Makelani Tuha
- Additional Crew
- Director
- Cinematographer
Monty Makelani Tuha was born in Kailua, Hawaii to the
parents of Janis & Pulia Tuha. At the age of 5 his family moved to
Caldwell, Idaho. There he would attend elementary school. At the age of
15 his family moved back to Hawaii, where he got his first real job at
Network Video & Photo in Laie, Hawaii. There he apprenticed under the
late Hawaiian Legend Jon Mozo. At this young age he began developing
his life long passion with photography & film. There he learned to
develop & print before ever picking up a camera. A couple years later
his family would return to Idaho. In 1994 he graduated from Caldwell
High School in Caldwell, Idaho. After graduation he returned to Hawaii
for a brief stint to work in the photo lab where he had first cut his
teeth. A few years later he enrolled at Dixie State College in St.
George, Utah. (97'-98') Right away he was drawn to the photography
department where he spent many countless hours & endless nights
perfecting his craft. It was around this time he got his hands on a
copy of, "Rebel Without A Crew" by Robert Rodriguez. This book would
have a profound impact on his life from there forward. Photography to
film & movies felt like a natural transition to him. He began reading
every filmmaking book he could get his hands on. Watching a movie was
more like going to class for him. In 2000 he decided to jump right into
making a documentary called, "Four:Twenty." This film takes a hard look
at the controversial plant marijuana & why it has remained illegal. It
takes you onto the streets of Amsterdam in the Netherlands seeking
answers. Four:Twenty was selected to showcase by ifilm & the spike
network in 2003. In 2004 it screened at the New York International
Independent Film and Video Festival in Miami. Since then he has been
writing & developing various different projects. Look for more work to
come from him in the near future.