FEB. 29: GALA FUNDRAISER TO LAUNCH CATHERINE BAUKNIGHT’S DOCUMENTARY, "HAWAII - A VOICE FOR SOVEREIGNTY"

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Award-winning photojournalist Catherine Bauknight’s stunning pilot documentary "Hawaii - A Voice for Sovereignty" will be celebrated with a gala, green-carpet event at Boulevard 3 in Hollywood, CA on Friday, February 29, 2008

"Hawaii - A Voice for Sovereignty," currently a 10-minute short, spotlights the struggle of indigenous Hawaiians to preserve their ancestral islands. The film documents the social, economic, and ecological issues that have developed in Hawaii since the takeover by the United States in 1893. In rare and moving interviews, native Hawaiians reveal their fears about the imminent loss of their culture and their land as overdevelopment threatens an ancient and environmentally sustainable way of life. Narration for the film will be supplied by the Hawaiian entertainer and humanitarian Al Harrington, star of the TV-show “Hawaii Five-O.”

Bauknight hopes to bring this film to the world stage by theatrical release, screenings at international film festivals, and television programming. "Hawaii-A Voice for Sovereignty" was selected from among 1,000 submissions to premiere at the Maui Film Festival in June 2007. It also screened at the Hana Film Festival in November 2007.

To promote these issues and raise money for the completion of a 90-minute full-length version of the documentary, the gala evening on Feb. 29 promises to be an exciting mix of live entertainment: a Hawaiian hula by Halau Keali’i O Nalani, a luau, a private screening of the documentary short, Hawaiian-themed food & drink, special celebrity attendees, and silent auction, featuring Hawaiian art. An exhibit of Catherine Bauknight’s photography entitled 20 yrs. of Rock-‘N-Roll: A Retrospect will also be on display.

“Civilizations are defined by their cultural traditions,” declares Bauknight. “I feel a sense of honor to aid these people in providing a voice for them to speak for themselves about their issues and culture.”

Bauknight’s exploration of cultural identities has its origins within her photojournalist background. A professional photographer for over two decades, Bauknight’s work has been featured in such distinguished publications as Rolling Stone, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, USA Today, Time, and People Magazine. She was one of five international photographers who risked their lives to cover the Tiananmen Square massacre. Other notable photography projects include: “Ethiopia - Bad Water,” and “The Renaissance of the Catawba Indians.” Bauknight is a member of both the NPPA and WIPI, and was an adjunct professor of photography at Cal State University-Fullerton and California Polytechnic State University. Bauknight is the Vice President on the Board of Directors for the Visual Artists Guild, a contract photographer for Zuma Press, and resides in Pasadena, CA.

The fiscal sponsor for the film is the International Documentary Association (IDA), a non-profit organization supporting documentary filmmaking. Additional sponsors include Women in Photography International (http://www.womeninphotography.org/), Pasadena Weekly (http://www.pasadenaweekly.com/), and B.A.R. Entertainment (www.youtube.com/starmedia).

For information about the film, or to purchase tickets for the screening, please visit: www.catherinebauknight.com. For all media requests and credentials, or to schedule an interview with Catherine Bauknight, contact J.R. Savet at 805-405-0710; e-mail: jrsavet@gmail.com. You can also visit the sites below for more info.

Invitation: http://www.catherinebauknight.com
Event location: http://www.boulevard3.com/b3Gallery/
Entertainment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zENrDhuw7hg&NR=1
Commentary: www.youtube.com/voiceforsovereignty