Mighty Uke

The ukulele is often regarded as a punch line more than a musical instrument; the diminutive four-stringed relative of the guitar rose to popularity when Hawaiian music became a fad in the early 20th Century, but it fell out of popularity with the rise of rock & roll and became regarded as an outdated novelty item. But in the 1990s, the ukulele began making a comeback, as a new breed of musicians fell in love with the warm sound and easy playability of the instrument. Filmmaker Tony Coleman is a ukulele fan who offers a look into the lively world of this small but pervasive instrument in the documentary Mighty Uke. Coleman talks with ukulele aficionados from around the world, traveling through the United States as well as in Europe and Japan to show why the little uke has such a big appeal, and takes us to conventions for ukulele players in London, New York and Tokyo. Might Uke was an official selection at the 2010 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival.