Kalaupapa-Heaven (2007) : Synopsis

Premiered at the 2007 Adelaide Film Festival

Special Jury Mention Louis Vuitton Hawaii International Film Festival 2007



SHORT SYNOPSIS
KALAUPAPA-HEAVEN is a film about survival and the celebration of life in the face of adversity.

LONG SYNOPSIS
20 minutes by plane from modern Honolulu, lies a tiny settlement forgotten by time. Kalaupapa, a peninsula on the island of Molokai, with its swaying palms, unspoiled beaches and stunning mountains, is a paradise on earth, with a history from hell. Kalaupapa is a leprosy colony.

In 1998 Paul Cox was allowed by the remaining leprosy patients of Kalaupapa to make a biopic of their hero, Father Damien. Since the completion of “Molokai, The story of Father Damien”, Paul has kept in close contact with the patients who have grown to love and trust him – he has become a close friend.

Paul has been invited to return to Kalaupapa to make a documentary on these extraordinary people. Visitors and tourists that come to pay homage to Father Damien’s grave are not allowed to photograph or film any of the patients and cannot stay at the settlement. Yet Paul and his crew have been offered unprecedented access, and cooperation by the colony and a glimpse into both the horrors and beauty of this small world frozen in time.

A few of their stories have been written down, yet most will go with them to the grave. They will share the fate of some 180 thousand Hawaiians who, from 1866-1969 were ostracized, shunned and quarantined until a cure was found which rendered leprosy sufferers non-infectious. Since 1969 the remaining lepers have chosen to stay, as Kalaupapa has become their home, and the world out side it remains unforgiving. It is predicted that within 10-15 years the last of the lepers will have past on, and the stories and the colony will be lost forever.

KALAUPAPA–HEAVEN will be a 90 minute theatrical documentary focusing on the personal stories of the remaining leprosy patients of the island, illustrated through interviews, archival footage, photographs, home movies and some re-enactments. The stories are grim, but the flip side of the coin is the quite contradictory … where elderly survivors proudly display their scars and wounds, where crippled patients “walk” their dogs by driving old jalopies through the palm-lined streets, where churches reverberate with the sound of singing, where chilling tales of spirits are never in short supply…

The stories of these marvelous people, who suffered so terribly as individuals yet today eschew bitterness for warmth, generosity, and a wonderful sense of humour – are proof that even in the darkest night, there is light.

This will be a film about survival and the celebration of life in the face of adversity.