THE LAST TAXI DANCE

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THE LAST TAXI DANCE I 2017

17:00 min | Executive Producer

Narrative Short

In a ballroom called Paradise, in the aftermath of World War II, a proud Hawaiian singer dances with a returned American soldier and debates the dignity of the American dream.

Distribution: Pacific Islanders in Communications

Collaborators:

Written and Directed by Brayden Yoder

Produced and Edited by Robert Bates

Produced by Conception Alicino

Cinematography by Chapin Hall

Production Design by Alana Bombino

Costumes by Anna Foste

Casting by Akemi Bischoff

Choreography by Ahnya Chang

Original Score by Stephen Inglis and

Matt Bowen

Lighting by Greg Doi

Notable Festivals: Maoriland Film Festival March 2019

PRESS

To sum up: Last Taxi Dance is the rare film that combines the sensual all-enveloping magic of the medium with intellectual and storytelling rigor, so successfully acted and executed you could loop its 15-minute length for an hour and not get tired of the faces of its remarkable cast, its reincarnation of Honolulu’s Chinatown in 1945 or its toe-tapping, nonstop music.

– Honolulu Magazine

Credit Pacific Isladers in Communication

Remembering Honolulu's Taxi Dance Halls. Brayden Yoder is its director and joined us in the HPR studio.

Hawai'i Public Radio:

The Conversation

Listen

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Danielle Zalopany stars as Mahea, a singer, in “Last Taxi Dance,” written and directed by Brayden Yoder.

‘Last Taxi Dance’ examines relationship of lonely soldier, Hawaiian woman

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“Last Taxi Dance” reignites the sexual and racial tensions of the last days of World War II in Honolulu – while celebrating Hawai'i's filmmaking community.

Swing Back to 1945 with this Local World War II Film

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The potent dramatization of Chinatown's WWII role servicing the military via paid affection feels like a game changer in locally sourced film production.