Controversially, the production was mostly shot in New Zealand with non-Hawaiian crews. Duncan Caillard asks why.
Jason Momoa’s historical epic Chief of War, which launched on Friday on Apple TV+, is a triumph of Hawaiians telling their own stories – despite the fact their film and TV production industry now struggles to be viable.
The series stars Momoa (Aquaman, Game of Thrones) as Kaʻaina, an ali’i (chief) who fights for – and later rises against – King Kamehameha I during the bloody reunification of Hawaii.
