Kicking off our 2024 screening event season, Akakū will screen a documentary from PBSʻs well known American Documentary POV (Point of View) film program, Wisdom Gone Wild.
POV believes in the power of film to engage communities in dialogue around the most important social issues of our time.
Film Summary: A vibrant tender cine-poem, a filmmaker collaborates with her Nisei mother as they confront the painful curious reality of wisdom ‘gone wild’ in the shadows of dementia. Made over 16 years, the film blends humor and sadness in an encounter between mother and daughter that blooms into an affectionate portrait of love, care, and a relationship transformed.
The film touches on the following themes: Caregiving; parental loss; mother/daughter relationship; preserving family history; dementia; memory; poetry; anti-Asian racism; policing; beauty culture; internment of Japanese Americans; spirituality; aging and transformation.
Following the screening we have invited three panelists for a conversation:
Rowena Dagdag-Andaya: Rowena was with the Maui Department of Public Works acting director under the Victorino administration and previously served as the deputy director of the department through the Mayor Alan Arakawa. In 2022, Rowena joined Department of Housing and Human Concerns, as a county executive for the Office on Aging. In an article with Maui Now she stated, “After careful consideration of the opportunities that this position holds, and reflecting on recent personal events in my life, which includes the passing of my father, the opportunities that this position holds allows me to focus on being able to provide services and improving the quality of life for kupuna and persons with disabilities in our community, while also focusing on the needs of my family.”
Kathleen Couch: Since 2004, Kathleen has been Maui Adult Day Care Centers Program Coordinator. Maui Adult Daycare provides adult day care services to aging adults in a family environment that is safe and filled with love. They also provide free caregiver support to families via monthly caregiver support groups throughout Maui, one-on-one counseling, and quarterly workshops throughout Maui and on Lanai and Molokai. Additionally, the organization provides dementia training to schools and organizations and anyone with the desire to know more.
Heather Greenwood:Heather has worked for the University of Hawaii Manoa-Cooperative Extension for over 15 years developing and teaching programs for family caregivers, grandparents raising grandchildren, and multigenerational audiences. She has a graduate degree in Gerontology from Virginia Commonwealth University and has been involved in adult education since the 1990s. One of her favorite aspects of work is meeting with and learning from family caregivers who are resourceful and creative as they balance family, work, and personal responsibilities.
In person events will be held at: (includes a light lunch)
Akaku Maui Community Media
333 Dairy Rd. Suite 204 Kahului HI 96732 (808) 871-5554
MEO Molokai (Zoom webinar interactivity with panelists)
380 Kolapa Pl, Kaunakakai, HI 96748 (808) 553-3216
Lanai Senior Center (Zoom webinar interactivity with panelists)
309 7th St, Lanai City, HI 96763 (808) 565-6282
Virtual Attendance via ZOOM Webinar:
If selecting virtual attendance while registering, an email will be sent to you a week before the event with link!
Akakū Upstairs is a public engagement event to “Elevate Community & Conversation“.
Saturday January 27, 2024.
Doors open at 9:30am, event is 10am – 1:30pm, 1:30pm – 2pm ʻtalk-storyʻ with light lunch for in-person attendees.
Admission is free. Mandatory to register!
To Register: Register Here
Mahalo to our Partners:
Office of Councilmember Gabe Johnson Lānaʻi Seat