Patrick Makuakane

A documentary that explores the Native Hawaiian concept of gender fluidity by interweaving intimate interviews with a multimedia stage performance featuring hula, chant, and contemporary music. The film centers on the artistic collaborators of the show—all acclaimed Hawaiian transgender artists—offering a powerful reflection on identity, culture, and expression.

American Aloha: Hula Beyond Hawai’i shows the survival of the hula as a renaissance continues to grow beyond the islands. With the cost of living in Hawai'i estimated at 27 percent higher than the continental United States, large numbers of Hawaiians have left the islands to pursue professional and educational opportunities. Today, with more Native Hawaiians living on the mainland than in the state of Hawai'i, the hula has traveled with them. From the suburbs of Los Angeles to the San Francisco Bay Area, the largest Hawaiian communities have settled in California, and the hula continues to connect communities to their heritage on distant shores.