FESTIVAL PREMIERE
CUPPA' JOE
Director: Pono Wong
Beneath the canned laughter of a 1950s sitcom, an Asian-Native Hawaiian couple navigates a dystopian allegory of diaspora, identity, and the cost of belonging in America.
CAST & CREDITS
Director
Pono Wong
Writer
Pono Wong
Key Cast
Cheryl Noelani, Nolan Hong
DIRECTORS BIO
Pono Wong, currently a senior at Mid-Pacific School of the Arts, is a prolific, multi-hyphenate artist who excels at writing, directing, singing, and acting (for stage & film). His ingenious work combining stop-motion, 2D animation, and live action has led to screenings of his short films DUSK, ABRASIAN, and more at over thirty international film festivals including Hawai’i International Film Festival’s ‘Ōpiofest, Film BUZZ Festival London, The Asian American International Film Festival (NYC), the DisOrient Asian American Film Festival of Oregon, and many more. He has starred in over a dozen short films and countless plays, including The Crucible, Into the Woods, and Mean Girls. He starred in classmates Cameryn Koike’s film NOT ALONE, which has so far screened at nine film festivals and won two awards at the Island of Horror Film Festival.