Kapaemahu
Directed by
  • Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu
  • Dean Hamer
  • Joe Wilson
  • Daniel Sousa (Animation Director)
Produced by
  • Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu
  • Dean Hamer
  • Joe Wilson
Music by
  • Dan Golden
  • Kaumakaiwa Kanakole (Chant)
Animation byDaniel Sousa
Production
companies
  • Kanaka Pakipika
  • Pacific Islanders in Communications
Release date
  • April 18, 2020 (2020-04-18)
Running time
8 min
CountryUnited States
LanguageNiihau Hawaiian

Kapaemahu is a 2020 animated short film produced and directed by Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, Dean Hamer and Joe Wilson with director of the animation Daniel Sousa. It is based on the long-hidden history of four healing stones on Waikiki Beach placed there as a tribute to four legendary mahu who first brought the healing arts to Hawaii.[1] The film is narrated in Olelo Niihau, the only unbroken form of the Hawaiian language. Kapaemahu premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, was screened in over 160 film festivals and 200 theaters worldwide, won multiple Oscar-qualifying jury awards, and was shortlisted for Best Animated Short Film at the 93rd Academy Awards®.[2]

Production

The film was conceived in 2010 when Wong-Kalu introduced Hamer and Wilson to the stones of Kapaemahu, which she had known since childhood, while they were filming her in Waikiki for the documentary Kumu Hina.[3] Recognizing the potential of the site to act as a monument to Hawaiian concepts of healing and gender diversity, the team began researching the history of the stones, which had long been hidden from the public. This led to the discovery of the first recorded version of the oral tradition, a handwritten manuscript in the archives of the University of Hawai'i that became the basis for the film script.[1] It was decided to narrate the film in Olelo Niihau, which is the only form of Hawaiian spoken continuously since prior to Western contact and closest to the language that would have been spoken by the healers. Sousa developed a hand-painted art style and palette for the project that is rooted in the Polynesian art forms of tapa making and lauhala weaving.[1]

Release and Reception

The film world premiered at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival, where it was awarded the Special Jury Mention.[4] It received favorable reviews from several critics.[5][6] Sharmindrila Paul of AnimationXpress wrote “ The film looks like poetry in motion. The animation technique is unique and evokes a feeling of witnessing the legend and its history in person”.[7] It was characterized by Animation Magazine as “a vivid animation seen through the eyes of a child,"[8] by Filmmaker Magazine as a "rich standout,"[9] by Zippy Frames as a "thoughtful film about connecting the past to the future, inviting understanding, and executed in a uniquely empathetic way,"[10] and by IndieWire as "a transgender, Hawaiian breakthrough."[11]

Book, Documentary, Exhibition, and Monument

The animated film was used as the basis for a children's picture book called Kapaemahu published by Penguin Random House. It was also used as the primary storytelling device for the moolelo in a PBS documentary film and an immersive multimedia exhibition at the Bishop Museum, both titled The Healer Stones of Kapaemahu. In 2023, the animated film was incorporated into the commemorative landscape of Hawaii through a permanent display about the stones at the Hawaii Convention Center[12][13] and new interpretive signage at the Kapaemahu monument in Waikiki,[14][15] both of which use the animated film as the storytelling device for the moolelo.

Selections and Awards

Year Festival Location Award/Category
2020 Tribeca Film Festival New York City, NY Special Jury Mention[4]
2020 Animayo International Film Festival Canary Islands, Spain Grand Jury Prize[16][8]
2020 Atlanta Film Festival Atlanta, GA Best Animated Short[17]
2020 Foyle Film Festival Derry, Northern Ireland Best Animated Short[18]
2020 Hiroshima International Animation Festival Hiroshima, Japan Special Jury Prize
2020 Nashville Film Festival Nashville, TN Audience Award
2020 Outfest Los Angeles LGBT Film Festival Los Angeles, CA Audience Award
2020 Rhode Island International Film Festival Providence, Rhode Island Best Animation Short
2020 Chicago International Children's Film Festival Chicago, Illinois Children's Jury Best Animated Short
2020 imagineNATIVE Toronto, Canada Best Native Language Production[19]
2020 Bengalaru International Short Film Festival Bangalore, India Best Animated Film[20]
2020 Boston International Kids Film Festival Boston, MA Best Foreign Language Film
2020 New Zealand International Film Festival Auckland, New Zealand Special Jury Mention[21]
2020 Annecy International Animated Film Festival Annecy, France Nominated City of Annecy Award
2020 Ottawa International Animation Film Festival Ottawa, Canada Nominated Best Children's Film
2020 Palm Springs International Short Fest Palm Springs, California Nominated Best LGBT Short
2020 Indy Shorts International Film Festival Indianapolis, IN Nominated Grand Prize
2020 Zlin International Film Festival for Children and Youth Zlin, Czech Republic Nominated Golden Slipper
2020 Melbourne International Film Festival Melbourne, Australia Nominated City of Melbourne Award
2021 93rd Academy Awards® Los Angeles, CA Shortlisted Best Animated Short Film[2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Ka Wai Ola (30 March 2020). "Kapaemahu: A Lost Story Found".
  2. 1 2 "93rd Oscars Shortlists Announced". 9 February 2021.
  3. ↑ ABC Radio Australia (June 24, 2020). "New Hawaiian short film Kapaemahu celebrates indigenous knowledge and LGBT+ rights". Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
  4. 1 2 Indiewire (29 April 2020). "Tribeca Film Festival Winners".
  5. ↑ The Independent Critic. ""Kapaemahu" Screens as Finalist at Indy Shorts". theindependentcritic.com. Retrieved 2020-08-25.
  6. ↑ The Queer Review (2020-05-16). "Film Review: Kapaemahu ★★★★★". The Queer Review. Retrieved 2020-08-25.
  7. ↑ AnimationXpress (July 29, 2020). "Animated short, 'Kapaemahu' hails the healing powers of the four mahus (transgenders) - AnimationXpress".
  8. 1 2 Milligan, Mercedes (June 5, 2020). "Animayo Wraps Virtual Edition with 35K Attendees; 'Kapaemahu' Wins Grand Prize".
  9. ↑ "Hawai'i International Film Festival 2020: Gathering Community". 24 November 2020.
  10. ↑ Zippy Frames (Jan 11, 2021). "Kapaemahu by Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, Dean Hamer, Joe Wilson". Zippy Frames.
  11. ↑ Desowitz, Bill (2021-03-08). "'Kapaemahu': This Animated Short Oscar Contender Is a Transgender, Hawaiian Breakthrough". IndieWire. Retrieved 2021-03-10.
  12. ↑ Dower, Linsey (2023-02-17). "Convention center unveils Hawaiian cultural exhibits". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
  13. ↑ "New cultural exhibit at Hawaii Convention Center". KHON2. 2023-02-21. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
  14. ↑ "Honolulu tells story of healers with dual male and female spirit through new plaque in Waikiki". AP News. 2023-10-25. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
  15. ↑ Fernandez-Akamine, Puanani (2023-12-01). "Preserving the Original Story of Kapaemahu". Ka Wai Ola. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
  16. ↑ Variety (June 11, 2020). "15th Animayo Awards Top Prize to Hawaiian Short 'Kapaemahu'".
  17. ↑ "Atlanta Film Festival".
  18. ↑ "Foyle Film Festival Light in Motion Competition Winners Announced". 30 November 2020.
  19. ↑ "imagineNATIVE Film and Media Arts Festival". 8 April 2022.
  20. ↑ AmimationXpress (August 19, 2020). "'Kapaemahu' wins at BISFF; 'Avarya' and 'Radha: The Eternal Melody' secure second and third position". AnimationXpress. Retrieved 2020-08-25.
  21. ↑ New Zealand International Film Festival. "Whānau Mārama News: Ngā Whanaunga Māori Pasifika Shorts Best Film Award Winner Announced".
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