Sat, Oct 14, 2023
Ann Marie Nalani Kirk is an award-winning filmmaker from Maunalua, O'ahu. Her recent films include: Kai Piha: Na Loko I'a about traditional Hawaiian fishponds, Kai Piha: Ka'ahele Ma Waikiki about the history of traditional Hawaiian surfing in Waikiki and other films include The Hawaiian Room about the legendary Hawaiian dancers and entertainers who Hawaiian Room in the Lexington Hotel, Homealani about her grandfather Oliver H. Kupau, and Happy Birthday, Tutu Ruth about kupuna Ruth Kaholoa'a from Waipi'o, Hawai'i.
Sat, Oct 14, 2023
Born on O'ahu and raised on Moloka'i, Jana has been acting, writing, producing and directing since she was a young child. She's written and produced multiple plays, over a dozen award-winning short films, and served in various Producer roles on several feature films, including Google/Array-grant winner Moloka'i Bound. A SAG_AFTRA actress, Jana has performed in over a dozen plays, starred in tv/radio commercials, short and feature films, and co-starred on two seasons of Hawaii 5-0 (CBS). Films she's helped produce include E Malama Pono Willy Boy, Audience Award Winner for Best Short Film (Hawai'i International Film Festival) and Best Short Drama Winner (Maoriland Film Festival), Dillon, Best Short Film and Best Cinematography Winner (Worldwide Women's Film Festival) and My Partner, Audience Award Winner for Best Narrative Film (L.A. Asian Pacific Film Festival). Jana worked on Discovery Channel's Deadliest Catch: Bloodline as well as on dozens of productions with clients including the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival, Kamehameha Schools, Disney, Louis Vuitton, Hawai'i Council for the Humanities, Adobe, Hawaii LGBT Legacy Foundation, and more. She currently serves as the Executive Director of Hawai'i Filmmakers Collective, a non-profit organization that supports independent filmmakers in Hawai'i.
Sat, Oct 14, 2023
Leanne K. Ferrer was an exceptional leader who was passionate about promoting Pacific Islander stories and public media. She was the Executive Director at Pacific Islanders in Communications and co-created the Pacific Heartbeat TV series while overseeing numerous other productions. Leanne understood the significance of connecting media creators to network and share their knowledge, which led her to establish the PIC Media Makers Summit, Hawaiian Handbook for Media Protocol, and the Hawaiian Media Makers Database to support a thriving creative community.
Sat, Oct 14, 2023
Born and raised on the island of O'ahu, cinematographer Shaneika Aguilar has always been fascinated with cameras and the ability to capture and materialize a moment in time. She is best known for her work on independent films as well as branded content. Her work as a filmmaker with NMG Network garnered 2 Emmy Awards and 5 Pele Awards and included brands like Halekulani and Flux Media. She is a 2018 graduate of the University of Manoa Academy of Creative Media, and is the new lead content producer for Redefined Weddings, a boutique photography and video company. She continues her work as a commercial photographer and freelance cinematographer, focused on capturing local stories that build connection and unity in her community.
Sat, Oct 14, 2023
An EMMY-award winning director and independent filmmaker for 30 years, Stephanie Castillo was a former Honolulu print journalist and documentary filmmaker committed to producing, directing, and writing documentary films exploring the lives of people driven by devotion to others. Castillo released her first documentary film, Simple Courage, in 1992, which compellingly drew parallels between the treatment of Hansen's Disease sufferers and people diagnosed with AIDS. Her other major films include: An Uncommon Kindness: The Father Damien Story; An Untold Triumph: The Story of the 1st and 2nd Filipino Infantry Regiment; Remember the Boys; Strange Land: My Mother's War Bride Story; Night Bird Song: the Incandescent Life of a Jazz Great.
Sat, Oct 14, 2023
Sancia Miala Shiba Nash is a filmmaker from Kihei, Maui. Through time-based media, she works collaboratively to amplify intersectional stories of place. Her practice is guided by oral histories, archives, and acts of translation. Currently she is helping to catalog Na Maka o ka Aina's moving image collection, as a project of Pu'uhonua Society. In 2020, Sancia cofounded kekahi wahi, a grassroots film initiative dedicated to documenting transformations across Hawai'i.