‘Ohina film lab awards $10,000 to local writer

Honolulu-based nonprofit ‘Ohina has announced the 2025 Greenlight Award-winning filmmaker and project from its annual ‘Ohina Labs, a filmmakers lab providing current and former residents of Hawai‘i an opportunity to submit short screenplays to be workshopped with leading entertainment industry professionals.

‘Ohina Labs 2025 welcomed 10 Fellows to a free mentorship intensive starting in November after a competitive review process of their script submissions. Out of the cohort, Katelyn Chong of Kāneʻohe garnered the Greenlight for her script “Shop Local”—granting her production support and $10,000 in production funds towards the completion of her short film. Sean Oketani, with his script, “Kaikamāhine,” received The Judges Award of $2,500 and development support. 

Hosted at Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art, Culture & Design a center of the Doris Duke Foundation and sponsored by Hawai‘i Pacific Health, ‘Ohina Labs 2025 paired selected participants with guest mentors Bryson Chun (staff writer for “Doogie Kameāloha, M.D.” on Disney+), Mitchel Merrick (director/writer for “Water Like Fire”; “Kūkini”), and Bao Tran (director/writer for “The Paper Tigers”). Mentors and guest judges joining the Labs’ Pitch Day session to offer the fellows further feedback included Noah Evslin (producer/writer for “NCIS: Hawai‘i) and Jordan Kandell (producer/writer for “Adrift”).  

Complementing and coinciding with the annual short script intensive, ‘Ohina also held its inaugural Producers Lab, with this first year focused on an invite-only cohort of three producer fellows—Serena Rio Flores, Eli Cusick and Dymond Cabildo—joined by mentors Al’n Duong (producer of “The Paper Tigers”) and Averie Joy Maikalima O Makua Huffine (co-exec. producer of “Just Beyond” on Disney+). Chong’s greenlit script will now be produced by the three fellows from the Producers Lab, with creative mentorship from Stephen Broussard, VP Production & Development at Marvel Studios. 

The ‘Ohina Labs 2025 Writer Fellows and their short scripts follow. Some of the mentors, inspired by the work coming out of this year’s cohort, have also offered to provide extended support to help select projects move forward as noted below:

• Katelyn Chong with “Shop Local” —‘Ohina Greenlight Award
• Zack Rikito Harris with “Hukilau”
• Cherish “CJ” Keauhou Joao with “No Scared, Go Get Em!”
• Aukai Ligairi with “Indigenous | Technology” — Additional mentorship to be provided by Noah Evslin 
• Didier Navarro with “Chasing Mafu”
• Sean Oketani with “Kaikamāhine” —‘Ohina Judges Award
• Geronimo Son with “Right Under Our Feet”
• Nickolaus Sugai with “Hannah and the Wedding” —Additional mentorship to be provided by Bryson Chun 
• Jack Truesdale with “The Islanders” —Additional mentorship to be provided by Jordan Kandell 
• Jonathan Wolfe with “Tourist”

‘Ohina Labs 2025 is supported by the Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art, Culture & Design a center of the Doris Duke Foundation, Hawai‘i Pacific Health, Halekulani Hotel, Kosasa Foundation, NMG Network, Pacific Islanders in Communications (PIC), SAG-AFTRA Hawai‘i and State of Hawai‘i Creative Industries. This year’s program was led by ‘Ohina Executive Director Gerard Elmore and Education Director Lisette Flanary.

‘Ohina Labs launched in 2017 to offer a development hub for short film projects in any genre by starting at the story level, with scripts written by some of Hawai‘i’s most exciting storytellers and filmmakers. Projects emerging from ‘Ohina Labs over the years have gone on to secure distribution deals and screen at international festivals. For more information, visit ‘Ohina.org.