Kumu Hina

Screaming Queens: The Riot at Compton's Cafeteria

June 2005 •English

The first major uprising against police brutality, harassment, and societal oppression was not at Stonewall in 1969, but at Compton's Cafeteria in San Francisco three years earlier. Those who stood up were trans women and gay men. Now, nearly 40 years on, Susan Stryker and Victor Silverman tell the story of this oft-overlooked event in the history of American civil rights.

Waterman

April 2022 •English

Five-time Olympic medalist and Native Hawaiian Duke Paoa Kahinu Mokoe Hulikohola Kahanamoku shattered records and brought surfing to the world while overcoming a lifetime of personal challenges. Waterman explores his journey and legacy as a legendary swimmer, trailblazer, and the undisputed father of modern-day surfing, following the sport’s first-time inclusion in this year’s Summer Olympics – a fitting tribute to his work promoting the sport around the globe.

Enzo

November 2017 •French

Serena is drawing the portrait of Enzo. In a cozy and intimate atmosphere, he tells us his story. This life is extraordinary, because it is a life of a Female-To-Man (FTM) transgender.

Samuel Wilder King: Fighting for Statehood

December 2018 •English

Samuel Wilder King, a descendant of Scottish sailors and Hawaiian royalty, served as a distinguished Naval officer in both World Wars before becoming Governor of the Hawaii Territory. This short film delves into King’s fearless leadership—from navigating the high seas during WWI to fighting against the internment of Japanese Americans in Hawaii during WWII—ultimately championing Hawaii's path to statehood as the 50th star on the American flag.

TRANS

April 2012 •English

An up-close and very personal journey into the transgender world through the memorable stories and the unusual lives of a remarkable cast of characters.

Kekaiulu Hula Studio

November 2022 •English

Kekaiulu Hula Studio follows the Proclaimed Hula Halau of the same name, showcasing their twist on what the real reason for hula is and what life as a dancer in the halau is really like. Something previously unseen in the public eye.

Max

January 1992 •English

Pioneering trans writer Max Wolf Valerio talks about his life and experience of transition in this groundbreaking documentary short, one of the very first portraits of a trans man on film, directed and produced by noted filmmaker Monika Treut.

Forbidden Love: The Unashamed Stories of Lesbian Lives

September 1992 •English

Ten women in Canada talk about being lesbian in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s: discovering the pulp fiction of the day about women in love, their own first affairs, the pain of breaking up, frequenting gay bars, facing police raids, men's responses, and the etiquette of butch and femme roles. Interspersed among the interviews and archival footage are four dramatized chapters from a pulp novel, "Forbidden Love".

Transhood

May 2020 •English

Filmed over five years in Kansas City, this documentary follows four transgender kids – beginning at ages 4, 7, 12, and 15 – as they redefine “coming of age.” These kids and their families show us the intimate realities of how gender is re-shaping the family next door in a unique and unprecedented chronicle of growing up transgender in the heartland.

Mr. Angel

March 2013 •English

Buck Angel: trans man, porn star, pioneer. Here we see his life through a documentary lens that evidences the power and personality of an amazing human being.

My Transgender Kid

October 2015 •English

Two British families discuss the challenges they face raising children who identify as a gender different from the one they were assigned at birth.

DeRosa: Life, Love & Art in Transition

December 2021 •English

Chronicles the extraordinary life of artist Felicia DeRosa, who came out as transgender at the age of 41. With her life, career, and marriage potentially at risk, Felicia embarks on a journey towards authenticity and self-acceptance.

I Am a Woman Now

December 2011 •English

Whoever wanted a sex reassignment surgery in the 1950's could do so in Casablanca, at French gynaecologist Georges Burou's clinic, without fear of psychological examination. The French transgender singer known as Coccinelle was one of the first to use Burou’s services, and many others followed. Michiel Van Erp’s film follows five women who underwent surgery during that time, just before the sexual revolution and the Gay Liberation movement of the 1960's. Intimate interviews reveal their lifestyle, what made them change their sex, how it influenced their lives, and how they cope with the unavoidable ageing.

Real Boy

March 2016 •English

REAL BOY is the coming-of-age story of Bennett Wallace, a transgender teenager on a journey to find his voice-as a musician, a friend, a son, and a man. As he navigates the ups and downs of young adulthood, Bennett works to gain the love and support of his mother, who has deep misgivings about her child's transition. Along the way, he forges a powerful friendship with his idol, Joe Stevens, a celebrated transgender musician with his own demons to fight.

Big Wave

May 1984 •English

Big Wave is a documentary directed by Walt Mulconery and published on May 25, 1984 that presents the types of outdoor and risky sports present on the west coast of the United States such as paragliding, surfing, skydiving, bmx or the BASE jumping together with others, going from Hawaii to Texas through California to present them.

Nagasawa Masami x Mizukawa Asami: Hawaii Onna Jitensha Futari Tabi

December 2009 •Japanese

Lovely NHK TV show featuring friends Masami Nagasawa and Asami Mizukawa travelling by bicycle through Hawaii. Beautiful nature views of the island on this cute program aired back in 2009. Masami does not look nature friendly at all, cleaning and carefully examining vegetables and fruit before having a bite. But she looks very cute with long hair. Asami looks like someone I would like to be friends with, she is fun and loud and not as afraid of trying new things as Masami. Hawaii seen like this looks like paradise, especially the sunshine from the top of the mountain.

La trans de la patria

August 2018 •Spanish

The Rain Follows The Forest

January 2012 •English

Catch Jason Scott Lee in “The Rain Follows The Forest” as he sets out on a journey to learn about sustainable life in our island home. Through interesting conversations, he learns about Hawaiʻi’s fragile fresh water supply and discovers connections to our upland forest environment.

You Are Not a Woman

November 2018 •Spanish

In the coffee-growing village of Santuario, Colombia, lives an indigenous transgender community. That is where Juliana and Berómica were banished due to the prejudices of their own strongly Catholic community.

North by Current

March 2021 •English

Filmmaker Angelo Madsen Minax returns to his rural Michigan hometown following the death of his infant niece and the subsequent arrest of his brother-in-law as the culprit. Using the audio-visual approaches of essay film, first-person cinema vérité, staged actions, and decades of home movies, Madsen navigates a town steeped in opioid addiction, economic depression, and religious fervor, while using the act of filmmaking to rebuild familial bonds and reimagine justice. Posing empathy as a tool for creating a more just world, North By Current does not seek to investigate a crime, but creates a relentless portrait of an enduring pastoral family, poised to reframe and reimagine narratives about incarceration, addiction, trans embodiment, and ruralness.