Maui Huliau Foundation hosting free outdoor student environmental film festival on May 22

The Maui Huliau Foundation will host its annual Huliau Youth Environmental Film Festival at the new Imua Discovery Garden in Wailuku on May 22 from 7 to 9 p.m.

After a two year pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the free outdoor, family-friendly event will feature 14 short environmental films created by students over the past three school years.

Students from multiple schools on Maui and Molokaʻi will present their short environmental films, which include documentaries, comedies and virtual field trips. 

“We are so thrilled to finally be able to share our students’ work with the community again,” said Malia Cahill, Executive Director of Maui Huliau Foundation, an environmental education nonprofit serving Maui’s youth.

“This year’s showing includes a selection of films from the past three school years, including some of the virtual field trips students made to various sites on Maui when we first had to pivot our program due to the pandemic. In many ways these films also demonstrate the resilience of our students and programs.” 

Kailani Ibanez, a junior at Baldwin High School, said she is excited to share the three films she worked on with other talented student filmmakers.

“Film is an incredibly powerful way to advocate for causes one believes in and I think there’s a lot to learn from the art we create,” Ibanez said.

Advance reservations must be made on the foundationʻs website along with a donation of any amount in support of the youth programs. The showing will take place outdoors in the garden and guests can bring their own blankets or chairs. There will be a food truck onsite. A festival program and more information can be found at mauihuliaufoundation.org/festival or social media sites @mauihuliau.

In the past 12 years, the film program has produced more than 100 student films, which have been selected more than 175 times by national and international film festivals. Maui Huliau is also hosting youth programs and teacher PDE3 courses this summer, with information availble on the foundation’s website.