Kumu Hina

Kumu Hina is a 2014 American LGBTQ related documentary film co-produced and co-directed by Dean Hamer and Joe Wilson. It is based on the story of Hina Wong-Kalu, and stars Wong-Kalu, Haemaccelo Kalu and Ho'Onani Kamai. The film premiered at the Hawaii International Film Festival on April 10, 2014, and had its television debut on Independent Lens in May 2015.

This article is about a documentary film. For the artist, see Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu.

Kumu Hina
Directed by
Written by
  • Dean Hamer
  • Joe Wilson
  • Leo Anderson Akana
Produced by
  • Dean Hamer
  • Joe Wilson
Cinematography
Edited byNels Bangerter
Music byMakana
Production
companies
  • Qwaves and Independent Television Service
  • Pacific Islanders in Communications
Distributed by
  • Passion River
  • Alexander Press
Release date
  • April 10, 2014 (2014-04-10) (Hawaii International Film Festival)
Running time
77 minutes
CountryUnited States
Languages
  • English
  • Hawaiian
  • Tongan
Budget$410,000

Synopsis

Hina Wong-Kalu is a māhū - a Native Hawaiian kumu (teacher), activist and cultural icon. She lives her life "in the middle", in between the traditional ways of Hawaii's indigenous, third gender, māhū culture, and as a modern transgender person in contemporary Hawaii, trying to preserve and pass on the indigenous culture to the younger generations. Māhū were once valued and respected as caretakers, healers, and teachers of ancient traditions who passed on sacred knowledge, but missionaries who arrived imposed their language and religious strictures across the Hawaiian islands, and pushed against this concept.

During the year covered by the film, Kumu Hina mentors one of the students, Hoʻonani, who also finds herself "in the middle" when she wants to join the all-male hula group in her school. The film also follows Kumu Hina's personal life as she seeks a committed romantic relationship with a younger man from Tonga, and travels into the hills to meet her elders, the traditional third gender māhū who live together on the land and provide her with spiritual guidance.

Cast

Reception and release

Kumu Hina won the Documentary Jury award at the Frameline Film Festival[1] and the Audience Award as the most popular documentary among voting viewers for the 2014–2015 season of Independent Lens.[2] In 2016, the film won Outstanding Documentary from the GLAAD Media Awards.[3]

Filmmaker magazine called the film "a stunning eye-opener",[4] while Indiewire considered it "incredibly poignant and moving", and YES! magazine commended the film for "lifting the veil on the misunderstood and marginalized experience of 'other' gendered individuals whose identity cannot be defined by the broad strokes of contemporary Western categorization".[5]

Release

The film premiered at the Hawaii International Film Festival on April 10, 2014, and had its television debut on Independent Lens in May 2015.[6]

Education campaign

The filmmakers initiated an education campaign to bring Kumu Hina's message to diverse audiences. The campaign, launched at an event at the Ford Foundation, includes a short children's version of the film, A Place in the Middle, and teaching and classroom discussion guides.[7]

Accolades
Festival / OrganizationAwardResultRef.
Asian American International Film FestivalBest DocumentaryWon[8]
Berlin International Film FestivalBest Short FilmNominated[9]
Frameline Film FestivalExampleWon[10]
GLAAD Media AwardsOutstanding DocumentaryWon[3]
Honolulu Rainbow Film FestivalSpecial Jury AwardWon
Independent Lens Audience AwardAudience AwardWon[2]
Pacific International Documentary Film FestivalBest DocumentaryWon[11]
Philadelphia Asian American Film FestivalBest DocumentaryWon[12]
Reeling: The Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film FestivalBest DocumentaryWon
Rhode Island International Film FestivalBest LGBTQ FilmWon[13]
San Diego Asian Film FestivalSpecial Jury AwardWon[13]
Seattle Queer Film FestivalBest DocumentaryNominated[12]

References
  1. Lytton, Alice (July 17, 2014). "The Film That Charmed Frameline: The Reasons Why Award Winning Documentary 'Kumu Hina' Deserves A Wide Audience Are Precisely Why It Might Miss Out". Indie Wire. Archived from the original on July 20, 2014.
  2. Independent Lens (July 1, 2015). "And the Winner of the 2014-2015 Independent Lens Audience Award Is..." Independent Lens.
  3. Blair, Chad (April 8, 2016). "'Kumu Hina' Wins GLADD Award". Honolulu Civil Beat.
  4. Feinstein, Howard (July 23, 2014). "Transformers: The Asian American International Film Festival | Filmmaker Magazine". Filmmaker Magazine.
  5. Snow, Jade (July 27, 2015). "What Native Hawaiian Culture Can Teach Us About Gender Identity". Yes Magazine. Archived from the original on June 10, 2016.
  6. Epler, Patti (April 13, 2014). "A Transgender Teacher in Hawaii Inspires a Global Campaign". Honolulu Civil Beat.
  7. Mertes, Cara; Yasui, Luna (December 23, 2014). "An evening with Kumu Hina". Ford Foundation.
  8. "The 37th Asian American International Film *Festival Announces Award Recipients". 2014 Asian American International Film Festival.
  9. "Teddy Award - The official queer award at the Berlin International Film Festival". Teddy Award.
  10. Staley, Jeremy (July 2, 2014). "Frameline Announces 2014 Festival Winners, From 'Somethin". Indie Wire. Archived from the original on August 14, 2014.
  11. Mareva (February 9, 2015). "Tender and Kumu Hina, the overall festival winners". FIFO.
  12. Kumu Hina Awards
  13. Arts & Literature (2014). "Kumu Hina". Frameline Film Festival.
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