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DisOrient 2013 Nona Beamer: A Legacy of Aloha

NONA BEAMER: A LEGACY OF ALOHA (2013) 90 min. USA
Feature Documentary Directed and Produced by Linda Kane

Filmmaker Linda Kane's 'Nona Beamer: A Legacy of Aloha' is more than a documentary about a remarkable Hawaiian woman, it is a film portrait lovingly painted by some of the many people whose lives were influenced and changed by her. Affectionately known as Aunty Nona, Beamer came from a long family line of Hawaiian music and hula. As a child she ran headlong into the missionary influences still extant in the twentieth century that suppressed the Hawaiian language and culture. She played an important part in reshaping that history and restoring Hawaiian culture and dance. Through stories, songs, and hula, from her students, friends and colleagues, an unforgettable picture of the woman emerges, and consequently an unforgettable film.
You will meet some of some of the many people whose lives were influenced by Aunty Nona in 'Nona Beamer: A Legacy of Aloha.' These include Gordean Bailey, Kumu Hula (hula teacher) on Maui, Kaliko Beamer-Trapp, Hawaiian language teacher and Nona's hanai (adopted) son, Puna Kalama Dawson, Kumu Hula on Kauai, David Kawika Eyre, Hawaiian language teacher at Kamehameha Schools on Oahu, Nathan Kalama, Kumu Hula on Kauai and director of the Malie Foundation, Caren Loebel-Fried, artist and illustrator, Jerry Santos, Hawaiian musician and composer, Kaleo Trinidad, Kumu Hula at Kamehameha Schools, Oahu, Penny Vredenburg, Nona's cousin and host at Hawaiian events, and Teri Waros, former manager of the Lodge at Molokai Ranch, and many others.
The film appeals both to those who don't know much about Hawaii or Aunty Nona, and those who know them well.
' The film,' say filmmaker Linda Kane, 'is my way of thanking Aunty Nona for all she has done, and my hope is it will continue to spread her aloha.

Q&A with Director/Producer Linda Kane post screening