Cane Fire

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1:11

Cane Fire

2022

1h 30m

Documentary

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Popcornmeter

100%

Tomatometer

15 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

The Hawaiian island of Kauaʻi is seen as a paradise of leisure and pristine natural beauty, but these escapist fantasies obscure the colonial displacement, hyper-exploitation of workers, and destructive environmental extraction that have actually shaped life on the island for the last 250 years. Cane Fire critically examines the island's history--and the various strategies by which Hollywood has represented it--through four generations of director Anthony Banua-Simon's family, who first immigrated to Kauaʻi from the Philippines to work on the sugar plantations. Assembled from a diverse array of sources--from Banua-Simon's observational footage, to amateur YouTube travelogues, to epic Hollywood dance sequences--Cane Fire offers a kaleidoscopic portrait of the economic and cultural forces that have cast Indigenous and working-class residents as "extras" in their own story.

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Peter Rainer

FilmWeek (LAist)

Jun 8, 2022

It's quite fascinating. It's a little scattershot as a movie, but it does show you how the island has been co-opted.

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Robert Daniels

RogerEbert.com

May 20, 2022

3.5/4

An unhurried, patient documentary, one that trusts its audience to follow along rather than relying on cheap gimmicks to manipulate emotions.

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Carlos Aguilar

TheWrap

May 19, 2022

An indispensable watch, Banua-Simon’s first feature focuses on the island of Kauaʻi and the history of its exploitation as a colony, which endures under the guise of statehood.

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Paul Emmanuel Enicola

The Movie Buff

Jul 4, 2024

B

Equal parts experimental, incisive, critical, and emotional, “Cane Fire” is [Anthony Banua-Simon’s] earnest attempt to correct the perception of Hawaiian identity that continues to be perpetrated by popular culture.

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Kathy Fennessy

Video Librarian Magazine

Aug 9, 2022

3/5

The use of movie clips and vintage commercials provides ease of entry into difficult topics, making for an appealing resource for the study of race and income inequality. Professors of American history and politics may find Cane Fire valuable.

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George Elkind

Metro Times (Detroit, MI)

Jun 23, 2022

With Cane Fire, Anthony Banua-Simon explores both the outcomes and precursors of this long-running tendency, examining the pull of media narratives on the Hawaiian island of Kaua’i for viewers both there and outside.

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Maya J

@RT55496626 Aug 13, 2026

The spirit of resistance drives the fight for justice. I hope Hawaiians will legally challenge these 5 plantation companies and reclaim their lands stolen from the Queen and the people for profit. While companies segregated immigrant workers, they united to fight for union rights, losing influence after Hawaii became a state; plantations moved to other countries to exploit other people. Land back efforts continue through the heart of Hawaiians. We must stay vigilant and united on resource and rights issues for native and US citizens, seeking balance. US corporate influence reflects colonization patterns—disempowering people by controlling land. The Queen was threatened with genocide to keep her in prison, giving US fruit companies full control. Despite petitioning Congress and traveling abroad, her land was seized. Locals now work multiple jobs to stay, while billionaires like Zuckerberg now own large plantations, displacing Hawaiian families. We must be the change- unite Hawaii!

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Kyle M

@RT77296778 Feb 21, 2026

This documentary should be considered a required viewing before flying to Kauai. Though it feels incomplete, the sole focus is examining the transitional history from agriculture to advantageous tourism with unforeseen impacts we’re unknowingly pulsating. It’s insightfully eye-opening whilst retaining the garden isle’s beautiful essence – as familiarly imprinted memories attributes, thus naturally blending a more appreciative stance towards the dimming culture by the countering ratio on critical components that were well-addressed in this informative documentary than other current outlets. (B+)

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Anthony Banua-Simon

Director

Anthony Banua-Simon

Writer

Michael Vass

Writer

Anthony Banua-Simon

Producer

Michael Vass

Producer

Steve Holmgren

Executive Producer

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Synopsis

The Hawaiian island of Kauaʻi is seen as a paradise of leisure and pristine natural beauty, but these escapist fantasies obscure the colonial displacement, hyper-exploitation of workers, and destructive environmental extraction that have actually shaped life on the island for the last 250 years. Cane Fire critically examines the island's history--and the various strategies by which Hollywood has represented it--through four generations of director Anthony Banua-Simon's family, who first immigrated to Kauaʻi from the Philippines to work on the sugar plantations. Assembled from a diverse array of sources--from Banua-Simon's observational footage, to amateur YouTube travelogues, to epic Hollywood dance sequences--Cane Fire offers a kaleidoscopic portrait of the economic and cultural forces that have cast Indigenous and working-class residents as "extras" in their own story.

Director: Anthony Banua-Simon
Producer: Anthony Banua-Simon, Michael Vass
Screenwriter: Anthony Banua-Simon, Michael Vass
Distributor: The Cinema Guild
Production Co: Steady Orbits
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 20, 2022, Limited
Runtime: 1h 30m

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