Kapaemahu reveals the healing power of four mysterious stones on Waikiki Beach - and the legendary dual male and female spirits within them.

Long ago, four extraordinary beings of dual male and female spirit brought the healing arts from Tahiti to Hawaii and imbued their powers in four giant boulders. The stones still stand on Waikiki Beach, but the true story behind them has been hidden – until now. Official website: http://kapaemahu.com Written, Directed and Produced by Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, Dean Hamer, Joe Wilson Director of Animation Daniel Sousa Sound and Music Dan Golden Original Chant Kaumakaiwa Kanakaole PREMIERE: Tribeca Film Festival - Special Jury Mention AWARDS AND SELECTIONS: Animayo International Film Festival - Grand Jury Prize (Oscar qualifying) Atlanta Film Festival – Best Animated Short (Oscar qualifying) Foyle Film Festival – Best Animated Short (Oscar Qualifying) Hiroshima International Animation Festival - Special Jury Prize Nashville Film Festival – Audience Award Outfest International LGBTQ Film Festival - Audience Award imagineNATIVE – Best Native Language Film Rhode Island International Film Festival - Best Animation Short Chicago International Children’s Film Festival – Children’s Jury Award Boston International Kids Film Festival – Best Foreign Language Film GAZE Film Festival – Audience Award Bengalaru International Short Film Festival - Best Animation Animation Chico – First Prize Red Rock Film Festival – Audience Award Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival – Audience Award Nomade Land First Peoples Festival – Best Animation Black Maria Film Festival – Director’s Choice Award Thessaloniki Animation Festival – Silver Octopus New Zealand International Film Festival - Special Jury Mention Ojai Film Festival – Honorable Mention Annecy International Animated Film Festival Ottawa International Animation Festival Spark Animation Palm Springs International ShortFest Indy Shorts International Film Festival Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia HollyShorts Film festival Show Me Shorts International Short Film Festival Canton New Orleans International Film Festival St Louis International Film Festival Hawai'i International Film Festival Woodstock Film Festival Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival Montclair Film Festival Melbourne International Film Festival Calgary International Film Festival Huesca International Film Festival Tirana Film Festival Galway Film Fleadh LA Asian Pacific Film Festival San Diego Asian Pacific Film Festival Wairoa Maori Film Festival Pasifika Film Festival Frameline San Francisco International LGBTQ Film Festival Newfest New York LGBTQ Film Festival LesGaiCineMad Queer Screen Sydney San Diego Kids Film Festival Kuki International Film Festival for Children and Youth Berlin Zlin Film Festival for Youth (out of 120 total selections)

Synopsis

Long ago, four extraordinary individuals of dual male and female spirit brought the healing arts from Tahiti to Hawaii. The name of their leader was Kapaemahu. Beloved by the people for their gentle ways and miraculous cures, they imbued four giant boulders with their powers. The stones still stand on what is now Waikiki Beach, but the true story behind them has been hidden – until now.

Kapaemahu brings this powerful legend back to life in vivid animation, seen through the eyes of a curious child.

A oia mau malihini he u'i kanaka leo mali'u, a he nonohe waipahe no na'e.

The visitors were tall and deep in voice, yet gentle and soft-spoken.

Director’s Statement

I am Kanaka — a native person descended from the original inhabitants of the islands of Hawaii. Our survival as indigenous people depends on our ability to know and practice our cultural traditions, to speak and understand our language, and to feel an authentic connection to our own history.

That is why I wanted to make a film about Kapaemahu, and to write and narrate it in Olelo Niihau – the only form of Hawaiian that has been continuously spoken since prior to the arrival of foreigners. It is not enough to study our language in an American classroom, nor to read about our history in an English language textbook. We need to be active participants in telling our own stories in our own way.

I am also mahu, which like many indigenous third-gender identities was once respected but is now more often a target for hatred and discrimination. I want our young people to understand that the ability to embrace both the male and female aspects of their spirit is not a weakness but a strength, a reason to rejoice not to fear.

Whether it is protecting Mauna Kea or Kapaemahu, I shall always believe in what historian S. M. Kamakau articulated in 1865 : He makemake ko'u e pololei ka moolelo o ko'u one hanau, aole na ka malihimi e ao ia'u I ka moolelo o ko'u lahui, na'u e ao aku I ka moolelo I ka malihini.

“I want the history of my homeland to be correct. The foreigner shall not teach me the history of my people, I will teach the foreigner.”

~Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu

Film Specs

Length: 8 minutes 24 seconds

Formats: DCP, ProRes.mov, H264.mp4

Aspect: 16:9

Audio: stereo, 5.1

Language: Niihau Hawaiian with English subtitles

Kapaemahu is a co-production of Kanaka Pakipika with Pacific Islanders in Communications with funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting

Additional supporters and collaborators

 
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