New film explores a wilder, greener, prouder Hawai‘i few tourists have experienced.

April 1, 2010 Hilo, Hawai‘i. "Toward Living Pono," the latest feature-length documentary by Emmy Award winner Rick Bacigalupi, follows acclaimed movie actor Jason Scott Lee ("Dragon," "The Jungle Book") and other dedicated Hawaiian activists as they drive the movement toward sustainable living in the often-misunderstood paradise.

In stark contrast to popular mainlander perceptions of Hawai‘i as a pristine archipelago unspoiled by the outside world, "Toward Living Pono" reveals the environmental and cultural stresses that threaten to devastate the lush islands and its proud, once-independent inhabitants. The film ignores the honeymoon hotels, the kitschy souvenirs, and the made-for-tourists luaus, and tells the story of locals whose determined response to the cultural and environmental crises before them can show people everywhere how to address our negative impact on the earth and improve our relationships with one another.

"We don't have to go green, " chides Kupuna ("Elder") Uncle Robert Keli‘iho‘omalu, in unmistakable Hawaiian style. "We never stopped being green in the first place." Native-language instructor and musician Kainani Kahaunaele protests, "Hawai‘i is so much more than Waikiki...many of us are upset to be stereotyped in such blatant ways." Native Hawaiian and teenage activist James Akau, who works with John Replogle and the Nature Conservancy in Ka‘u to protect native forests, wisely contemplates his people's connection to the land. "Everything was related -- the animals and plants were considered family. People my age should know about their world -- and their heritage."

Working to raise awareness, Jason Scott Lee makes continuing speaking appearances at schools throughout the Islands to talk about the way he lives more simply and sustainably off the grid on his Big Island taro farm. "You've got to malama i ka ‘aina -- take care of the land. Give back!" he urges in the auditorium of Hilo High School. "Our beautiful islands are under attack and we've got to save them."

Lee invites the camera in to show his small, cozy home without electricity, take a tour of the lua ("outhouse"), and capture his day-to-day chores. At the time of filming, his farm contained a black-box theater where the public was invited to see dance, musical, and theatrical performances. Snippets of performances are included in the documentary.

Also featured in the film are visits with the taro farming Mock Chew Family of Waipi‘o Valley, Kumu Emery Aceret, Deb Arita and the young hula dancers of Hilo's Halau Na Pua ‘O Uluhaimalama, Jack Jeffrey and Donna Ball of the Fish and Wildlife Service's Hakalau Forest Reserve, Keith "Braddah Skibs" Nehls and his Pakalove crew, and Earl Kawamura.

Co-Producer Justina Mattos, Ph.D. reflects, "Sustainability and environmental awareness are sort of becoming buzz words now, but I think that's a good thing because it means we as a society are becoming more conscious of our human impact on our surroundings. It means we're waking up to what the people featured in this film have been working at for years. We need to learn to 'walk the walk,' changing our lifestyles, our industries, and our governmental policies to protect the environment that has always nurtured us."

"Toward Living Pono" will be Emmy Award-winning producer Rick Bacigalupi's third feature to be distributed nationally to public television stations. The film's production crew included students from Hawai‘i Student Television (HSTV).

An early version of "Toward Living Pono" was screened at Honolulu's Louis Vuitton Hawaii International Film Festival in 2008. Audience response was so great that an additional screening was added. The film was shown again on closing night of the Pacific Rim Film Festival in Santa Cruz, California, on October 21, 2009. The world premier of the completed film will be held at the Palace Theater, Hilo, Hawai‘i, on Wednesday, April 21 at 7 PM. Additional screenings will be held on Friday, April 23, 2010, at 5:15 PM and 7:30 PM at the Independent Film Festival in Orinda, California

Visit Facebook, YouTube or www.LivingPono.com to find more information, view clips, or make advance reservations to purchase copies of the film. Lodging provided by Dolphin Bay Hotel, Hilo.