Entertainment

New film ‘Making the Line’ captures the heart of hula

Documentary highlights hālau’s path to Merrie Monarch triumph

Growing up in Hawaii, Zilla Barbosa was captivated by the artistry, discipline and dedication of hula dancers as they prepared to compete at the Merrie Monarch Festival.

That lifelong fascination inspired her to direct the new documentary, "Making the Line," offering an intimate look at O'ahu's Hālau Hiʻiakaināmakalehua and the commitment, cultural traditions and artistry behind its hula practice.

The film will screen Sunday at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center as part of the Hawaiʻi International Film Festival presented by Halekulani.

"I'm not Hawaiian," Barbosa explained. "I'm Brazilian, but I grew up watching the Merrie Monarch like everyone. It's like our Super Bowl."

While living in L.A. watching the competition, she began wondering about the effort required for hālaus to make the annual journey to Hawaii Island.

"Who are these people within the hālau? What are their stories, and who are these Kumu Hula? What are their stories, and what is kahiko in depth, and 'auana in depth? A lot of these questions I could not find answers."

Barbosa ended up spending three years filming Hālau Hiʻiakaināmakalehua, and Kumu Hula Robert Keano Kaʻupu IV and Kumu Hula Lono Padilla, the son of renowned Maui Kumu Hula Hokulani Holt.

Documenting the group's road to competition became a passion.

"I just got really obsessed with finding answers and why no one has made a documentary about this world of essentially competitive hula where sports and cultural practice come together," she said. "Students in these hālau train just as hard as NFL players. The discipline, the passion, the determination, all of those things in sports happen behind the scenes for these hālau on that journey to the Merrie Monarch."

Meeting with the Kumu Hula of Hālau Hiʻiakaināmakalehua, she was struck by their relationship and story. "They had been running this for a decade as partners, but also in a relationship," she said. "They are two queer Kumu Hula in contemporary Hawaii."

A music producer at Hawaii Public Radio, Barbosa features on the soundtrack some songs by Makana, as well as the local duo Lilikoi Blondie, and a song by Lady Lartitza La Bouche, the first kanaka maoli graduate of The Juilliard School in the classical piano division.

"Coming from a music background, I wanted to give credit to contemporary Hawaiian music," she said.

After completing filming and heading into post-production, she was met with some stunning news. The couple were parting, and Kumu Kaʻupu was solely going to lead the hālau, which resulted in the tone and vision of the film shifting.

"The kumu sat me down, and they were like, 'We have something to tell you,'" she recalled. "We're going our separate ways.' That was really devastating for me as a director. They had opened up their personal world to me, and I thought the film is done."

But they encouraged her to continue filming.

"They said, 'Zilla, we want you to keep telling our story.' I said, 'So you guys want me to film and talk about the breakup, and film that this is your last Merrie Monarch?' They were like, 'yes.' We started to find healing in this process towards the end."

Attending the 2026 Merrie Monarch, Barbosa recalled, "When the girls performed their kahiko, this huge gust of wind was going through the arena, and it was very spiritual. It gave me chicken skin. It was such a powerful performance."

Hālau Hiʻiakaināmakalehua was named the overall winner, placing first overall in the men's division, first in the Kāne Kahiko and Kāne ʻAuana, and first in the Wahine Kahiko category.

Proud of her first feature-length documentary, Barbosa hopes it resonates as a universal human story driven by emotion, while also serving as an educational introduction to contemporary Hawaii, hula and Hawaiian culture.

"I think people will walk away surprised at how much they probably felt emotions watching this film. For me as a director, that is what would be the best takeaway, if this film made you feel something."

"Making the Line" will screen at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center as part of the Hawaiʻi International Film Festival presented by Halekulani. The director will attend the screening.