Edgy Lee
Encyclopedia
Edgy Lee is an independent Hawaii
-born filmmaker well known in Hawaii. She has also produced Shanachie Records
artists as varied as Joe Higgs
and The Wailers, and His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. 1999 when Edgy produced a CD for the Office of Tibet
– a compilation of His Holiness' symposia in Hawaii, with rare traditional Tibetan music performed by artists living in exile around the world, Hawaiian chants, and remarks by the late Reverend Abraham Akaka and kumu hula
John Lake.
Her early career included on camera work as a model, in TV commercials, series, and films including "The Last Married Couple in America", "Magnum Force", as co-host of the popular children's series, "Bill Cosby's Picture Pages", and more. Lee's music credits include co-compositions with Wayne Shorter (CBS Records, "Atlantis"), film composer, Joseph Vitarelli (Fox Network, other); and with composer Robert Wehrman. (Waikiki in the Wake of Dreams contains an original production of the Hawaiian classic, "Waikiki" performed and arranged by Grammy winners, Take Six; "Paniolo O Hawaii" soundtrack produced by Jim Ed Norman, former Pres. Warner Records Nashville.
Lee's films include Papakolea – Story of Hawaiian Land (Academy Award winning cinematographer, Haskell Wexler; Emmy winning writer/producer, Saul Landau); Paniolo O Hawai'i – Cowboys of the Far West, Waikiki – In the Wake of Dreams and The Hawaiians – Reflecting Spirit among other films. These documentary films were made in the "hope of bringing a deeper awareness of the Hawaiian culture to a national public while images of Native Hawaiians may have been shaped by stereotype
s.
Waikiki premiered at the National Geographic Society
and received the 2002 New York International Independent Film Festival awards for Best Cinematography and Best Editing. Its Hawaii premiere was held on Kuhio Beach, the first open air public screening of a film in Waikiki which initiated the City & County of Honolulu's successful tourism event that now attracts thousands to Waikiki every month to the "Sunset on the Beach" film screening event. At the Chicago International Film Festival
it received an Intercom Gold Plaque.
Other Lee films have premiered at the Smithsonian Institution, City Museum and Hirshhorn Museum
in Washington DC, the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
, the Heard Museum
in Phoenix
, the Autry National Center
and the Museum of Natural History in Los Angeles
, at other U.S. museums and small theatres, and at special film screenings and events held on Waikiki Beach and New York's waterfront. In 2005 Lee's film, The Hawaiians - Reflecting Spirit (title sponsor, Office of Hawaiian Affairs
) opened festivities at the Smithsonian's Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.
Warner Bros. Records released a companion soundtrack CD to the film Paniolo O Hawaii produced by former Warner Bros. Records Nashville, President Jim Ed Norman with Hawaiian kumu and performer, Nani Lim; with a Public Radio International
one-hour program incorporating excerpts and music from the film.
Edgy also co-produced and directed Life or Meth and ICE: Hawaii's Crystal Meth Epidemic, two independently produced films on the methamphetamine
epidemic
in Hawaii. Both films were simulcast across the state of Hawaii on eleven TV stations and continue to garner national acclaim. Utilized by several Native American communities where meth addiction is on the rise these films were the first in depth documentaries on the subject.
In 2008 Lee founded PacificNetwork.tv (http://www.PacificNetwork.tv), an Internet network streaming high quality HD video, original films, cultural news, a "Hawaiian portal to the world". Pacific Network is known as an early example of "new media" aligning with traditional media and bridging the gap between competitive media platforms. Pacific Network studios are located in Honolulu and Papeete, Tahiti. Edgy Lee was also the U.S. representative of the Honotua Project, the submarine cable connecting French Polynesia to the U.S. via Hawaii.
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
-born filmmaker well known in Hawaii. She has also produced Shanachie Records
Shanachie Records
Shanachie Records was founded in 1976 by Richard Nevins and Dan Collins. According to Harvey Pekar , it is one of the largest independent record labels in the world, and is currently distributed by E1 Music. Starting as a label that specialized in fiddle music, they began releasing work by Celtic...
artists as varied as Joe Higgs
Joe Higgs
Joe Higgs was a reggae musician from Jamaica. In the late 1950s and 1960s he was part of the duo Higgs and Wilson together with Roy Wilson...
and The Wailers, and His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. 1999 when Edgy produced a CD for the Office of Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
– a compilation of His Holiness' symposia in Hawaii, with rare traditional Tibetan music performed by artists living in exile around the world, Hawaiian chants, and remarks by the late Reverend Abraham Akaka and kumu hula
Hula
Hula is a dance form accompanied by chant or song . It was developed in the Hawaiian Islands by the Polynesians who originally settled there. The hula dramatizes or portrays the words of the oli or mele in a visual dance form....
John Lake.
Her early career included on camera work as a model, in TV commercials, series, and films including "The Last Married Couple in America", "Magnum Force", as co-host of the popular children's series, "Bill Cosby's Picture Pages", and more. Lee's music credits include co-compositions with Wayne Shorter (CBS Records, "Atlantis"), film composer, Joseph Vitarelli (Fox Network, other); and with composer Robert Wehrman. (Waikiki in the Wake of Dreams contains an original production of the Hawaiian classic, "Waikiki" performed and arranged by Grammy winners, Take Six; "Paniolo O Hawaii" soundtrack produced by Jim Ed Norman, former Pres. Warner Records Nashville.
Lee's films include Papakolea – Story of Hawaiian Land (Academy Award winning cinematographer, Haskell Wexler; Emmy winning writer/producer, Saul Landau); Paniolo O Hawai'i – Cowboys of the Far West, Waikiki – In the Wake of Dreams and The Hawaiians – Reflecting Spirit among other films. These documentary films were made in the "hope of bringing a deeper awareness of the Hawaiian culture to a national public while images of Native Hawaiians may have been shaped by stereotype
Stereotype
A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...
s.
Waikiki premiered at the National Geographic Society
National Geographic Society
The National Geographic Society , headquartered in Washington, D.C. in the United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational institutions in the world. Its interests include geography, archaeology and natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical...
and received the 2002 New York International Independent Film Festival awards for Best Cinematography and Best Editing. Its Hawaii premiere was held on Kuhio Beach, the first open air public screening of a film in Waikiki which initiated the City & County of Honolulu's successful tourism event that now attracts thousands to Waikiki every month to the "Sunset on the Beach" film screening event. At the Chicago International Film Festival
Chicago International Film Festival
The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America....
it received an Intercom Gold Plaque.
Other Lee films have premiered at the Smithsonian Institution, City Museum and Hirshhorn Museum
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is an art museum beside the National Mall, in Washington, D.C., the United States. The museum was initially endowed during the 1960s with the permanent art collection of Joseph H. Hirshhorn. It was designed by architect Gordon Bunshaft and is part of the...
in Washington DC, the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco is a museum in San Francisco, California, United States. It has one of the most comprehensive collections of Asian art in the world....
, the Heard Museum
Heard Museum
The Heard Museum of Native Cultures and Art is a museum located in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. There is also the Heard Museum North Scottsdale branch in Scottsdale and the Heard Museum West branch in Surprise....
in Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, the Autry National Center
Autry National Center
The Autry National Center of the American West is an intercultural center and museum in Los Angeles, California that celebrates the diversity and history of the American West through three important institutions: the Southwest Museum of the American Indian, the Museum of the American West, and the...
and the Museum of Natural History in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, at other U.S. museums and small theatres, and at special film screenings and events held on Waikiki Beach and New York's waterfront. In 2005 Lee's film, The Hawaiians - Reflecting Spirit (title sponsor, Office of Hawaiian Affairs
Office of Hawaiian Affairs
The Office of Hawaiian Affairs is a semi-autonomous entity of the state of Hawaii charged with the administration of 1.8 million acres of royal land held in trust for the benefit of native Hawaiians...
) opened festivities at the Smithsonian's Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.
Warner Bros. Records released a companion soundtrack CD to the film Paniolo O Hawaii produced by former Warner Bros. Records Nashville, President Jim Ed Norman with Hawaiian kumu and performer, Nani Lim; with a Public Radio International
Public Radio International
Public Radio International is a Minneapolis-based American public radio organization, with locations in Boston, New York, London and Beijing. PRI's tagline is "Hear a different voice." PRI is a major public media content creator and also distributes programs from many sources...
one-hour program incorporating excerpts and music from the film.
Edgy also co-produced and directed Life or Meth and ICE: Hawaii's Crystal Meth Epidemic, two independently produced films on the methamphetamine
Methamphetamine
Methamphetamine is a psychostimulant of the phenethylamine and amphetamine class of psychoactive drugs...
epidemic
Epidemic
In epidemiology, an epidemic , occurs when new cases of a certain disease, in a given human population, and during a given period, substantially exceed what is expected based on recent experience...
in Hawaii. Both films were simulcast across the state of Hawaii on eleven TV stations and continue to garner national acclaim. Utilized by several Native American communities where meth addiction is on the rise these films were the first in depth documentaries on the subject.
In 2008 Lee founded PacificNetwork.tv (http://www.PacificNetwork.tv), an Internet network streaming high quality HD video, original films, cultural news, a "Hawaiian portal to the world". Pacific Network is known as an early example of "new media" aligning with traditional media and bridging the gap between competitive media platforms. Pacific Network studios are located in Honolulu and Papeete, Tahiti. Edgy Lee was also the U.S. representative of the Honotua Project, the submarine cable connecting French Polynesia to the U.S. via Hawaii.
Awards and presentations
- 2011 TEDx Honolulu, Featured Speaker
- 2010 Cinema Italiano Hawaii, Judge
- 2010 National Science Foundation EPSCOR Conference, University of Hawaii - Hilo, Keynote Speaker
- 2009 Cinema Italiano Hawaii, Judge
- 2008 Molokai Film Festival, Filmmaker of the Year
- 2005 Ten Who Made a Difference, Honolulu Star Bulletin
- 2004 Pacific Business News Leadership Award, Non profit category
- 2003 Honolulu City Council Award for Outstanding Community Service
- 2002 New York International Independent Film and Video Festival – Best Cinematography (Jiri Dvorsky)
- 2002 New York International Independent Film and Video Festival – Best Editing, Documentary Film (Edgy Lee)
- 2001 Chicago International Film Festival – INTERCOM Gold Plaque
- 2001 Kahili Award, Literary Category (Edgy Lee / Paul Berry)
- 2000 Kahili Best of Show Award and Kahili Award for Media Broadcasting
- 1998 Chicago International Film Festival – INTERCOM Silver Plaque
- 1998 Chicago International Film Festival – Individual Achievement Award, Writing (Edgy Lee)
- 1995 National Educational Media Network Silver Award
- 1994 Corporation for Public Broadcasting – Silver Award (Excellence In TV Programming, Independent)
- 1993 CINE Golden Eagle Award (Papakolea – Story of Hawaiian Land; Edgy Lee, Producer/Director/Writer; Haskell Wexler, Cinematography; Saul Landau, Co-writer)