ʻUluʻulu is Hawaiʻi's official state archive for moving images.
Located on the University of Hawaiʻi - West Oʻahu campus, the archive is dedicated to the care, preservation, and digitization of film and
videotape related to the history and culture of Hawaiʻi.
Search the catalog, explore the collections, and watch some movies!
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"Lahaina: Waves of Change" captures the spirit of Lāhainā's multi-ethnic community, seeking to build a future while honoring their historic and colorful past. View clips from this award-winning documentary.
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This year's ʻUluʻulu HIFF film presentation & panel featured found footage & home movies of Hawai‘i from a Bygone era, to show the urban evolution of the landscape. Was it idyllic, bucolic and the usual tropes that may be tinged by nostalgia & rose colored glasses looking at the past?
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In 2021 ʻUluʻulu and the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa University Archives & Manuscript Collections Department were awarded a Preservation & Access Grant from the Hawaiʻi Council for the Humanities to collaborate on digitizing the Mitsuo Aoki Collections.
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In October 2021, ʻUluʻulu completed a 3-year digitization project supported by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs in partnership with OHA's Papakilo Database. The digital content consists of television programs that focus on Hawaiian history, arts, & culture: “The Best of Treasures,” “Holo Mai Pele,” “Legacy of Light,” “Merrie Monarch Festival,” & “Pau Hana Years.”
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In 2019 ʻUluʻulu and Bishop Museum were awarded a Preservation & Access grant from the Hawaiʻi Council for the Humanities to collaborate on Vault to Screen. The project was envisioned to safely preserve and ensure community access to nitrate films in the Bishop Museum Library & Archives' historic moving image collection.
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Music is a big part of Hawaiian culture and mele (songs) are the gifts left behind from the composers who came before us. Hawaiian music is spiritual and it shares the foundations of Hawaiʻi which is love for the things surrounding us and the appreciation of nature. Music also shares the experiences of our kūpuna. Music was the source that led Eddie Kamae on his lifelong journey.
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Produced by Hawaiʻi Public Television from 1966 and 1982, Pau Hana Years profiled kūpuna who told their life stories, showcased their talents, engaged in lively activities, and shared their knowledge. With nearly 200 episodes of this popular program, you can now watch these inspiring individuals who left their cultural imprint in our local communities.
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Historian Barbara Kawakami grew up on a sugar plantation. In the 1980s she helped CLEAR produce several programs on plantation history and culture. Kawakami’s work has inspired a donation by Frank Moy and Marcia Mau that has enabled preservation and digital access to the CLEAR Rice & Roses Collection.
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‘Ulu‘ulu is pleased to partner with the Association of Hawai‘i Archivists to transcribe video clips from our collections. This project could not be completed without the generous time and work provided by AHA's community of dedicated volunteers. Mahalo!
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The Daniel K. Inouye Institute’s Oral History Project was a chance for people who knew Inouye well to relay their experience as a friend and colleague. This theme showcases a selection of interviews honoring the life of the late Senator.
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ʻUluʻulu recently acquired the complete collection of the late entertainer Don Ho’s films, videos and personal memorabilia from the Donald Tai Loy Ho Trust. The extensive collection
from Hawaiʻi's most famous entertainer includes archival film and video footage and related personal memorabilia from the early 1960s through 2007.
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The HKG Pilot Project was a collaborative effort between ʻUluʻulu and local archives, museums, libraries, television stations and independent producers to create a digital collection of Hawaiian film and video. Much of this footage had not been seen in over 30 years until it was digitized in 2011.
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