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Partnership preserves Kamae’s film work for generations to come

COURTESY PHOTO

Eddie Kamae’s documentary series can be found at uluulu.hawaii.edu. Kamae is pictured with his wife, Myrna.

Celebrated Hawaiian entertainer Eddie Kamae did more than create music; he was also a prolific filmmaker who strived to preserve native culture with his Hawaiian Legacy documentary series.

Kamae, who died in January, would have turned 90 on Aug. 4. To celebrate his birthday, his Hawaiian Legacy Foundation is issuing previously unreleased footage from 1991’s “Listen to the Forest,” which examines the biodiversity of Hawaii’s rain forests and the relationship between indigenous people and the landscapes they inhabit.

The archival footage is available via the efforts of the University of Hawaii at West Oahu’s ‘Ulu‘ulu: The Henry Ku‘uloha Giugni Moving Image Archive of Hawai‘i, which is working to catalog and digitize 10 award-winning documentaries produced by Kamae and his wife, Myrna. Since partnering with the foundation in 2016, ‘Ulu‘ulu has collected nearly 1,000 videotapes of Kamae’s work in efforts to preserve it for generations to come.

The complete catalog of “Listen to the Forest” content, including short streaming video clips of newly digitized footage, can be found at uluulu.hawaii.edu. Registered researchers can also make an appointment to view full-length footage in person; call 689-2740.

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