The Donn of Tiki - Enzian Theater
Feature
Feature

The Donn of Tiki

***WINNER – Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature – 2024 Florida Film Festival

Directors Alex Lamb & Max Well will be in attendance on Saturday, August 9th at 3:30pm & 6:30pm for in-person Q&As, including exclusive merch!

The life of Donn Beach has been re-written, embellished, and, at times, flat-out fabricated. But that is what happens with legends; their lore is always better. The same is true of the humble Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt, maybe born in Texas, maybe born in Louisiana, but born nonetheless to become the man who brought Tiki culture to the states.

The Donn of Tiki attempts to separate fact from fabrication with the help of modern Tiki legends like Jeff “Beachbum” Berry and Smuggler’s Cove owner Martin Cate, as well as people who knew him, historians, and recently resurfaced audio recordings of Donn himself. Mixing fun retro-style animation, archival footage, and expert interview commentary, this documentary paints a vivid portrait of a man who had an outsized impact on the restaurant business, Hawaiian tourism, and the craft cocktail movement, while also exploring the side alleys of Donn’s life that included affairs, mob connections, and all sorts of nefarious activities.

2024, 100 minutes, USA, Directed by Alex Lamb & Max Well, Not Rated

  • “An excellent introduction to the origins of Polynesian Pop but is filled with enough information and detail to appease devotees. Fun and engrossing, the most incredible visuals would have to be the 2D animated sequences highlighting a number of Beach’s misadventures. “

    – Bobby LePire, FILM THREAT

  • “A look at the legacy of self-made (and self-mythologizing) “Don the Beachcomber’ aka Don Beach nee Ernest Gantt, who pretty much singlehandedly created the whole vogue for elaborate rum drinks, pseudo-island decor, and other elements of “tropical fantasy.’”

    – Dennis Harvey, 48 HILLS

  • "What could have been an easy talking heads documentary incorporates unbelievable animation and comedy. Investigating the tall tales of Beach’s life becomes an extremely fun experience."

    – Alan French, SUNSHINE STATE CINEPLEX

  • "One of the best documentaries of the year...a creative and fascinating film about a very interesting man and his legacy."

    – Dan Skip Allen, FROM THE FOURTH ROW
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