A Molokai filmmaker has launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund a one-hour documentary on the life of activist Walter Ritte.

Matt Yamashita (Quazifilms.com) hopes to raise $35,000 by the end of the month.

“His name is widely recognized and it stirs powerful reactions, yet the deeper I dig into his personal story, the more I realize that people don’t really know who Walter Ritte is,” Yamashita said in a press release.

“This film will explore Ritte’s troubled childhood through his ‘awakening’ as a Native Hawaiian activist during an era when Hawaiian culture and identity was nearly lost.”

“I hope this documentary gives viewers a deeper appreciation for Ritte’s generation and the challenges that they faced in their effort to understand and fight for the concept of Aloha ‘?ina,” Yamashita said.

Donations are tax-deductible through fiscal sponsor Molokai Arts Center, Yamashita said.

The Ritte documentary is intended for broadcast on PBS, following the success of his earlier documentary, Sons of Halawa.

According to Yamashita’s Linked-In profile:

Matt Yamashita is a successful freelance filmmaker from the Hawaiian island of Molokai. After receiving a BFA in Film Production from Chapman University, Matt returned to Molokai to become the island’s first professional filmmaker. He has been working in the Hawaii film industry since 2001 and has developed a full range of skills in all aspects of production including: concept development, writing, directing, producing, shooting, editing, and content delivery.

Matt has unique expertise working within Hawaii-based communities, cultures, and environments and has dedicated the focus of his work to telling Hawaii’s stories through a local lens. Matt has held key roles in large productions that have received national and international broadcast. He is also well-known for his ability to deliver quality products while working with very limited resources and small production teams.

Click here to visit the Kickstarter page for this project.