Reel Wāhine of Hawaiʻi - Stephanie Castillo
The Reel Wāhine of Hawai'i short film series chronicles talented and pioneering women filmmakers who tell Hawai‘i stories uniquely through a camera lens. Stephanie Castillo was a Kaua‘i-based Emmy award-winning writer and director whose documentaries explored the lives of people driven by devotion to others.
- Filmmaker(s)
- Marlene Booth
- Category
- Short Film
- Subject Matter
- Women, Biography
- Featured In
- Pacific Pulse
- Region
- Hawai'i
- Length
- 9 Minutes
- Year
- 2024
- Website
- https://www.reelwahineofhawaii.org/
-
Stephanie Castillo was an EMMY-award winning director and independent filmmaker for 30 years, Stephanie Castillo was a former Honolulu print journalist and documentary filmmaker committed to producing, directing, and writing documentary films exploring the lives of people driven by devotion to others. Castillo released her first documentary film, Simple Courage, in 1992, which compellingly drew parallels between the treatment of Hansen’s Disease sufferers and people diagnosed with AIDS. Her other major films include: An Uncommon Kindness: The Father Damien Story; An Untold Triumph: The Story of the 1st and 2nd Filipino Infantry Regiment; Remember the Boys; Strange Land: My Motherʻs War Bride Story; Night Bird Song: the Incandescent Life of a Jazz Great.
Marlene Booth - Writer/Director
Marlene Booth is an award-winning documentary filmmaker who brings a personal vision to stories that span generations, locales, ethnicities, class, and gender. Her major films include: Pidgin: The Voice of Hawai’i; Kū Kanaka/Stand Tall; The Forward: From Immigrants to Americans; Yidl in the Middle: Growing Up Jewish in Iowa; The Double Burden: Three Generations of Working Mothers; and They Had a Dream: Brown v. Board of Education 25 Years Later. Her award-winning films have aired on PBS, screened at national and international film festivals, and are used in classrooms nationwide. She is a proud member of New Day Films and a retired teacher of film at the Academy for Creative Media at the University of Hawai‘i.
Alison Week - Camera
Alison Week is a freelance filmmaker currently based in Waimea, Hawaii who produces both narrative and non-fiction films. Her personal film work aims to uplift stories of women in front of and behind the camera, and authentically represent her island home. She recently co-directed the documentary feature ISLAND COWGIRLS, now airing on PBS/World Channel as part of the series Pacific Heartbeat.
Ashley Del Vecchio - Audio
Ashley Del Vecchio is an Independent Filmmaker with a passion for cinema. She lives in Kona, Hawaii and is undergoing training in a Film school and Interning with the 24 Frames Film Collective. She has worked on numerous projects from Independent Films, to documentaries, to bigger-name shows and movies with companies like HBO, Discovery, and AppleTV. She is passionate to support the next generation of filmmakers discover their passions and begin their journeys.
Shirley Thompson - Editor
Shirley Thompson is a seasoned Emmy™ Award winning documentary producer, writer, editor and director. She is best known for the documentaries she has edited, written and co-produced including The ‘Ilima Lady (2023), Baseball Behind Barbed Wire (2023), and Finding Kukan (2016). She is a long-time member of the New Day Films collective. As a Latina and a daughter of immigrants, she is committed to filmmaking that builds bridges across cultures and communities.
Jessi Wong - Intern/Production Assistant
Jessi is currently studying at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), majoring in psychology. They want to become a social worker to help transgender and/or autistic adolescents or young adults. They have participated and worked in HWF's programs for over 2 years and are committed to HWF's mission. They are passionate about LGBTQ+ and disability issues and seek to advocate for and help those communities.
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Instagram: @hiwomeninfilmmaking
Facebook: @Hawai‘i Women in Filmmaking
