Out of State
- Directed by: Ciara Lacy
- Released: 2026 (educational)
- Year of Production: 2017
Shipped thousands of miles away from the tropical islands of Hawaii to a private prison in the Arizona desert, two native Hawaiians discover their indigenous traditions from a fellow inmate serving a life sentence. It's from this unlikely setting that David and Hale finish their terms and return to Hawaii, hoping for a fresh start. Eager to prove to themselves and to their families that this experience has changed them forever, David and Hale struggle with the hurdles of life as formerly incarcerated men, asking the question: can you really go home again?
International Premiere || Cayman International Film Festival 2017
Winner Best Documentary Feature Film
Portland Film Festival 2017
Special Jury Prize for Artistic Vision in Documentary
Hawaii International Film Festival 2017
Winner Best Feature Film and Audience Choice Award Best Feature Film
San Diego Asian Film Festival 2017
Winner Best Documentary Feature Film
Made in Hawaii Film Festival 2019
Winner Best Feature Film
Winner Audience Award || PBS’ Independent Lens 2019
“The opening shot of OUT OF STATE captivated our jury, demonstrating a keen eye for the complex beauty of the subjects and their culture. This vision continued to move us throughout the entirety of the film.” – Festival Jury, Winner Best Feature Film & Audience Choice Award Best Feature Film || Hawaii International Film Festival 2017
“The themes that this powerful, poetic film explores are specifically grounded in a uniquely Hawaiian experience — exploring the struggles of contemporary Hawaiians through an intimate, honest, and empathetic lens,” the jury said. “Yet the story this film tells, the complex characters it follows, and the struggles they face have universal relevance. For all these reasons, the jury is is proud to bestow the Hawaii International Film Festival’s inaugural “Best Made in Hawaii Feature” award to Ciara Lacy’s ‘Out of State.'” – Festival Jury
Ciara is a native Hawaiian filmmaker whose interest lies in crafting films that use strong characters and investigative journalism to challenge the creative and political status quo. She has produced documentary content for film and television, managed independent features, as well as coordinated product placement and clearances for various platforms. Her work has shown in theaters and has aired on PBS, ABC, TLC, Discovery, Bravo and A&E. Ciara is honored to be the inaugural Sundance Institute Merata Mita Fellow and a current Princess Grace Awards Special Project grantee. She has also benefited from fellowships with Firelight Media's Documentary Lab, the Sundance Institute and Time Warner Foundation, the Sundance Institute’s NativeLab, the Princess Grace Foundation, and IFP. Ciara holds a BA from Yale University, and graduated from Hawai`i's Kamehameha Schools.
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