Reel Wāhine of Hawaiʻi - Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu
The Reel Wāhine of Hawai'i short film series chronicles talented and pioneering women filmmakers who tell Hawaii stories uniquely through a camera lens.
- Filmmaker(s)
- Heather H. Giugni
- Category
- Short Film
- Subject Matter
- Women, Biography
- Featured In
- Pacific Pulse
Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu wrote and co-directed the Oscar-qualified animated short film Kapaemahu, which recounts an ancient story of four extraordinary beings of dual male and female spirit who brought the healing arts to Hawai‘i. A Native Hawaiian teacher, cultural practitioner and filmmaker, Wong-Kalu was both a protagonist and educational advisor for the award winning documentaries Kumu Hina and A Place in the Middle. She co-directed and co-produced the award-winning PBS/ARTE documentary Leitis in Waiting about her transgender sisters in the Kingdom of Tonga.
Directed by Heather H. Giugni.
Heather Haunani Giugni left a secure broadcast news position and joined a small group of passionate activist filmmakers who understood not just the power of change in visual storytelling but the empowering of community using tools that were not accessible to the mainstream public. It was the 80s. Since those early years, Heather has dedicated her life to documenting, preserving and sharing stories. She has produced and directed numerous projects including documentaries, television series and live broadcast events. Her work has been nominated multiple times for an EMMY, winning one for her series FAMILY INGREDIENTS, a multicultural food, travel and family show hosted by Chef Ed Kenney. She is a founding member of Pacific Islanders in Communications and ‘Ulu’ulu, Hawai’i's moving image archive and an adjunct faculty member at the Academy for Creative Media - UHWO.
