Genre
Synopsis
In the short documentary MĀHŪ, Kumu Hula Patrick Makuakāne explores the history of the Hawaiian term māhū, or transgender, through the creation of a new theater production for audiences in San Francisco and Honolulu. The film interweaves the multi-media stage performance featuring hula, oli, and moʻolelo with intimate interviews with the artistic collaborators of the show who are all acclaimed Hawaiian transgender artists. The film shares stories from Kuini, a gifted musical trio (Hoʻomanawanui Apo, Kēhaulani Tamure and Keli Māhealani Viernes) specializing in leo kiʻekiʻe or Hawaiian falsetto; Kaumakaiwa Kanakaʻole, a scholar, activist, practitioner and performer borne from a long line of renowned cultural educators; and Kumu Hinalei Wong-Kalu, a hula master, cultural practitioner and leader in the field of Kanaka Maoli (Indigenous Hawaiian) language and cultural preservation. MĀHŪ is a powerful act of reclamation, taking a misunderstood and misinterpreted ideology and celebrating its original meaning of pride and positivity.
Bio
Independent filmmaker, educator, and hula dancer, Lisette Marie Flanary creates films that celebrate a modern renaissance of the hula dance and Hawaiian culture. She is the writer, producer and director of Lehua Films and her award-winning documentaries, AMERICAN ALOHA: Hula Beyond Hawaiʻi, Nā Kamalei: The Men of Hula, ONE VOICE, and TOKYO HULA have broadcast nationally on public television and shown in film festivals around the world. She is currently a Professor at the Academy for Creative Media at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and is one of the co-directors of Good Pitch Local Hawaiʻi.
Awards History
Pacific Islanders in Communications Digital Shorts Fund Award
Credits
Executive Producer - Patrick Makuakāne
Subject - Patrick Makuakāne
Director - Lisette Marie Flanary
Producer - Lisette Marie Flanary
Cinematographer - Keliʻi Grace
