Louis Di Liberto 

Benno Nelson 

Richard Ho‘opi‘i, Kamaka Fernandez, Clifford Nae‘ole, Robyn Nae‘ole, Alaka'i Paleka

  Official Film Website

Kamakakehau Fernandez is one of Maui\'s brightest young performers\r\nof leo ki\'e ki\'e, the Hawaiian art of male falsetto singing. In 2003,\r\nFernandez won the Richard Ho\'opi\'i Falsetto Contest on Maui, and got a\r\nstanding ovation when he sang with Aunty Genoa Keawe. Fluent in the\r\nlanguage of the Islands (he attended a Hawaiian language immersion\r\nprogram in school), Freitas also plays ukulele, and paddles with the\r\nHawaiian Canoe Club.

Yet he is neither Hawaiian nor from the\r\nIslands. An African-American, born in Little Rock, Kamaka was a baby\r\nwhen Robyn Nae\'ole adopted and brought him to Maui. I didn\'t care if he\r\nwas of Hawaiian ancestry, says the woman who has been his mother since\r\n1985. I was looking for a child who needed someone to love, somewhere\r\nto call home.\r\n
\r\nRobyn and her brother, Clifford Nae\'ole, raised\r\nKamaka in Hawaiian traditions and culture. His love of music came\r\nnaturally - though even Kamaka was surprised to discovered his talent\r\nfor falsetto singing. The film features delectable songs by Kamaka and\r\nRichard Ho\'opi\'i (along with other performers Maui folks will readily\r\nrecognize), backed by a gorgeous tapestry of views of the Valley Isle.\r\nFor lovers of Hawaiian music, KAMAKAKEHAU is a precious gift, indeed.