Independent Lens
Belly of the Beast
In California’s women prisons, incarcerated people who were sterilized without their consent fight for justice.
E Haku Inoa: To Weave a Name
Filmmaker Christen Marquez's drive to learn the meaning of her enigmatic Hawaiian name impels her to unite her scattered family and come to terms with her estranged, mentally ill mother, who is the only person in the world who knows the meaning of her name.
- Premiere Date
- May 1, 2014
- Length
- 60 minutes
- Funding Initiative
- Open Call
- Series and Special Projects
Producer/Director
Christen Hepuakoa Marquez
Christen is a mixed race Native Hawaiian filmmaker who creates films that spark empathy and bridge communities. Her work has been featured on Netflix, Disney+, Discovery, Nat Geo, PBS, CNN, Oxygen, and NBC Universal, garnering two Emmy Awards and a Peabody nomination. She aims to incite action, change systems, educate, and catalyze justice.
- Other ITVS Films
- Belly of the Beast
- Lucky We Live Hawaii
We fund untold stories for public media.
Learn more about funding opportunities with ITVS.
The Film
Filmmaker Christen Hepuakoa Marquez was born in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. Christen's family deteriorated when her mother Elena was diagnosed with schizophrenia, and as a young girl she moved to Seattle with her father and brothers. After nearly 20 years of living in the continental U.S., Christen returns to Hawai'i to learn the meaning of her incredibly long Hawaiian name from her estranged mother.
In Hawaiian culture, you don't give a name, you hake inoa. Haku means "to weave," and inoa is the Hawaiian word for "name." For Kānaka Maoli (Native Hawaiians), a name is often considered a sacred extension of a person's identity. Words are artfully woven together to create a poem celebrating the namesake's heritage and destiny. Elena created Christen's name and is the only person who knows its true meaning.
Christen doggedly pursues this piece of her identity, struggling through tears and misunderstandings to unlock the mystery not only of her name, but also of her mother.
