When filmmaker Blair Treu sat in a packed Utah theater to premiere his new documentary Sharing Aloha at Zions Indie Film Fest, he felt something he’s experienced many times in his career yet never takes for granted: the electricity of an audience connecting deeply with a story.
“It was pretty amazing because we had a packed theater,” Treu recalled of the ZIFF screening. “People loved it. They laughed, they cried. It was an electric feeling in the room. So that made me feel like, Okay, we got something here.”
For Treu, the project wasn’t about spectacle, but about giving voice to the real lives of Polynesian students at Brigham Young University–Hawai‘i who work at the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC). The film is equal parts celebration, documentary, and behind-the-scenes revelation. At its core, it’s a human story about young people balancing heritage, faith, academics, and performance—all while carrying the hopes of their families and communities.
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From Disney to Documentary
Treu’s career is storied. He studied at Brigham Young University (BYU) before breaking into Hollywood with Disney Channel classics like Wish Upon a Star (which launched Katherine Heigl’s career) and The Paper Brigade. He later worked in television, commercials, and family features, often testing his films on his own children to see what resonated.
“I wanted to make stuff that my kids could watch, that I could watch with them,” he explained. “I had a built-in focus group.”
But Treu is perhaps best known in religious and documentary circles for directing Meet the Mormons, which became a global hit despite later being shelved due to the church’s emphasis on its full name. He reflects on it with satisfaction: “Fortunately, it already had its run… I think we got about 90% of the good use out of that film before it was put to bed.”
With Sharing Aloha, Treu brings that same eye for accessible storytelling, but with an even sharper focus on authenticity.
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Behind the Curtain at the PCC
The Polynesian Cultural Center is Hawai‘i’s most visited paid attraction, drawing nearly a million guests annually. It employs around 800 students each year from across the Pacific Rim. For many, it’s their lifeline to education at BYU–Hawai‘i.
“This is really their story,” Treu said. “From incoming freshmen to outgoing seniors… what they’ve had to overcome to get there had to overcome to get there, to stay there, and to graduate. In that journey, you’re going to have struggles along the way—kids that are homesick, kids that wrestle with body image, or the pressure of balancing school and performance.”
Audiences will recognize the beauty of the PCC’s Broadway-caliber night show, but Treu is most interested in the chaos behind the curtain. Quick changes, missed cues, and the relentless juggle of school exams and stage commitments—all reveal the resilience of students determined to build better futures.
“Out on the front, it comes off clean and pristine,” Treu noted. “But behind the scenes, when you realize on any given night students are swapping roles because of exams, you see another story altogether.”
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Wrestling With Perceptions
The film doesn’t shy away from criticism. Some question whether the PCC risks cultural appropriation or student exploitation. Treu and his team addressed these concerns head-on.
“We know there are people out there who feel that way,” Treu admitted. “So we had to deal with those issues directly… But honestly, when we interviewed people across Hawai‘i—even leading them to be critical—we found overwhelmingly positive perceptions.”
What he discovered is that students performing each other’s traditions often learn a deeper respect. “When Tongan students dance in the Samoan section, they take it even more seriously than their own, because they know they need to get it right. That brings understanding, and when it brings understanding, it brings peace.”
Education, Sustainability, and Legacy
At the heart of the PCC is an unusual model: students working around 19 hours a week can graduate debt-free with a four-year degree, health care included. “Think about it,” Treu said. “For 19 hours a week, you get a degree. When school’s not in session, you work full-time. It’s the equivalent of about $50 an hour when you figure the value.”
The PCC is also near self-sustaining, running on solar panels and backup systems that keep operations steady during island-wide outages. “They are a model,” Treu emphasized, linking the center’s operations to larger conversations about responsible tourism and green initiatives.
Even more remarkable, Treu has waived traditional back-end profits from the film. Every dollar from distribution will flow back into scholarships. “When you support this film, you are literally supporting the students who go to school there,” he explained. “I couldn’t be happier about that.”
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A Story of Aloha
As Treu promotes Sharing Aloha, he hopes audiences walk away changed.
“When you really get to know these students, and you meet their families in Tonga or Fiji or Samoa, you grow to love them,” he said. “You want to support them, and you see the PCC in a new light.”
As previously mentioned, that support extends beyond the screen. All net proceeds from the film’s box office will go directly into a fund that provides scholarships for BYU–Hawai‘i students who work at the Polynesian Cultural Center.
For Treu, that commitment makes the project even more meaningful: “When you buy a ticket, you’re not just watching a film—you’re helping a student graduate debt-free.”
To him, it’s not just another documentary.
It’s a reminder of the power of story to bridge cultures and inspire generosity.
“Media should do no harm,” he reflected. “But if we can do something good and uplifting at the same time as entertaining, then that checks all the boxes for me.”
With Sharing Aloha, Blair Treu may have found the project that checks every box. ✅
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