Native Hawaiian Artist & Cultural Practitioner Needs Assessment: Fill & Download for Free

I think sharks are beautiful in a very powerful and dominating sense. There are all kinds of beauty; a butterfly’s beauty is a very different concept than the beauty of a shark. To be sure, the large sharks are very, very intimidating with their open mouths and their flat, “dead-looking eyes.” You might remember that phrase about dead-looking eyes was used in the first “Jaws” movie, and was meant to instill fear in watchers. Did a good job, too. The thing is that we have been taught to fear them.Here in Hawaii, the shark, or mano, is one of the Native Hawaiian pantheon, said to be protecting of the people, especially fishers. The Hawaiian people were not taught to fear sharks for no reason but to respect them. I think this is a good attitude for everyone to adopt.Note this beautiful painting by acclaimed Hawaiian artist Herb Kane.

Well, it's a lot different on the big island than on Oahu, that's for sure.Our traffic is very rarely backed up, except for a few areas at rush hour. Where I live on the Hamakua coast the delays are for road work, mostly tree service guys whacking back the jungle. Traffic is nothing.We have beautiful, uncrowded beaches, hiking, waterfalls, botanical gardens, lush greenery on our side of the island. The other side has a lot of lava, but some really nice beaches.Our island has a lot more native Hawaiian culture I think, although Asian influence also high. Our restaurants and the availability of Asian foods in stores, restaurants, even the 7-elevens is outstanding. /we do have some theater, music etc tho not on the scale of Honolulu. We have a little bit of everything, although you have to ask around to find it all.Beach parties on the weekends are everywhere.Jobs are plentiful, services are expensive. We do our own gardening and tree trimming because we can't afford what the pros chargeLocal food at the market is cheap, and we eat a lot of what grows in our backyard. Stuff from the mainland is expensive.Everyone is friendly here, and we have a wide social circle that includes haoles and native Hawaiians.I am an artist, as are a huge proportion of the population here.This island is the most affordable as far as housing. About half of what it costs to live on Oahu, Maui or Kauai.Tourism is not as dominant here. Our side of the island is mostly residents, except for the people who come on the cruise ships.The rain is mostly at night, some very heavy rain days but rarely overcast or gray. When it rains, it really rains. If it's not raining, the sun is out.Our coast is the most beautiful place I have ever been, but don't tell anyone. We want to keep it this way.

