Your Guide to “My Dawg” and Other Films at the 2026 UH Mānoa School of Cinematic Arts Film Showcase

As filming wraps, “My Dawg” comes to life at UH Mānoa after student filmmakers pushed through setbacks with shifting production plans

Leanne Joy Ramel, Contributing Reporter

May 6, 2026

Courtesy of Abigail Gomez

Kula Wheeler, (left, editor), Nicholas Souza (“Keoni,” center), and Bennet Lueg, (right,) review footage during a behind-the-scenes moment at director Henry Jackson’s apartment while working on “My Dawg.”

Days before filming “My Dawg,” director Henry Jackson and his crew realized they would not have access to the equipment they needed for the big shoot. The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa had shut down its production facilities for the weekend because of the threat of torrential weather.

Unphased, and instead of canceling, the crew borrowed equipment from friends, adjusted their plan and moved forward. For Jackson, it was the kind of moment that defined the production.

Despite the setbacks, filming wrapped in mid-April, and the student filmmakers at UH Mānoa are now moving into post-production ahead of the film’s screening at the School of Cinematic Arts Student Showcase at 4 p.m. May 7 at the Art Auditorium, 2535 McCarthy Mall, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

Recent student films have gone on to gain recognition beyond campus, including “Stitches” (2024), which won the HIFF x BMW Hawaiʻi Driven Student Filmmaker Award, and “Clean.exe” (2025), which earned a student film award at the Hawaiʻi International Film Festival.

“I think the films students make are a reflection of how they integrate what they’re learning in their classes and synthesize it into their own personal expression,” said Brett Service, academic advisor and lecturer in the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. “It’s also about their ability to work collaboratively and deliver a final product according to deadlines.”

While multiple films will be featured at the showcase, “My Dawg,” developed through a production process shaped by improvisation and collaboration. Jackson often let scenes evolve beyond his original vision, giving actors space to improvise in real time.

The showcase features 36 student films across animation, documentary, experimental and live-action categories, bringing together students, faculty and the community.

The SCA program offers three degree tracks, more than 50 classes and supports the production of more than 200 student films.

For Jackson, “My Dawg” originally began as a smaller concept between friends before developing into a full student production.

“I started it as a script for an advanced screenwriting class,” Jackson said. “I wanted to make something lighthearted and fun.”

The story follows two best friends who enter a dog show without owning a dog, relying on improvisation, humor and increasingly unpredictable decisions to keep their plan going.

That same unpredictability carried into production.

Scenes often shifted in real time as the crew adjusted to weather, timing and technical limitations, resetting setups and reworking scenes throughout the day.

Actor Abigail Gomez said unexpected moments often became part of the performance.

“When Jane opens wine in her apartment, it’s not supposed to fizz up and spill, nor was I supposed to struggle with it for so long, but because it was out of our control and unexpected, we had to improvise the rest of the scene and make it work,” Gomez said.

“There’s a scene where they argue about who has to wear the dog costume,” Jackson said. “Instead of calling cut, we let them keep going and improvise.”

Colin O’Sullivan, director of photography for “My Dawg,” said scenes often changed during filming, forcing the crew to adjust shots and camera setups in real time.

“A good director or cinematographer will create a shot list and storyboard before production,” said O’Sullivan. “Shots are almost always adjusted based on what’s happening in the moment.”

Even with extensive planning, much of the film changed during production.

“The script has been rewritten so many times I don’t even remember what it was at the beginning anymore,” Jackson said.

Filming also took place during heavy rain and strong winds across Oʻahu, forcing the team to adjust schedules and find alternative solutions.

“Filming took place during bad storms, so we ran into weather concerns multiple times,” said Randi Wong, producer of “My Dawg.” “Our team created backup plans for scheduling and shooting.”

Even with the weather and long production days, the cast and crew said the environment on set stayed positive throughout filming.

“‘My Dawg’ has definitely been the most I’ve laughed on set,” said Kainoa Kaeha, an actor in the film.

For showcase organizers, that process is part of what makes the event important.

“Just the act of submitting it shows them that their voice and their story are worth watching and worth showing,” said Daisy Church, assistant professor of 2D animation and member of the showcase and awards committee at the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. “It makes it easier for people to step into that role of treating themselves as professional filmmakers.”

As the team moves deeper into post-production, the focus has shifted to completing the film ahead of its first screening.

For Jackson, the project has grown beyond the script he originally started with.

“It’s not just mine anymore,” he said. “It’s a collection of everyone’s ideas.”

IF YOU GO

WHAT: School of Cinematic Arts Student Showcase

WHEN: 4 p.m. May 7

WHERE: Art Auditorium, 2535 McCarthy Mall, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

COST: Free

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Email: [email protected], call 808-956-5660, or check social media @scamanoa

Showcase Screening Guide

Total Length: Approximately 4 hours, 9 minutes

Editor’s note: The films listed below are not presented in the official screening order.

“Employee of The Month”

Director: Chase Matsumoto

Animation

An employee is stacking cans but encounters an issue at the very base of the stack.

Suitable for all ages.

“Bellfree”

Director: Candace Kim

Animation

A man finds a young girl in the depths of a dreamlike limbo as he searches through the memories of his life.

