The culture shock is evident on the faces and in the eyes of the freshmen from Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and other remote places when they arrive on the campus of BYU-Hawaii.
As they struggle with whether they will fit in — and knowing they likely will be unable to return home until graduation due to the high travel costs — the trepidation is amplified for many who audition for jobs at Hawaii’s most-popular tourist attraction, the Polynesian Cultural Center.
A new documentary by the director of “Meet the Mormons” colorfully and emotionally captures the literal, educational and emotional development journeys of the students who join the cast at the PCC and perform 19 hours a week to support their schooling.
The world premiere of “Sharing Aloha: A Backstage Look at the People Behind Hawaii’s Most Popular Attraction” drew local celebrities and plenty of laughter and tears Wednesday at Zions Indie Film Fest 2025 on the giant screen at the Scera Center for the Arts.
The Polynesian Cultural Center, a BYU-Hawaii work-study program, has made higher education virtually free for 60 years for thousands of students from the Asian Rim and Oceania who otherwise would never step foot in a college classroom.
Blair Treu, who wrote, directed and produced “Sharing Aloha” hopes it soon will find a place on a major streaming platform like Netflix, Hulu, Roku or Prime Video, but first it will tour the film festival circuit and hope to build momentum by word of mouth.
Read the rest of the article at Deseret News.
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