WATCHLIST: Films That Center LGBTQ+/MVPFAFF+ Native Hawaiians & Pacific Islanders

By GLAAD | May 19, 2023

 By: Kristian Fanene Schmidt, Contributing Writer & Kayla Thompson, Communities of Color and Media Junior Associate

Since 1992 in the United States, Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month has been observed and celebrated during the month of May. 

This May, GLAAD is dedicated to honoring the cultural contributions and influences LGBTQ+ AAPI community members have made, alongside highlighting films, TV shows, and other forms of media with significant LGBTQ+ AAPI representation. 

While celebrating AAPI Heritage Month, it’s important to specifically uplift and include the voices, stories, and faces of LGBTQ+ Native Hawaiians and Queer and Trans Pacific Islanders (QTPI), as Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander representation is often left out of the conversation and particularly lacking on-screen. 

In addition to the lack of on-screen representation, there is also a lack of knowledge surrounding queerness in the Pacific, which has always been manifold. While homophobia and transphobia have been present in cultures across the Pacific, there is also a long history of diversity regarding gender identity, gender expression, and sexuality in numerous Pacific societies. 

With the understanding that many Pacific people don’t identify with western identity terms and colonial imposed labels, Phylesha Brown-Action, the Executive Director and Co-Founder of Fine Pasika, coined the term MBPFAFF+. 

MVPFAFF+ stands for the Mahu of Hawai’i, Vakasalewalewa of Fiji, Palopa of Papua New Guinea, Fa’afafine of Samoa, Akava’ine of The Cook Islands, Fakafifine of Niue, Fakaleiti or Leiti of Tonga, and other Pasifika gender expressions and sexualities. 

While these identities have not historically been afforded the same visibility and amplification among LGBTQ communities, an emergence of Pasifika, MVPFAFF+, and ally filmmakers and creatives are working to correct colonial narratives surrounding the Pacific and are driving equitable, perspective-centered, and uplifting depictions of the community. 

With help from Kristian Fanene Schmidt, we’re sharing below a list of some of the films and television shows that are dedicated to QTPI and MVPFAFF+ representation and inclusion, three of which were produced and directed by Dean Hamer & Joe Wilson of Qwaves Media:

Kumu Hina (2014) — Tubi
Documentary “Kumu Hina” follows the life of Hinaleimoana Kalu-Wong, a Native Hawaiian activist and teacher. The show documents her experiences as a mahu, exploring her role as a spiritual and cultural leader and navigating a world in which she seldom finds acceptance. Viewers are also able to see Hina in a loving relationship, documenting a tenderness and visibility that is not often afforded to MVPFAFF+ communities.

Leitis in Waiting (2018) — Plex

“Leitis In Waiting'' documents the journey of Tongan fakaleiti/leiti activist Joey Joleen Mataele, with one of the directors being the aforementioned Kumu Hina. The film captures her leading the charge for transgender rights in the Kingdom of Tonga, as Joey is the founder of the Tongan Leitis Association (TLA).

The Rogers (2022) - YouTube

While the fa’afafine community has been visible in Samoa for some time, The Rogers offers an intimate glimpse into the lives of the first visible group of fa’atama (trans men) in the Pacific: the Rogers of Samoa. 

See the full list of ten programs here.