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.
DAFilms.com is powered by Doc Alliance, a creative partnership of 7 key European documentary film festivals. Our aim is to advance the documentary genre, support its diversity and promote quality creative documentary films.
Please choose one of following payment gates you'd like to pay through:
or subscribe to our online cinema
and watch over 2000 films in your browser:
By clicking this button, you declare that you are over the age of 18 and confirm both your consent to the DAFilms Terms and Conditions and that you have familiarised yourself with the [Principles of Personal Data Processing]. By making a payment, you are also requesting that the selected content be provided to you immediately upon confirmation of your order.