I was really ready to hate this decision, but looking at all the details I think it is totally fine, even beneficial. I don’t think they’re overreaching at all, I think they’re inspiring change.Before jumping into what I think of them, I think its important to establish what they are in the most unbiased way possible. That means some verbatim copying from the release:Starting in 2024, a film must meet two out of four of the following standards to be deemed eligible:STANDARD A: ON-SCREEN REPRESENTATION, THEMES AND NARRATIVESTo achieve Standard A, the film must meet ONE of the following criteria:A1. Lead or significant supporting actorsAt least one of the lead actors or significant supporting actors is from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group.• Asian• Hispanic/Latinx• Black/African American• Indigenous/Native American/Alaskan Native• Middle Eastern/North African• Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander• Other underrepresented race or ethnicityA2. General ensemble castAt least 30% of all actors in secondary and more minor roles are from at least two of the following underrepresented groups:• Women• Racial or ethnic group• LGBTQ+• People with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearingA3. Main storyline/subject matterThe main storyline(s), theme or narrative of the film is centered on an underrepresented group(s).• Women• Racial or ethnic group• LGBTQ+• People with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearingSTANDARD B: CREATIVE LEADERSHIP AND PROJECT TEAMTo achieve Standard B, the film must meet ONE of the criteria below:B1. Creative leadership and department headsAt least two of the following creative leadership positions and department heads—Casting Director, Cinematographer, Composer, Costume Designer, Director, Editor, Hairstylist, Makeup Artist, Producer, Production Designer, Set Decorator, Sound, VFX Supervisor, Writer—are from the following underrepresented groups:• Women• Racial or ethnic group• LGBTQ+• People with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearingAt least one of those positions must belong to the following underrepresented racial or ethnic group:• Asian• Hispanic/Latinx• Black/African American• Indigenous/Native American/Alaskan Native• Middle Eastern/North African• Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander• Other underrepresented race or ethnicityB2. Other key rolesAt least six other crew/team and technical positions (excluding Production Assistants) are from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group. These positions include but are not limited to First AD, Gaffer, Script Supervisor, etc.B3. Overall crew compositionAt least 30% of the film’s crew is from the following underrepresented groups:• Women• Racial or ethnic group• LGBTQ+• People with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearingSTANDARD C: INDUSTRY ACCESS AND OPPORTUNITIESTo achieve Standard C, the film must meet BOTH criteria below:C1. Paid apprenticeship and internship opportunitiesThe film’s distribution or financing company has paid apprenticeships or internships that are from the following underrepresented groups and satisfy the criteria below:• Women• Racial or ethnic group• LGBTQ+• People with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearingThe major studios/distributors are required to have substantive, ongoing paid apprenticeships/internships inclusive of underrepresented groups (must also include racial or ethnic groups) in most of the following departments: production/development, physical production, post-production, music, VFX, acquisitions, business affairs, distribution, marketing and publicity.The mini-major or independent studios/distributors must have a minimum of two apprentices/interns from the above underrepresented groups (at least one from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group) in at least one of the following departments: production/development, physical production, post-production, music, VFX, acquisitions, business affairs, distribution, marketing and publicity.C2. Training opportunities and skills development (crew)The film’s production, distribution and/or financing company offers training and/or work opportunities for below-the-line skill development to people from the following underrepresented groups:• Women• Racial or ethnic group• LGBTQ+• People with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearingSTANDARD D: AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENTTo achieve Standard D, the film must meet the criterion below:D1. Representation in marketing, publicity, and distributionThe studio and/or film company has multiple in-house senior executives from among the following underrepresented groups (must include individuals from underrepresented racial or ethnic groups) on their marketing, publicity, and/or distribution teams.• Women• Racial or ethnic group:· Asian· Hispanic/Latinx· Black/African American· Indigenous/Native American/Alaskan Native· Middle Eastern/North African· Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander· Other underrepresented race or ethnicity• LGBTQ+• People with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearingAll categories other than Best Picture will be held to their current eligibility requirements. Films in the specialty categories (Animated Feature, Documentary Feature, Documentary Short Subject, International Feature Film, Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film) submitted for Best Picture/General Entry consideration will be addressed separately.Yep. It’s a lot of text about an ultimately meaningless awards show. That’s why I’m here, to actually read all that crap.But the big thing you must know is that you only need to meet two of the four standards in order to qualify. The other big thing is that two of the four standards are totally nonrestrictive and easy.That’s because Standards C and D actually have nothing to do with the film production crews (Unless they are Indie) and have far more to do with the major studios involved. It is simply encouraging (See: Do it or Else) Studios to make more diverse hires.In other words, every single award will qualify for the Oscars because every single studio will add diverse interns, board members, and minor crew members. The Academy is using their power not to influence stories, but to get more people hired and more opportunity for disadvantaged groups.But the other good thing about this decision is that it is broad to the point of it being difficult for a film to not meet at least one category. I was worried it would be more difficult to get films such as Paterson or Hillbilly Elegy made, which are important stories about White America, but that isn’t the case at all.With the inclusion of women as an underrepresented group, most films fit the requirement of a 30% cast of ‘underrepresented groups’. Even a film like Paterson, which is about a white dude named Paterson, has a cast of at least 30% women.Not to mention the inclusion of mental disability stories would allow a huge amount of Oscar films that aren’t necessarily diverse to qualify. Movies like American Sniper, Nebraska, and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close would all meet Standard A.In the end I am supportive of these changes because The Academy found a way to influence change without interrupting the creative process. Studio’s have until 2024 to diversify their intern and executive positions. Once that happens nothing will be excluded and Clint Eastwood can make all the Oscar Nominated old-white-people movies he wants.I really don’t think more diversity behind the scenes is too much to ask.