NEWSLETTER

It's official: POOKIE MEETS THE PRINCESS, John Zak's first Hawaiian-themed children's book is available as a KINDLE EDITION on Amazon.com This version is text only. We will keep you posted on the upcoming, full color, printed version with illustrations by Raul Rodriguez! This is a story for adults and children (9-12) to read together!!! Go to Amazon.com to learn more about it. Mahalo to all for their support!!!

My new documentary film, THE FINE ART OF FORGIVENESS, is in production. Several wonderful interviews have been completed with fascinating individuals who have faced life situations that, to many, would be too difficult to bear. Through deep work of healing, each individual in the film has come through  tragedy to embrace forgiveness and the powerful lessons provided by seemingly insurmountable challenges. Additional interviews are scheduled for the summer months in Hawaii and in California.

 PULE WAILELE  (HAWAIIAN WATERFALL PRAYER),was an official selection for the  Maui Film Festival.  The film was screened as a double feature with THE MEN OF HALAU NA KAMALEI, a documentary about Robert Cazimero and his all-male hula dance troop. Both films were received with great enthusiasm by a capacity crowd. HAWAII"S REEL STORIES on OC 16 (TIME WARNER OCEANIC CABLE in HAWAII) aired a piece about PULE WAILELE and STARZ Network also featured segments of the film with interviews with John Zak. Also, thanks to Don Brown, creator of HAWAII'S REEL STORIES, PULE WAILELE screened at University of Hawaii at Manoa, again to an enthusiastic reception. PULE WAILELE  also screened in Zurich Switzerland.  This was the first international presentation of the film.

PULE WAILELE is in general release, for sale through www.booklineshawaii.com and amazon.com. Widescreen NTSC DVDs are now for sale, with a high definition BLU-RAY or HD DVD version to follow next year. See the "Links of Interest" page of this site. For me, making the film was a wonderful process, particularly working as a "one-man-band." I love working with a crew on scripted shows, but in this type of production, compact is the only way to go. What I find so thrilling about this kind of work is that I start with a series of questions, as opposed to a completed script. The story tells itself through the people and images that come forward, through the process of filming. I know it may sound melodramatic, but I feel most alive when I am filming or working in the edit room. There is an energy that comes into the room. I keep asking "What is it that wants to be revealed?" Then, connections between comments made by various people with whom I spoke on camera, begin to manifest. It is truly exciting.

The beginning questions for me were: "What was the depth and level of the connection between Hawaiians and the environment around them? Does it still exist? How are Hawaiians reconnecting to the land and caring for the land and the water?" The answers revealed a truth that I felt intuitively, but one that I could not immediately articulate. I found myself getting "chicken skin" as I reviewed each interview. The reality is that Hawaiians of old, and some Hawaiians of the present live in a way that is absolutely different from the "Western" model. Many other native cultures share this "way of being" with Hawaiians. Hawaiians see NO separation between themselves and their world, meaning that they commune and communicate with their spiritual and physical universe in a simple, but profound way. Those who watch PULE WAILELE will hear stories of people who ask plants to reveal themselves to the seeker, and to direct their healing powers so they will assist the healer in creating a cure for a person in need of medicine. They will hear stories of a lomilomi practitioner who spent three weeks alone in the rain forest as a boy, protected by wild animals who sat in a semicircle around his lean-to. Viewers will tour a garden that features one of the last pristine streams in Hawaii, and see thousand-year-old walls and irrigation channels that still provide perfect irrigation for the garden's taro patches.

Those who choose to view PULE WAILELE on the "surface" will come away hearing some interesting stories. Those who listen with their heart, will, in my view, get a glimpse of the true nature of Hawaii and Hawaiians that paints a picture far different from the hyped up image of tourist entertainments and resort getaways. A real Hawaii does still exist, but it does not parade itself for general tourist consumption. The way to begin a journey toward learning about it is to spend time with Hawaii's kupuna, elders. E NANA I KE KUMU....look to the source to understand where Hawaiians came from, and where they are going. The kupuna and the ancestors are that source.

Explore the world through the eyes of Pookie, a rascal Hawaiian cat and his new feline friend from the Mainland, Princess. This book is intended for young people ages 10 through 14. But, it is also intended to be enjoyed by children and adults together, as the characters learn what it means to be the new one in town, how to be a true friend, how important it is to love the land and the environment and the rewards to be enjoyed from caring for nature.

Children and grownups will learn about Hawaiian themes that will resonate with people of all cultures. The book will be a centerpiece of conversation between adults and young readers, with a glossary of Hawaiian words as well as a glossary of "grownup" words included, as well as a discussion guide to help adults open conversation with young readers about what they have learned. A companion  free membership website, POOKIE'S PONO PADDLERS, will offer information about opportunites for young people and adults to become involved in service learning and to contribute to their community. 

POOKIE MEETS THE PRINCESS was written by John C. Kalani Zak, M.A. Spiritual Psychology, based on his rich experience of living in Hawaii and learning from Hawaiian cultural practitioners. Raul Rodriguez, internationally acclaimed designer, most noted for his breathtaking float designs in each year's Tournament of Roses Parade, illustrates the book with love and an inimitable heart-filled style. More details to follow!