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TV Broadcast Premiere on PBS's Independent Lens: May 4, 2015
“A powerful and educational film that breathes with life.”
-Indiewire
“MEMORABLE…INSPIRING…ALLOWS AUDIENCES TO EXPERIENCE THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY OF ONE PERSON AND HER COMMUNITY”
-The Ford Foundation
“A stunning eye-opener... The world Hina lives in is something that tourists never see. Here’s your chance — and a colorful world it is.”
-Filmmaker Magazine
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Directors: Dean Hamer and Joe Wilson
Runtime: 77 minutes Rating: NR Production Year: 2014 DVDCAT#: PRDVD2742 Public Performance Rights Licensing: Starting at $295 Other Organizations & Institutions please contact info@passionriver.com for a quote GENRES: Documentary, LGBT, Family, Cultural Studies, Music, PBS
SYNOPSIS: Imagine a world where a little boy can grow up to be the woman of his dreams, and a young girl can rise to become a leader among men. Welcome to Kumu Hina's Hawai'i. Kumu Hina tells the inspiring story of Hina Wong-Kalu, a transgender native Hawaiian teacher, or kumu, who brings to life Hawai‘i's traditional embrace of mahu - those who embody both male and female spirit. Produced by Emmy-winning directors Dean Hamer and Joe Wilson in association with ITVS and Pacifc Islanders in Communications, the film traces Hina's evolution from Collin Wong, a timid high school boy, to her present position as a married woman and cultural director of a school in one of Honolulu's grittier neighborhoods. When Ho‘onani, a charismatic 6th grade girl, asks to join the school's all-male hula troupe, Kumu Hina gives her the opportunity to express her inner male spirit. As teacher and student prepare for a climactic end-of-year public performance, they meet many obstacles, but hold fast to the idea that being true to oneself matters most. |
