Hawai‘i’s first boys’ love drama captured the Narrative Audience Award at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival.
“My Partner” is a feature film that tells the story of two Lahainaluna high school boys from feuding friend groups forced to work together on a school project, eventually falling in love.
The main characters Edgar and Pili also learn to understand each other's cultures.
“We are humbled by the overwhelming show of support for our film. Congratulations to our entire cast and crew,” according to My Partner’s Facebook post.
Lance Collins, a Maui lawyer and writer of the film, spoke with HPR in April about the topics viewers might see in the film — many of which are current issues in the state.
“Disputes over water resources, disputes over natural resources, settler colonialism, working class, immigrant youth,” Collins said. “Those issues are prominent in West Maui, but they are issues that people worldwide deal with in their own local way.”
The trailer has more than 2 million views on Facebook.
The Hawai‘i-based cast are first-time actors. The characters are seen speaking English, Hawaiian and Tagalog.
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