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August 2013   Hawaii - 2013 Elizabeth(Lan) Wei, her daughter Myrtle Ching-Rappa, Robin Lung and Tom Moore (we are all so connected) Robin Lung is a documentary filmmaker from Hawaii and would like to wish all of you a big Aloha. Way back in 2009 she stumbled across the fascinating story of the Oscar-winning film KUKAN and has been working on a documentary about it ever since. KUKAN has a couple of historical connections to CNAC. It is a 90-minute color film of China produced in 1939 and 1940. It depicts a wide variety of China’s people and places during the Japanese invasion of the country. So many scenes in the film would have been familiar to CNAC pilots stationed in Chin during those years. The film was also shown by its director Rey Scott at a 1956 CNAC reunion and received an enthusiastic response from members after the screening. Unfortunately a tight budget and schedule prevented Robin from attending the CNAC Reunion this year (2013). She wishes to thank Eve Coulson and Peggy Maher for agreeing to present a preview of the film in her absence. As you view the video teaser to FINDING KUKAN and see some of the film clips from KUKAN itself you might have questions for Robin or stories you’d like to share with her. She urges you to please, please, contact her at the email address or phone number listed on the postcards with anything you might want to ask or share. Now here’s a little bit of background about Robin. Robin is a 4th generation Chinese American raised in Hawaii. Over the years she’s lost contact with much of her Chinese heritage and culture. So FINDING KUKAN has opened many doors of exploration to her, including exploring the history of CNAC. She’s really enjoyed learning about that history since she’s the daughter of an Air Force fighter pilot and Hawaiian Airlines pilot and admires the special can-do adventurous spirit that seems to emanate from all pilots – not to mention the great stories they have to tell. An urge to capture stories for posterity is what led her to become a documentary filmmaker. She’s focused her efforts on telling the stories of extraordinary people who have been overlooked by mainstream media. The story of Li Ling-Ai and KUKAN is one just such a story and she hopes to be able to share the finished film with you soon. Mahalo nui loa, Xie xie, and Thank you. Robin Lung  or would like to be added to the CNAC e-mail distribution list, please let the CNAC Web Editor, Tom Moore, know. Thanks! |