Out of State

Shipped to a for-profit prison in Arizona, native Hawaiians fight isolation and embrace indigenous traditions behind bars.

Hawaiian men incarcerated in Arizona
Series
Independent Lens
Premiere Date
May 6, 2019
Length
60 minutes
Funding Initiative
Open Call
  • Award laurels-r Created with Sketch.
    2017 Cayman International Film Festival-Best Documentary Feature Film
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    2017 Hawaii State Bar Association-Liberty Bell Award
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    2017 Portland Film Festival: The Storytellers’ Festival & Conference-Grand Jury Awards - Jury Prize for Artistic Vision
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    2017 San Diego Asian Film Festival-Best Feature Documentary
  • Award laurels-r Created with Sketch.
    2017 Hawaii International Film Festival-Made in Hawaii Best Feature Film & Audience Choice for Documentary Feature
    • Show morefewer awards
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    Producer/Director

    Ciara Leinaʻala Lacy

    Ciara Leina`ala Lacy is an Emmy Award-nominated filmmaker whose Native Hawaiian identity drives the intimacy and authenticity in her work. Her films have shown at Sundance and Berlinale as well as on Netflix, PBS, ABC, Al Jazeera, and the Criterion Collection, and her portfolio includes documentary, animation, and narrative content.

    Other ITVS Films
    Lucky We Live Hawaii
    Producer

    Beau Bassett

    Filmmaker Beau Bassett's experience represents the intersection of Hawaii’s justice system, filmmaking, and native Hawaiian culture. Having practiced law as a Deputy Public Defender for over six years, Bassett has counseled innumerable clients in Honolulu's criminal courts. An active member of the Hawaiian community, he is a graduate of the… Show more Kamakakuokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and is fluent in the Hawaiian language. As a filmmaker, Bassett created his first short, TEWETEWE, in 2006 for PBS broadcast, and was accepted as a 2008 producing fellow to the Sundance Institute's Native American and Indigenous Program. He currently practices law in Honolulu.     Show less

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    The Film

    This is the story of three Hawaiian men incarcerated in Arizona who learn from a fellow inmate the power of their cultural roots. Far from home serving time in a for-profit prison, these native Hawaiians rediscover their cultural identities, from native language to traditional dance. With their indigenous roots reawakened and re-entry around the corner, the men are challenged to take those positive lessons home to their family and friends.

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