Suitable for all ages.

“Tech Support”

Director: Danaree Leigh Lafradez

Animation

Tech support can be hell.

Suitable for all ages.

“Across the Mekong”

Director: Michelle Thonavong

Animation

Suitable for all ages.

“Chicken Noodle”

Director: Jaymeeh dela Cruz

Animation

When you’re hungry for chicken noodle soup, but remember that you can’t cook.

Suitable for all ages.

“Matryoshka Effect”

Director: Leigh Wong-Miyasato

Animation/Experimental

Matryoshka Effect is a playful experimental stop-motion film centered around the gesture of separation, similar to that of matryoshka dolls.

Suitable for all ages.

“Hex Convicts”

Director: Jonah Kim

Animation

The low-income barony destroys and sustains itself with illegal dark magic and sovereign enforcement. But politics are boring. This film is about wizards dueling in yonder shopkeep.

Suitable for all ages.

“Mister Buttons Takes a Stroll”

Director: Leif Eric Hillesland

Animation

Mister Buttons always looks both ways before crossing the street, but he always forgets to look up!

Suitable for all ages.

“Mochi Mochi”

Director: Leigh Wong-Miyasato

Animation

A light-hearted hand-drawn animated short film about a plump dog named Mochi, who is eager to eat his supper, but keeps getting humorously interrupted.

Suitable for all ages.

“Tuna Samwich”

Director: Naomi Freire

Animation

Let’s make a tuna sandwich!

Suitable for all ages.

“The Crystal”

Director: Zachary Quemado

Experimental

A mysterious stranger asks you to take a crystal… do you take it?

Suitable for all ages.

“Best Friends”

Director: Olapaholunape Duvauchelle

Animation

When knocked unconscious in battle, Kū reminisces about his best friend in the past, only to wake up and realize that he is fighting against that very best friend.

Suitable for all ages.

“I Want to See the Ocean”

Director: Rajni Agpaoa

Animation

A 2D animated short portraying a pet owner’s long drive to fulfill her ailing cat’s last wish.

Suitable for all ages.

“KOA”

Director: Rinko Shimobayashi

Animation

Suitable for all ages.

“HUE”

Director: Syril Pecson

Animation

In a world devoid of color or joy, a man trudges through his monotonous workday. When everything seems to be stacked against him, how does he find his reason to keep going?

Suitable for all ages.

“SPATIAL NOSTALGIA”

Director: Preston Ancheta

Documentary

I explore a sense of loss after nostalgic places close, acknowledging these spaces as they are, while realizing that change is inevitable.

Suitable for all ages.

“Mothers + Daughters”

Director: Kylee Maxwell

Experimental

Three generations of women hold onto a bond that expands beyond time and space.

Suitable for all ages.

“Elise and the Revelation”

Director: Christopher Gray

Live-action Narrative

A woman in her late 20’s is blackmailed by a stranger on the street with the threat of revealing her secret past. With the help of a friend, she must make a decision and take action.

Suitable for all ages.

“Musubi Money”

Director: Matthew Hart

Live-action Narrative

An imaginative boy frequents his community roadside store, picks out his usual goodies and is met with the kindness of its elderly owner. After all these years, how will he pay it forward?

Suitable for all ages.

“Can’t Hurry Love”

Director: Robby Correia

Live-action Narrative

Haunted by a dream she can’t quite shake, a head-in-the-clouds college student follows a sudden instinct to change her usual path across campus.

Suitable for all ages.

“The Glass Box Between You and Me”

Director: Sarah Ricker

Live-action Narrative/Experimental

Suitable for all ages.

“The Invitation”

Director: Preston Ancheta

Indigenous/Experimental

An office worker declines an invitation, but as the rhythms and visions of a loʻi kalo begin to blend into their reality, they must choose between their routine work or answering the land’s call.

Suitable for all ages.

“Redame”

Director: Aurora Aaron

Live-action Narrative

On the eve of her college move-in, Malorie soaks up her last night with her childhood best friend, Tina, only to realize there may be more than friendship between them.

Suitable for all ages.

“Recital In Retrograde”

Director: Vincent Rollo

Experimental

A dancer realizes they’re living in a false reality contained within the screen — they fear that when the recording is killed, they will be, too. Can they convince the viewer to continue watching?

Suitable for all ages.

“Hope Loa”

Director: Nanea Ah You,

Indigenous/Experimental

Through lei-making and song, a Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) woman explores what it means to be Aloha ʻĀina — a lover of the land.

Suitable for all ages.

“My Beau, Bo”

Director: Shannyn Sullivan

Live-action Narrative

While planning her late husband’s celebration of life, a reclusive, elderly ballroom dancer chooses not to participate in the celebration’s special waltz, further deteriorating her well-being.

Suitable for all ages.

“Stained”

Director: Tiffany Liu

Live-action Narrative

Three generations of women confront inherited wounds during one pivotal night.

Suitable for all ages.

“Lucky/Unlucky”

Director: Violet Schoonfield

Live-action Narrative

Gwyn, a college student, takes the same route to her favorite study spot. However, today is different: her route is closed due to construction. Because of this, she takes a detour toward unfamiliarity, encountering a series of seemingly unlucky events.