JUN 4: Free Movie- STAN (Stan Walker)

This is a free screening of the movie STAN about New Zealand singer Stan Walker. The screening is in conjunction with and sponsored by Pacific Heartbeat @PacificHeartbeat which is presented by Pacific Islanders in Communications @piccom in partnership with PBS Hawai‘i.

Australian Idol winner Stan Walker was born with a gene that gave him—and most of his family— cancer. The film Stan documents his tumultuous journey through recovery from a surgery that removed his stomach. He leans on his mom, his faith, and his Māori culture to cope. But the fate of his family’s health and the future of his singing voice weighs heavily on Stan’s mind.

In an intimate look at health and healing, Stan invites the viewer in to contemplate their own relationship with their body.

BACKGROUND
In 2009, Stan Walker won the seventh and final season of Australian Idol, a music competition show set to return in 2022. He was the first person born in New Zealand of Māori descent to win the title. His rapid rise into stardom thrust him into a whirlwind music industry that encouraged him to downplay his Māori identity. But Walker ’s desire to be an example for young people and his experience battling stomach cancer reconnected him to his Māori culture.

The single he released in 2020, Bigger/Tua, was released in both English and te reo Māori. Walker has said the song was a tribute to his tūrangawaewae, a powerful Māori concept that translates to “a place to stand.”

STAN
Directed by : Mitchell Hawkes
Themes: Health, Cancer, Music, Māori, Faith

Now in its TENTH consecutive season, Pacific Heartbeat is an anthology series that provides viewers a glimpse of the real Pacific—its people, cultures, languages, music, and contemporary issues. From revealing exposés to rousing musical performances, the series features a diverse array of programs that will draw viewers into the heart and soul of Pacific Island culture.

Pacific Heartbeat is presented by Pacific Islanders in Communications in partnership with PBS Hawai‘i, and is distributed by Boston-based American Public Television (APT) and broadcast nationally on WORLD Channel (distributed by APT in partnership with WGBH & WNET), in addition to hundreds of scheduled broadcasts on local PBS stations.

Films are selected each year from among numerous submissions, including projects funded by PIC with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the National Endowment for the Arts.