Leitis in waiting ; & Lady Eva
Dean Hamer (Film director, Film producer), Joe Wilson (Film director, Film producer), Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu (Film producer), Ilaisaane Sisi'uno Helu (Film producer), Joey Joleen Mataele, Eva Baron, Joel Douek (Composer), Qwaves Documentary Films, Pacific Islanders in Communications
Leitis in waiting (70 min.): a raw yet tender portrait of Joey Mataele, the leader of an intrepid group of leitis, or indigenous transgender women, fighting a rising tide of religious fundamentalism and intolerance in their South Pacific Kingdom. The film follows Joey, a devout Catholic of noble descent, as she organizes an exuberant beauty pageant presided over by a princess, provides shelter and training for a young contestant rejected by her family, and spars with American-financed evangelicals threatening to resurrect colonial-era laws that would criminalize the leitis' lives. With unexpected humor and extraordinary access to the Kingdom's royals and religious leaders, her emotional journey reveals what it means to be different in a society ruled by tradition, and the challenge of fulfilling the promise of human rights for all without forsaking culture and tradition
DVD Video, English, 2018
Qwaves/Pacific Islanders in Communications, [Hawaii?], 2018