REEL WĀHINE OF HAWAI’I: STEPHANIE J. CASTILLO

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. This short is part of REEL WĀHINE OF HAWAI‘I (RWH) Series Season 4. The Emmy-winning series documents talented and pioneering women filmmakers who tell uniquely Hawai‘i stories through a camera lens. Season 4 features Leanne K. Ferrer as the first executive producer in our series. Through funding and support of local and Pacific Islander filmmakers, Leanne Ferrer and the organization she led, Pacific Islanders in Communications, have had a massive influence in building the Hawai‘i indie film industry. Likewise, seasoned filmmakers Stephanie Castillo (Sandaan: 100 years of Filipinos in America), Ann Marie Kirk (Homealani), and Jana Kealoha Park (My Partner, E Malama Pono Willy Boy) show a depth and breadth of experience in both documentary and narrative films. The series also highlights the work of two of our brightest rising stars in our local film industry, camerawoman/editor Shaneika Aguilar and camerawoman/editor Sancia Miala Shiba Nash, who are reimagining and evolving the way we tell stories with their unique visual styles.