A Director's Cut version of a 1993 EMMY Award-winning documentary, re-released in 2008. Father Damien, Simple Courage tells the tragic story of Hawaii's leprosy epidemic (1865-1965) and the compassionate intervention of Belgium missionary priest Father Damien de Veuster. More than 8,000 sufferers, mostly native, were banished to Kalaupapa, an isolated peninsula on the island of Molokai in Hawaii. One man, however, in a simple act of courage, took it upon himself to bring comfort to these abandoned, hopeless people. Father Damien spent sixteen years caring for the "untouchables" until he himself succumbed to the disease. He transformed their prison into a place of decency and respect. The film's epilogue draws some parallels with how we are dealing with the AIDS epidemic 100 years later. Father Damien was canonized a saint in Rome on October 10, 2009. Awards/Festivals: Hawaii Film and Videomakers Award, Hawaii International Film Festival, 1992.