"The Ka'u Ka Hoku jury is proud to honor a remarkably confident and accomplished first feature that masterfully utilizes its formal complexity to serve a riveting narrative, brimming with contemporary social significance. This superbly crafted film is at once a meticulous character study, a chamber portrayal of modern existential angst, and a potent cautionary tale about our yearning for validation and increasingly desperate desire to leave our mark on virtual mirages of our own creation. The first annual Ka'u Ka Hoku Award for Emerging Talent goes to a fully realized film by a filmmaker who has, in fact, emerged as a distinct and important new voice: PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF DESIRE, by Hao Wu."

"This year's Made in Hawaii nominees showcase a beautifully diverse range of stories, that all share a common theme: the transformative impact of community and family. BETHANY HAMILTON: UNSTOPPABLE quickly showed us that what we thought we knew, was just the beginning of the story. Emotional and inspiring, this film did what all great docs do - it captured defining moments you can't believe were captured on film with twists and turns that defied expectations. This amazing story of a deeply relatable underdog was also complemented with epic cinematography and a final shot that has to be seen to be believed."

"All the films in the Made in Hawai'i Competition had their own strengths and visions, but one work stood out for its loyalty and commitment to its specifically Hawaiian location and community. Bringing to the screen a world little seen even in Hawaiian films, it wove a universal tale of economic struggle and longtime friendship into a proudly local, indigenous setting. Refusing to stoop to either overdone Hollywood twists or the 'poverty porn' gaze of an outsider, the film instead focused on the day-to-day financial struggles and decisions of those caught between barriers both economic and physical, as the film's attentive framing of its spectacular natural landscape made clear."