My Partner | Contributed Photo
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Following a successful film festival, My Partner, a tender Boys’ Love coming-of-age tale—the final film to shoot on location in Lahaina, Hawaiʻi, before the devastating fire in 2023—will be available on major streaming VOD platforms, beginning Sept. 24.
The film stars native Hawaiian Kaipo Dudoit and Filipino Jayron Muñoz in their debut feature film roles. Dudoit is now set to star in Disney’s upcoming live-action remake of the hit 2002 animated movie Lilo & Stitch.
My Partner is KSG Films’ first “Boys’ Love” feature film. Boys’ Love began as a Japanese literary genre that crossed over and was popularized in manga during the 1980-90s, then spread in popularity across Asia. Today, Boys’ Love has a worldwide following, with The Economist recently comparing its popularity to K-pop.
My Partner—produced and filmed entirely in Hawai’i—features a traditional Hawaiian and island music soundtrack, including one song in Tagalog written by Charieze Cacayorin, who portrays Maymay in the film. Grappling with many of the cultural and social issues facing the people of Hawai’i today, My Partner is a time capsule picture of historic Lahaina, Hawaiʻi, sadly lost to fire. The film production recognized Hawai’i’s Kanaka host culture practices to ensure all aspects of the production would positively impact Hawai’i and the communities represented in the film.
In My Partner, two high school seniors in rural West Maui live in different worlds … but soon learn they aren’t so different. Pili (Dudoit), an extroverted Hawaiian jock, and Edmar (Muñoz), a high-achieving, introverted Filipino gamer, are caught up in a rivalry between opposing senior class friend groups at Lahainaluna High School.
The conflict comes to a head when Edmar’s group catches Pili’s group in the act of overfishing a native species in a restored freshwater stream. Things heat up further when Pili and Edmar’s social studies teacher assigns the boys to work on their semester project together.
Despite protests and being forced to work together, Pili and Edmar slowly learn that, despite appearances, they and their cultures have much in common. They become closer as they spend time together—Pili is learning about Filipino immigrants from Hawai’i, and Edmar is learning about Hawaiian culture and history. But things swirl out of control when their friends get into a battle.
Distributed by Random Media, KSG Films produced My Partner, the debut feature film of director Keli’I Grace, a native Hawaiian visual storyteller. The film was written by Fil-Am attorney Lance D. Collins, who grew up in Maui, is a leading advocate for local history and culture, is an award-winning Filipino and Hawaiian music producer, and is the series editor of 15 books about West Maui. The screenplay was by Alexander Deedy and Sean Dunnington. The cinematography was by Brock Ladd. Keli’I Grace and Jess T. Johnston produced it.
The film is in English, with Tagalog and Hawaiian subtitles, with a MTRCB rating of PG, and runs 99 Minutes
–With Jay Domingo
