"Na Kamalei: Men of Hula," a film by Lisette Flanary that examines the 2005 journey of Robert Cazimero's hula halau as it prepared for the 2005 Merrie Monarch Festival, has received the National Independent Lens Audience Award.

The nod is based on the most audience votes at the end of each Independent Lens season.

The film focuses on the story of Hawaiian pride and the exploration of male roles in Hawaiian culture, both past and present. "Na Kamalei" made its premiere in October 2006 in a Hawaii International Film Festival Sunset on the Beach screening and most recently was televised nationally on the Emmy-winning PBS series, "Independent Lens," hosted by Terrence Howard.

Halau Na Kamalei, led by master kumu Cazimero of The Brothers Cazimero, copped the overall laurels at the 2005 Merrie Monarch Festival and also topped the male divisions in both hula kahiko (ancient) and hula 'auana (contemporary). The film depicts the arduous task of the dancers, aged 18 to 55, as they rehearse, prepare lei and present offerings to Pele, the goddess of the volcano, in the quest of perpetuating the art of hula.

In 2006, the film won the Hawaii Filmmaker Award and an Audience Award for Best Documentary.

"Na Kamalei: The Men of Hula" is a co-production of Lehua Films and the Independent Television Service (ITVS), and a presentation of Pacific Islanders in Communications (PIC), with funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

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