DCAPAFF Closing Night: MOLOKA'I BOUND

Special Features: Q&A with filmmaker Alika Tengan, plus post-screening reception

Filmmaker Alika Tengan (EVERY DAY IN KAIMUKĪ) expands his acclaimed short film into a deeply personal feature about Kainoa (Holden Mandrial-Santos, EVERY DAY IN KAIMUKĪ), a wayward Hawaiian man on parole who is committed to reconnecting with his family. Most important to Kainoa is rebuilding his relationship with his adolescent son, Jonathan (Achilles Holt), after years of being incarcerated. But acclimating to a normal life in Hawai‘i is harder than it seems, and Kainoa tends to do all the wrong things for the right reasons. As he tries to prove himself worthy of his family and his native heritage, Kainoa goes on a journey of both reconciliation and redemption. Winner, Best Narrative Feature, 2024 Hawai’i International Film Festival. DIR/SCR/PROD Alika Tengan; PROD Nina Yang Bongiovi, Forest Whitaker, Jesy Odio, Chapin Hall. U.S., 2024, color, 112 min. In English, Pidgin and Hawaiian with English subtitles and open captions. NOT RATED

About DC Asian Pacific American Film
The DC Asian Pacific American Film Festival (DCAPAFF) brings attention to the creative output from Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities and encourages the artistic development of AANHPI talent, arts and films in the greater Washington, DC, metropolitan region. DCAPAFF runs July 16–19 and AFI Silver is proud to co-present the festival’s closing night presentation! For this year’s full festival lineup, visit apafilm.org.

Run Time: 112 Minutes

Opening Date: Sunday, July 19, 2026

Genre: Drama

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