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Hawaiʻi-made film explains the creation of everything from local perspective

Poet Laureate Kealoha is the creator of "The Story of Everything" — a theatrical piece-turned feature length film.
Twain Newhart
/
HIFF
Poet Laureate Kealoha is the creator of "The Story of Everything" — a theatrical piece-turned feature length film.

The 42nd Hawaiʻi International Film Festival is showing dozens of feature-length and short films made in the islands. One is called “The Story of Everything."

It was originally a theater performance from 2015, but the Engaging the Senses Foundation has turned “The Story of Everything” into a feature-length film.

The movie explains the science behind the creation of the universe from the Big Bang to the future — all while staying comedic. The solar system is explained in pidgin, and the chemical reactions that created the universe are paralleled to the iconic disco club Studio 54.

Poet Laureate of Hawaiʻi Kealoha created “The Story of Everything” for his son, explaining, "The original idea came to me at the end of 2011 when I found out that I was gonna be a father."

"And basically I wanted to find out a way to pass down all the knowledge that we have today in terms of where humans come from, like how biology and physics and chemistry, how it all works to create humans. That's when this idea for a creation story based on science came about," Kealoha told HPR.

Kealoha collaborated with many local creators to make "The Story of Everything." ʻUkulele maestro Taimane and multi-instrumental band Quadraphonix wrote the music for the story, and Kauʻi Kanakaʻole chants the Kumulipo.

"The Kanakaʻole family — they're so steeped in tradition, but at the same time they're willing to push the boundaries and really put out the knowledge in a way that's creative and innovative," said Kealoha.

The Story of Everything” will have school showings and travel to various film festivals across the country and internationally.

Zoe Dym was a news producer at Hawaiʻi Public Radio.
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