Paniolo O Hawai'i Cowboys of the Far West (1998)

This award winning feature documentary film redefines our childhood notions of cowboys and indians and the Great American West. In this beautifully crafted movie, Cowboys are the Indians. Hawaii's Paniolo preceded the American Cowboy but their story remains virtually unheralded in frontier history. The film is a tribute to the men and women who learned much of their riding, roping, and saddle making from the great vaqueros of Alta California, and includes rare footage, clips of "shipping cattle" in the 1920s, Will Rogers with paniolo, Willie Nelson and cowboy songsters Kindy Sproat, and Grammy winning composer, Michael Martin Murphey. It has won awards from the Chicago FIlm Festival (Best Documentary - History and Documentary Screenplay), CINE Golden Eagle, and won the Kahili, the highest award, from the Hawaii Visitor and Convention Bureau. PANIOLO O HAWAI'I COWBOYS OF THE FAR WEST (CINE Golden Eagle; Chicago International Film and Video INTERCOM Best Documentary History and Best Writing, the Kahili Award, the highest honor given by Hawaii's travel industry).