“HULA”

Filmed over the course of four years, HULA is a feature-length, vérité documentary that follows the extraordinary journey of Laʻakea Perry,
a Kumu Hula (hula master teacher), as he and his all-male hālau (hula school) from Waiʻanae, Oʻahu, strive to keep their one-of-a-kind style of hula alive.

IN POST-PRODUCTION (RELEASING 2026)

SCENE DESCRIPTION: Ani Ani Ku is a sacred healing pond nestled on the west shore of Oʻahu. For over three decades, the hālau Ke Kai O Kahiki has entered its still waters in solemn ritual before voyaging to Hilo to compete at the Merrie Monarch Festival — the most revered stage in the world of hula.

This moment was captured in June 2021. At that time, Ke Kai O Kahiki had not danced before an audience in over two years. The silence left by the COVID-19 pandemic weighed heavily. Some carried the grief of lost loved ones, others mourned the unraveling of careers, routines, and identities. Each had journeyed through tides of isolation and uncertainty to return to this place, this purpose. In just one week, they will step onto the Merrie Monarch stage once more. But the greatest challenge lies not in the performance itself — it awaits within.