Documentary traces journey of family matriarch who lived in Kalaupapa and vanished from ...

For more than a century, a quiet mystery sat at the center of Diane Ako’s family tree. Helen Maliu, her great-grandmother, vanished from Honolulu in 1900, slipping away into an era when a diagnosis or a government decree could erase a person’s life. Now, the former KITV4 news anchor has retraced those lost footsteps in a new documentary that brings that painful chapter into the light, bigislandnow.com reported.

The film, titled Pili Hou: Finding Helen, follows Ako and her family as they unlock the secrets behind Maliu’s disappearance and her time in Kalaupapa, Molokaʻi. Established in 1866 as a forced isolation settlement for people affected by leprosy, Kalaupapa became the destination for thousands of Native Hawaiians relocated by the government. Ako’s journey wasn’t just about unearthing genealogy; it was an intentional act of reclamation. In a news release, Ako explained that she went on “behalf of her family to pili hou – rejoin – with my long-lost great-grandmother.”

Tracing the Footsteps to Kalaupapa

Bringing this deeply personal search to the screen required meticulous historical legwork. Ako partnered with Ka ʻOhana o Kalaupapa, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the history and culture of the isolated Molokaʻi peninsula and honoring those who were forced to live there. The production also brought in Martha Shade of Martha Shade Productions, who stepped behind the camera for her directorial debut.

When I heard my friend Diane talk about her genealogy search, I was drawn in by the mystery, and then fascinated by the finding, Shade said in a production statement. There are universal themes here of ʻohana (family) and aloha.

The documentary captures the stark landscapes of Kalaupapa, where rusted infrastructure and windswept cliffs still hold the echoes of a segregated past. Through film cameras, viewers watch as the family lays leis to honor Maliu, transforming a forgotten archival footnote into a living connection.

Screening Schedule and International Premieres

On the Big Island, Pili Hou: Finding Helen will be screened on Nov. 8 at 5:30 p.m. at the Kahilu Theater, according to bigislandnow.com and brightgram.com. The distribution path then crosses international waters, with an international premiere scheduled for Nov. 29 at the Pasifika Film Festival held at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, Australia.

Documentary traces journey of family matriarch who lived in Kalaupapa and vanished from Honolulu in 1900 : Big Island Now — Photo: europesays.com

For families whose ancestors were similarly displaced during the territorial and kingdom eras, projects like this offer a rare template for reconciliation with the past. As the screenings continue, Ako’s search provides a public window into private grief, reminding communities of the enduring bonds that cross generations and distance.