Sony is forced to defend ‘Aloha’ after people call out the movie for “white-washing”.
Sony was recently backed into a corner after people claimed Cameron Crowe’s romantic comedy ‘Aloha’ illustrates a “white-washed” version of the Hawaiian islands.
“While some have been quick to judge a movie they haven’t seen and a script they haven’t read, the film ‘Aloha’ respectfully showcases the spirit and culture of the Hawaiian people,” the studio said in a statement. “Filmmaker Cameron Crowe spent years researching this project and many months on location in Hawaii, cultivating relationships with leading local voices. He earned the trust of many Hawaiian community leaders, including Dennis ‘Bumpy’ Kanahele, who plays a key role in the film.”
‘Aloha’ stars Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone, Rachel McAdams, John Krasinksi, Bill Murray, Danny McBride and Alec Baldwin.
The Sony statement was issued after the Media Action Network for Asian-Americans, which argued that ‘Aloha’ creates a fake version of Hawaii by not showing any actual Hawaiian natives in the movie therefore, “white-washing” Hawaii.
“Sixty percent of Hawaii’s population is Asian Pacific Islanders,” said Guy Aoki, president of the organization and a former resident of Hawaii. “Caucasians only make up 30% of the population, but from watching this film, you’d think they made up 99%. This comes in a long line of films (‘The Descendants’, ’50 First Dates,’ ‘Blue Crush,’ ‘Pearl Harbor’) that use Hawaii for their exotic backdrop but go out of its way to exclude the very people who live there. It’s an insult to the diverse culture and fabric of Hawaii.”
Cameron Crowe claimed that the point of the “Aloha” movie was to educate those on the mainland about the “rich history and culture of Hawaii.”
However, as Aoki points out the biggest roles for non-white actors in the movie are background extras.
“They didn’t even have names,” Aoki added. “How can you educate your audience to the ‘rich history’ of Hawaii by using mostly white people and excluding the majority of the people who live there and who helped build that history — APIs?”
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