MIGHTY UKE trailer Video

Director/Cinematographer/Editor: Tony Coleman

Think of a ukulele and you probably imagine grass skirts, slide guitars and kitschy lyrics, but far from being just a Hawaiian novelty instrument, the uke has a rich history and has profoundly affected music around the world.

With the dawn of the radio age, ukulele music owned the airwaves. Broadway produced ukulele musicals and Hollywood produced ukulele movie stars. The instrument was so inexpensive and easy to play that by the early twenties the uke was the most popular instrument in the American home. Over the next thirty years the uke was number one, and then, with the rise of rock and roll guitar, faded into nerdy obscurity. Until now.

In the internet age, the ukulele is making a comeback. Clubs and ensembles are sprouting up around the world, and a new generation is pulling their grandparents ukes out of the closet.

Mighty Uke travels the world to discover why so many people of different nations, cultures, ages and musical tastes are turning to the ukulele to express themselves, connect with the past, and with each other. From the Redwoods of California through the gritty streets of Paris, from swinging London through Tokyos high-rise canyons to Langley, BC, ukers tell the story of the peoples instrument: The Mighty Uke.