EATING UP EASTER

Filmmakers in attendance.

A native Rapanui filmmaker narrates to his son the modern dilemma of their people, descendants of the ancient statue builders, who are working to tackle the consequences of their rapidly developing home. In doing so their stories reveal the complexities and the contradictions we all face about our planet’s future.

The iconic carved statues of ‘Easter Island’ have fascinated visitors for hundreds of years, but the culture that crafted them – the Rapanui people – are often left to the imagination of outsiders. Deforested and barren, the island of Rapa Nui has limited primary industries, but has benefited economically from the rise of tourism, but must now contend with unsustainable waste and the disappearance of local ways of life.

Documentary filmmaker Sergio M. Rapu passes on this story to his newborn son, while his father – a local entrepreneur – tries to set up the island’s first mall to bring the advancements of the Western world closer to the community. Meanwhile, a local ecologist struggles to contend with the island’s escalating waste problem, while two musicians fight to make their community music school a reality. Interlacing these stories with the history of the island and its people, EATING UP EASTER captures the complexities of balancing local authenticity with the commercial demands of modern globalization, and demonstrates that sustainability is not only ecological, but also cultural. —Anderson Le

Co-presented with Community Partners: Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC), Pacific Island Ethnic Art Museum

CREDITS
Director: Sergio M. Rapu
Writer: Elena Rapu Kouneski
Producer: Sergio M. Rapu, Elena Rapu Kouneski
Editor: Liz Kaar
Director of Photography: Jeff Saunders
Executive Producer: Leanne K. Ferrer, Gordon Quinn, Betsy Steinberg