WASHINGTON — Photographer Catherine Bauknight first went to Hawai'i in 1980 for some peace and quiet.

She found more.

On Thursday evening, her full-length documentary, "Hawaii — A Voice for Sovereignty," premiered at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center to an invited audience of writers, pundits, Washington power brokers and lawmakers.

Its opening comes as Congress is weighing long-awaited legislation that would create a process for Native Hawaiian self-governance. Bauknight's 83-minute film documents what she calls the journey of Native Hawaiians to sustain their culture and spirituality — all deeply rooted in the land. It took four years to make the film, an oral history that includes interviews with Native Hawaiians — leaders and "people of the land" — in their homes and at sacred sites.

This is the first film for the Pasadena, Calif., resident. But her career as a still photographer has taken her around the world. In 1989, she was one of a handful of international photographers who chronicled — up close — the bloody pro-democracy demonstrations at China's Tiananmen Square. She has shot photos for Time, Newsweek, Rolling Stone and other familiar publications.

Bauknight spoke with Gannett Washington Bureau on Wednesday about the film that changed her life.

Q. What did you want to say in this film?

A. I wanted the voice of the Native Hawaiian people to be heard. I believe that in their message there's an education for all of us. They have a deep connection to their ancient history. It comes from a powerful, abiding and spiritual respect for the environment.

When I started this, I was told — and eventually learned for myself — you cannot talk about the Native Hawaiian culture without talking about their spirituality and the land. It's all connected.

It became a journey for me from the ancient Hawaiian culture to the takeover to the renaissance in the 1970s and '80s to the sovereignty movement.

Q. What brought you to this project?

A. Culture is what I've been interested in all my career. I would go to Hawai'i to try and relax, but it turned out I was more inclined to find out about that culture than any culture anywhere I have ever been.

When I was visiting Hawai'i, I would ask people, "Where are the (Native) Hawaiians?" People would shrug their shoulders all the time and tell me, "I don't know."

At first, I thought, "What's happened? Why are they not visible as the host culture?"

Nobody knew. That was a red flag to me, and I started to feel this calling — that I was going to do a documentary on these people and what their story was.

It took a while to get everything together. I was finally in a position in 2005 to go ahead. Then I just started calling people. I knew this was going to take a lot of research.

Q. What was the toughest part about making this film?

A. People would not talk to me in the beginning. I am an outsider — an Anglo-Caucasian. They said to me that their story has been twisted so many times and manipulated. They would say, "Why should we talk to you? You're going to write your own story anyway." I got this from many people.

But I told them this story would be in their own words. I had to let it be their voice.

Originally, I thought the structure would be a traditional documentary, and I would narrate some of it. But it became obvious I could not tell this story. I do a little narration. But it could only be told by the Hawaiian people. It had to be their true story.

Once they understood that, little by little, they started trusting in this process. They started talking about their family histories, about how their land had been taken away from their families ... and about the pain this has caused them.

Q. What struck you most about what you learned?

A. It was a renaissance for me, not only in my professional life, but in my personal life as well. It has taken me to a higher awareness about how people are connected to the land and the environment.

It goes back to the history of Native Hawaiians being stewards of the land. They were conscious of the seasons for fishing and when it was appropriate to take from the ocean, and then when to leave the ocean to care for itself, naturally.

The same was true up in the valleys. They were stewards of the water, to make sure it was clean. It became a system of caring for each other within a process of caring for the land. It became a complete cycle.

Q. Does what you've learned have any special relevance beyond Hawai'i?

A. Absolutely. Ancient knowledge can work with the present possibilities — especially now with wind solar energy — as we look to become sustainable.

Contact John Yaukey at jyaukey@gannett.com.