Lahaina film “My Partner” Wins Awards, Screens Across Hawaiʻi and Globe  : Maui Now

“My Partner” Hawaiʻi’s first Boys’ Love drama, won the Grand Jury Award at the Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival recently. It previously won the Audience Award at the LA Asian Pacific Film Festival and the Outstanding Excellence Award at the LGBTQ-Unbordered International Film Festival.

Directed by Native Hawaiian visual storyteller Keliʻi Grace and written by Maui’s Lance D. Collins, the film follows the story of two Lahainaluna High School senior boys whose separate worlds collide in a journey of self-awakening.

The film focuses on the lives of Edmar, a high achieving Filipino student, and Pili, a Native Hawaiian student athlete stand-out, as their seemingly separate worlds enter into a collision course when they are assigned to work on a class project together despite coming from rival friend groups.

“My Partner” was shot in Lahaina and is believed to be the last production to showcase Lahaina before the destructive Aug. 8, 2023 fire.

“My Partner” will be screening around the world including Hawaiʻi over the next month:

Local Hawaiʻi screenings:

• Oct. 16 at 5:45 p.m. Kahala Theaters (Honolulu)
• Oct. 24 3 p.m. at UH Manoa, Hawai’i Fil-Am Film Fest 2023
• Oct. 26 at 7 p.m., Waimea Theater (Kauaʻi)
• Oct. 29 at 7:30 p.m., Maui Arts and Cultural Center
• Nov. 1 at 7:30 p.m., Hale Keaka Theater (Lānaʻi)
• Nov. 2 at 7 p.m., Palace Theater (Hilo)

The My Partner trailer has had over 2.7 Million views on Facebook since April.