Media Kit

The 100TH, Seeds of Aloha

THE 100TH, Seeds of Aloha is a feature-length documentary exploring the extraordinary story and enduring legacy of Hawaiʻi’s Japanese American soldiers of the 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team.

Trailer (3-mins)

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, these young Americans found their loyalty questioned by the very nation they were prepared to defend. Given the opportunity to serve, they responded with extraordinary courage and sacrifice. The 100th suffered such devastating casualties that war correspondents dubbed it the “Purple Heart Battalion,” while the combined 100th/442nd went on to become one of the most decorated units in U.S. military history.

Told through firsthand accounts from WWII veterans and their descendants, archival materials, and leading military and historical experts, the film retraces their journey from Hawaiʻi to the battlefields of Italy, France and Germany—bringing new clarity and nuance to a history too often misunderstood, oversimplified or left untold.

But THE 100TH goes beyond the battlefield.

The film explores what these soldiers carried with them from Hawaiʻi: a spirit of aloha expressed through courage, loyalty, humility, service and care for others. Remarkably, traces of that spirit remain across Europe today—in communities that still honor their liberators, families connected across generations, and stories of compassion that survived the devastation of war.

When the veterans returned home, they continued planting seeds. They pursued education, built businesses and institutions, served their communities, fought discrimination, helped reshape Hawaiʻi’s civic and political landscape, and opened doors for generations that followed. Others extended aloha across the Pacific through postwar relief and reconciliation.

Producer/director Steve Sue is joined by a creative team including cinematographer Alexander Bocchieri, editor Deborah Miller, music directors Harold Payne and David Kopatz, and animator Karen Brizendine. Music plays an integral role in the storytelling, with a soundtrack featuring nine original songs composed during the production journey through Europe, inspired by the soldiers, places and stories encountered along the way.

More than 80 years later, THE 100TH, Seeds of Aloha asks what drove these men to extraordinary heights—and discovers that their greatest legacy may not be found in medals or military records, but in what they chose to do with their courage.

The war ended. The seeds they planted are still growing.

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See Full Synopsis »

The 100TH, Seeds of Aloha is part of an aloha spirit series of films. See Global Aloha »

Media Contact: Steve Sue, producer/writer | steve[at]id8.org | (808) 220-6449 | @histevesue

For more, see Filmmaker’s Statement »

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