Synopsis
Hawaiian Pizza is a feature documentary that follows Matt Resich, a pizza chef from Honolulu, on a journey to debunk one of the world’s most controversial foods. What begins as an investigation into how Hawaiian pizza was originally conceived slowly evolves into a thoughtful exploration of culture, identity, and what a true Hawaiian pizza could be.
Watch the Trailer
The Cast
Matthew Resich | BFT & Pizza Mamo
Adam Tabura | Manele Spice
Anthony Mangieri | Una Pizza Napoletana
Luke Savas | SABASU
Scott Wiener | Scott’s Pizza Tours
Hisanori Yamamoto | Da Isa
Jonathan Vasquez | Pizza Mamo
Xavier Machado | JP’s Pizza
Manabu Suzuki | Pizzeria Onda
Alyssa Willis | Brick Fire Tavern
J.J. Niebuhr | Black Shamrock Tavern
Nae Ogawa | natuRe
Mike Bianchi | Boston’s North End Pizza Bakery
Joe Carella as Sam Panopoulos
The Music
We are proud to announce that the sound track of the film is made up of all Hawaii made songs.
The Director
Colton Book
Born somewhere between the San Francisco Bay and the Sierra Nevadas, Colton developed a keen interest in the arts at a young age, fueling a passion for filmmaking that he would eventually pursue later in life.
After graduating from the University of Hawaiʻi in 2020, Colton moved to New York, where he began editing for brands including Yahoo, NYX, Redken, and Boy Smells. In between beauty spots and fashion films, he worked on a documentary about a surfboard shaper in the heart of New York City. His attraction to the ocean eventually brought him back to Hawaiʻi, where he now serves as Head of Post Production at Island Film Group.
At Island Film Group, Colton leads post-production on narrative features and commercial projects while also directing internal documentary projects. As a filmmaker, he has an eye for intimate moments and a knack for making stories feel quirky, human, and fun to watch. He is drawn to fish-out-of-water characters and stories centered around the idea of staying true to yourself.
Hawaiian Pizza marks Colton’s feature documentary debut, following him and his longtime director of photography around the world as they search for an answer to a deceptively simple question: What makes a true Hawaiian pizza?
Hawaiian Pizza was born years ago, from my realization of the real Hawaii after moving here in 2018. As months turned into years, the layers of the idealized Hawaii I had grown up with began to peel away. The vacation paradise I knew as a kid gave way to a far more complicated place. One that has been romanticized, misrepresented, and often warped into something it isn’t.
Hawaiian pizza became a metaphor for that misrepresentation. It’s a name and an identity attached to a place it never truly came from, that has a complicated past with its toppings.
Through the story of pizza, I hope the film encourages audiences to look a little closer at the places they visit. To move beyond the version created for them and engage with the people, histories, and realities that exist beneath it. To travel not simply as a tourist, but as a curious traveler.