Kapaemahu reveals the healing power of four mysterious stones on Waikiki Beach – and the legendary dual male and female spirits within them.

Long ago, four extraordinary individuals of both male and female spirit brought the healing arts from Tahiti to Hawaii. Beloved by the people for their gentle ways and miraculous cures, they imbued four giant boulders with their powers. The stones still stand on what is now Waikiki Beach, but the true story behind them has been hidden – until now.

Narrated in an ancient Hawaiian dialect, Olelo Niihau, Kapaemahu is a moolelo, which translates to “story, “tale,” or “myth,” but is also defined as “history,” “chronicle,” or “record.” Just as this multiplicity of meanings blurs the conventional boundary between fiction and nonfiction, so this short film straddles the space between narrative and documentary.

Kapaemahu brings this powerful legend back to life in vivid animation, seen through the eyes of a curious child.