The Voyage Home
The Voyage Home traces the expedition of the Hawaiian waka, Hawai’iloa, to Alaska
- Filmmaker(s)
- Karin Williams
- Category
- Full-Length Film
- Subject Matter
- Culture, Travel
- Featured In
- 25 in 25
Chronicles the historic journey of the Polynesian voyaging canoe, Hawaiʻiloa, as it sailed from Seattle, Washington to Juneau, Alaska in the summer of 1995. Its twin hulls were carved from 400-year-old spruce trees donated by the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian nations of Canada and Alaska and by the Sealaska Corporation. The passage of the canoe through the native villages of the Northwest Inside Passage united thousands of indigenous peoples in an unprecedented celebration of their heritage and culture
KARIN WILLIAMS - Director, Producer
Karin Williams is a New Zealand-born Cook Islander with a background in broadcast journalism. Her first independent documentary film project was funded by Pacific Islanders in Communications in 1996. The Voyage Home traced the expedition of the Hawaiian waka, Hawai’iloa, to Alaska.
Other PIC funded projects include:
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Skin Stories (2003) – PBS special on traditional tattoo of the Pacific Islands
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The Meaning of Food (2004) – PBS documentary series on food and cultures
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Fixing Juvie Justice (2013) – PBS special produced with National Geographic about juvenile justice initiatives in New Zealand and Baltimore.
Karin has represented Pacific Islander filmmakers at national and international forums including PBS conferences, PBS Producers Workshop, Input, Doc X and Hawai’i Media Makers. Her films have screened at the Hawaii International Film Festival (The Voyage Home, Mou Piri: A Rarotongan Love Song) and at festivals around the world. Now based in Aoteroa, Karin continues to champion indigenous film and theatre through her work as an independent producer and development executive.
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