The movie "Barbarian Princess" will make its world premiere at the Hawaii Film Festival on Friday.
And stuck in the middle of the controversy is a Hawaii actress who wishes the film had a different title.
"Barbarian Princess" is meant to portray the life of Princess Ka'iulani in 1888. It has drawn lots of criticism from native Hawaiian groups in great part because of the title, and what some say are also inaccuracies. None of that is lost on the actress who plays the princess. Q'orianka Kilcher grew up in the islands and is not comfortable with the title either.
"I myself out of respect for Kaiulani, I never call it that, and I can't call it that. I call it the Princess Kaiulani film," said actress Q'orianka Kilcher.
Producers of the film say the title is meant as irony, while native Hawaiians are calling it a cheap plot to get more people to see it. If so, it's working. The premier showing on Friday night at Hawaii Theatre has sold out and a second showing is scheduled. Kilcher hopes that movie goers can get past the title. She says she does love the film and it portrays the princess in a positive way.
"It saddens me that today in 2009 princess Kaiulani Is going to have to once more be associated in the same sentence with the word barbarian because she was nothing of that."
Friday's premiere coincides with Princess Ka'iulani's birthday. While there's been talk of protests at the film festival, some native Hawaiian groups say it would be best just to ignore it. The movie is meant to be shown all around the world, and Kilcher is optimistic that it will enlighten others on the struggles of native Hawaiians.
"I hope that when people do leave the movie theater the seed is planted in their mind to really want to go on their own and do more research into Hawaii's history."
