Twisted Braid

2025 | Coast Film & Music Festival

Duration: 6 min

Synopisis

The following piece is a reflection on an artist-in-residence based in Hilo, Hawai’i. In ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, the word hilo is defined as ʻto twistʻ or ʻto braidʻ, ʻbraidedʻ. It also happens to be the place name of an iconic and culturally significant landmark on the island of Hawaiʻi, where a tight-knit community has found a way to keep meaningful ties with each other and the environment around them, evident in the members that help it to thrive. This poetry explores the way in which a foundational love for creativity, culture, and community can bring light into a world that is seemingly becoming larger and more distant.

Featured at Coast Film & Music Festival 2025

Production Team

Ricky-Thomas Kahanoʻokalokoʻakahai Kenji Serikawa is a Native Hawaiian visual storyteller based in the Hawaiian Islands. Born and raised on the east side of Oʻahu, his start to documenting and creating was and continues to be rooted from his relationship with his environment, culture, and community growing up from mountain to sea. Upon returning home after receiving his B.A. in Visual Arts from Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, he continues to nurture his craft on home soil. His work has been featured in select books, editorial publications, art exhibitions, brand catalogs, campaigns, websites, the walls of various spaces, and a few film festivals. Influenced deeply by the fleeting nature of life itself, culture, and the interconnectedness of all things living, he hopes his work not only reflects but celebrates the significance of stories, culture & community, a love for creation, and a unique perspective on the relationship between such to inspire more of it.