Then There Were None
To millions of travelers the world over, Hawai‘i is an alluring picture postcard paradise. But to its Native Hawaiian people, nothing could be further from the truth.
- Filmmaker(s)
- Elizabeth Kapu‘uwailani Lindsey
- Category
- Full-Length Film
- Subject Matter
- History, Race & Diversity
- Featured In
- 25 in 25
To millions of travelers the world over, Hawai‘i is an alluring picture postcard paradise. But to its Native Hawaiian people, nothing could be further from the truth. Their compelling story, of a race displaced and now on the verge of extinction, is brilliantly told in this award-winning documentary created by the great-granddaughter of Hawaiian high chiefs and English seafarers.
Elizabeth Kapu‘uwailani Lindsey is a cultural anthropologist, actress, writer, and award-winning filmmaker. Lindsey, who was raised by native Hawaiian elders, is the great-granddaughter of Hawaiian chiefs, English seafarers, and Chinese entrepreneurs.
The former Miss Hawai‘i received a preliminary Emmy nomination for her work on the acclaimed television series China Beach. She was also the beloved co-star of Steven Bochco's The Byrds of Paradise. Now an esteemed speaker, Lindsey captivates international audiences, sharing her passion for the ancient wisdom of her elders. Such knowledge has much to offer a modern world. Speaking engagements include Capitol Hill, Harvard University, The Smithsonian Institute, and the American Museum of Natural History.
Then There Were None is not a tale of blame or victimization. It is a story born from unspoken words, unshed tears, and wounded spirits. It is an effort to give voice to kupuna (elders), who have become strangers in their own land—a land that once nourished their dreams and now cradles their bones. Without these stories, Hawai‘i's history would be incomplete.
This film was and continues to be a personal journey, a journey of discovery, both heartbreaking and inspiring. Like most native people throughout the world who have experienced the effects of acculturation, straddling between Western ideology and cultural philosophy is as challenging as it is complex. The issues raised in Then There Were None invite, provoke, and often demand my attention and commitment to explore ever more deeply the issues of cultural destiny.
My kuleana, my life's work, is humbly devoted to remembering our kupuna, upon whose shoulders I stand. Through my work and the work of many others, silence will not shroud our future generations. They will know who they are, from whence they come, and the sounds of all the world's voices.
About the Producer
"There is no greater service we can render humanity than to live brilliantly, expressing our fullest potential. Nature epitomizes such daring in infinite ways. Would a star diminish its own light? Or a flower refuse to bloom? Why, then, would we negate ourselves? The world does not need us to play small. It needs a thousand points of light to illuminate the way. Be that light. Dare to live brilliantly!"
-Dr. Elizabeth Lindsey
