Finding ‘Ohana is now streaming on Netflix! After watching the film with my family, I was excited about my interviews with the cast because I wanted to know more about this fun film. I had the chance to chat with Kea Peahu (Pili), Owen Vaccaro (Casper), Alex Aiono (E), Lindsay Watson (Hana), Christina Strain (screenwriter) and Jude Weng (director) and gathered these Finding ‘Ohana Fun Facts from our chats.
Finding ‘Ohana Fun Facts
- Christina saw herself in Ke Huy Quan’s character in Goonies and that inspired this film.
- Finding ‘Ohana was filmed in both Hawaii and Thailand.
- Christina Strain, the screenwriter actually wrote this story while she was in grad school.
- The journal was the single most expensive prop in the film because it was handmade and stitched to make it time period-appropriate.
- All of the kids did most of their own stunts, except for the water ones.
- Christina wanted Spanish to be incorporated into the film, so she did some research that led to her discovering that there were actually stories of Spanish treasure off the coast of Hawaii. So, she incorporated that into the story and the people they reference in the film, like Knox, were real people.
- There was a Big Kahuna on set that would bless each filming site before they filmed.
- The ranch in the film made a big impression on Christina in a prior visit which is why she made it a point to include it in this film.
- They had cultural consultants there while filming to ensure accuracy when portraying Hawaiian culture.
- Kea, Owen, Alex, and Lindsay all helped choreograph the final dance scene in the movie by separately coming up with a routine and putting it all together!
- Netflix guaranteed Christina that they would find the right actors for the film because she did not the characters to be white-washed.
- Finding ‘Ohana is Jude’s directorial debut.
- The driving scene with Spam (won’t say more as to not spoil it) was inspired by The Goonies.
More about Finding ‘Ohana
A summer in rural Oahu takes an exciting turn for two Brooklyn-raised siblings when a journal pointing to long-lost treasure sets them on an epic adventure with new friends and leads them to reconnect with their Hawaiian heritage.