is a quest by Steve Sue and key interviewee Kekela Miller with scenes featuring 60+ interviewees.
- How long is it? "Shaka, A Story of Aloha" is an 80 minute feature-length film. It is anticipated that educational use will likely feature excerpt scenes used as ice-breaker intros for classroom lessons and exercises on the themes presented in the film.
- What is Project Shaka? The film has birthed a nonprofit movement and acts as an "operating system" for additional nonprofit programs that share aloha through the Shaka. Programs include free Shaka Stickers, Hawai’i DMV Shaka License Plates, a monument-building program, and educational curriculum.
Technical Info
- Type: Documentary
- Shooting Format: UHD 4K, Digital
- Aspect Ratio: 16x9
- Audio Format: Stereo
- Length: 80 minutes
- Original Language: English (US)