“This is it! This is where the coin wanted us to go.” Netflix has unveiled the official trailer for a teenage adventure movie titled Finding ‘Ohana, set on Hawaii’s island of Oahu. This kind of looks like a Hawaiian remake of The Goonies, with over-saturated sets and mesmerizing pirate-treasure locations. A summer in rural O’ahu takes an exciting turn for two Brooklyn-raised siblings when an old journal pointing to long-lost treasure sets them on an epic adventure with new friends, and leads them to reconnect with their Hawaiian heritage. ‘Ohana means “family”, so the movie is essentially about “Finding Family” and reconnecting with her family and her roots on Hawaii. The authentic full cast features Kea Peahu as the youngster Pili, Alex Aiono, Lindsay Watson, Owen Vaccaro, with Kelly Hu, Branscombe Richmond, Ke Huy Quan, Brad Kalilimoku, and Chris Parnell. Looks super fun! Plus, who doesn’t love spending time on Hawaii?
Here’s the official trailer (+ poster) for Jude Weng’s Finding ‘Ohana, direct from Netflix’s YouTube:
Geocache champion Pilialoha “Pili” Kawena (Kea Peahu) is abruptly lifted from her busy New York life and dropped into rural O’ahu to care for her grandfather. Initially skeptical about her new surroundings, Pili finds a cryptic pirate’s journal in her Papa’s studio hinting at 200-year-old shipwrecked treasure hidden away in the island’s caves and mountains. With her older brother and new friends in tow she uses her clue solving skills to lead them on an adventure of a lifetime through the natural wonders of Hawai’i. As she learns to respect and love her native culture she also discovers not all secrets should be shared and that the real treasure in life is “‘ohana” – her family. Finding ‘Ohana is directed by Taiwanese-American producer / filmmaker Jude Weng, making her feature film directorial debut after directing a few shorts and along with tons of directing / producing work for TV previously. The screenplay is written by Christina Strain. Netflix will debut Weng’s Finding ‘Ohana streaming exclusively starting January 29th this month.
