Nainoa Thompson

A behind-the-scenes look at the creation of Walt Disney Animation Studios' MOANA, as aided by the Oceanic Story Trust.

This one hour program reviews the 2-year, 16,000 mile journey of the Polynesian Voyaging Society's double-hulled canoe Hōkūleʻa as it retraced the major migratory routes of the ancient Polynesians. The canoe and her crew visited Tonga, Sāmoa, Tahiti and New Zealand, and navigation was done without instruments. Elisa Yadao and Cliff Watson of KGMB cover the story of the nearly month long 2,800 mile sail back to Hawaii, and a look back at the voyage of rediscovery.

From the earliest voyagers who navigated by starlight to the discovery of habitable planets by astronomers, Rock Bottom Riser examines the all-encompassing encounters of an island world at sea. As lava continues to flow from the earth’s core on the island of Hawaii—posing an imminent danger—a crisis mounts. Astronomers plan to build the world’s largest telescope on Hawaii’s most sacred and revered mountain, Mauna Kea. Based on ancient Polynesian navigation, the arrival of Christian missionaries, and the observatory’s ability to capture the origins of the universe, Rock Bottom Riser surveys the influence of settler colonialism, the search for intelligent life, and the discovery of new worlds as we peer into our own planet’s existence.

Director Sam George chronicles the remarkable life and times of the late Eddie Aikau, the legendary Hawaiian big wave surfer, pioneering lifeguard and ultimately doomed crew member of the Polynesian voyaging canoe Hokulea.

Whetū Mārama is the story of Sir Hekenukumai Ngaiwi Puhipi and his significance for Māori in rekindling their wayfinding DNA, reclaiming our place as traditional star voyages on the world map.   

Gaia Symphony is a television series directed by Jin Tatsumura. The series revolves around the Gaia hypothesis. The series has eight episodes. Each episode examines a small number of extraordinary people who somehow relate to the central theme. Some of the people examined are famous people. For example, Jane Goodall and Reinhold Messner. Created originally in the Japanese language, there are English versions available.