Kumu Hina, a locally produced documentary about a transgender Native Hawaiian teacher, received the Outstanding Documentary Award at the 27th GLAAD Media Awards at the Los Angeles Beverly Hilton on April 2.

Filmmaker Dean Hamer says it’s the first time a film from Hawaii has won a nomination for the award, part of what’s known as the “Gay Oscars.”

GLAAD, which stands for Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, called the film “a unique and exciting story that stood out from the crowd.”

“Kumu Hina” (2014) was produced by an all-Hawaiian cast and crew with support from Pacific Islanders in Communications and PBS. The Hawaiian word for transgender is mahu.

“Very proud to join the likes of “Paris is Burning,” “For the Bible Tells Me So” and “How to Survive a Plague,” Hamer and partner Joe Wilson said in an email to me. “This will also open more opportunities for people outside Hawaii to see the film.”

Here’s a story I wrote about the film and its star, Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu.