Documentary filmmaker to fill vacant legislative seat

Gov. Neil Abercrombie has appointed Heather Haunani Giugni, a documentary filmmaker and producer, to the Halawa-Aiea state House district seat to replace Rep. Tom Oka­mura, who resigned last month for health reasons.

Giugni is the daughter of the late Henry Giugni, a longtime aide and confidant of U.S. Sen. Daniel Ino­uye and U.S. Senate sergeant-at-arms.

She will be sworn in Tuesday.

"I look forward to serving the community and following in the footsteps of those leaders who represented this special district," Giugni said in a news release Wednesday.

Giugni, an early supporter of Abercrombie’s, is the owner of Juniroa Productions and a founding member of ‘Ulu‘ulu: The Henry K. Giugni Moving Image Archive of Hawai‘i. She has worked on numerous documentaries that have highlighted history, culture and traditions of Hawaii, the Governor’s Office said.

She has produced live broadcasts of the Kamehameha Schools Song Contest and the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival and also served as mentor for "Hiki No," a PBS Hawaii program produced by high school students.

"Heather and her family have been part of the demo­cratic story for generations," Abercrombie said. "The lessons she’s learned firsthand from Hawaii’s leaders have helped define her strong commitment to uplifting young people and building a better future for this state. In addition, her skills and appreciation of modern technology and communication will be valuable assets to the Legislature."

Henry Giugni worked with Ino­uye from 1957 to 1987, when he was named Senate sergeant-at-arms. After retiring from the Senate post in 1990, Giugni was hired as a lobbyist with Cassidy & Associates.

Upon his death in 2005, Ino­uye described Giugni as "a legend in Hawaiian politics" who was known and respected in every congressional office in Washington for his many years of dedicated service.