Arkansas Folk and Traditional Arts, the Arkansas Coalition of Marshallese, and filmmaker Nathan Fitch are hosting a screening of the short, narrative film IAKWE: Hello, Goodbye. IAKWE is based on events from the life of the film’s leading actor, Jacob Aija Aini Hawkes. The film portrays a young traveling salesman who, after being adopted at birth, meets his biological relatives for the first time while going door to door in Northwest Arkansas. The film explores the influence and intricacy of family bonds from a Pacific Islander/Marshallese perspective. Fitch shot the film in Springdale and worked with community members from Northwest Arkansas on this project, including students from Springdale High School’s media production program.
Following the film, there will be a panel discussion with the filmmaker, actors, and crew as well as a performance from local musical group MARK Harmony, a four-piece Marshallese boy band. Members Matthew, Arsi, Raygon, and Kairo began performing as part of their mission is to raise cultural awareness of the Marshallese people, its shared nuclear legacy, and climate change through music and songwriting. This event is free and open to the public. Please register if you plan to attend.
Questions about this event may be directed to Lauren Willette at willette@uark.edu. Arkansas Folk and Traditional Arts is a statewide program of the University of Arkansas Libraries dedicated to documenting, presenting, and sustaining Arkansas ’living traditional arts and folklife. AFTA develops and supports projects and programming in collaboration with Arkansas citizens, with an emphasis on including rural and underrepresented artistic traditions.
