Filmmaker Marlene Booth’s tender remembrance of Terry "Kanalu" Young, a professor of Hawaiian studies at the University of Hawaii and an activist for the Hawaiian people, touches on disability, education, and the righting of historical wrongs. In 1969, at the age of 15, Young dove into shallow water near Diamond Head on Oahu, instantly becoming quadriplegic. After a period of rage over his accident, Young made a commitment to immerse himself in the 1970s rise of a Hawaiian renaissance, fighting for an indigenous people whose monarchy was overthrown and whose islands were taken from them. Earning his Ph.D in Pacific Island studies, Young--who renamed himself Kanalu--was in the forefront of the movement for ethnic Hawaiian autonomy, and was even violently pulled from his wheelchair by police during a protest at Iolani Palace. The film features extensive archival footage of Young (who died in 2008 at the age of 54) charismatically sharing his passionate message. An engaging portrait of a truly inspirational figure, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (T. Keogh)
Kū Kanaka/Stand Tall
(2017) 26 min. DVD: $69: high schools; $79: public libraries; $189: colleges & universities. New Day Films. PPR. Closed captioned. ISBN: 978-1-57448-447-2. Volume 33, Issue 3
Kū Kanaka/Stand Tall
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: