Huliau Environmental Filmmaking Club

Now entering its 15th year, our filmmaking club is our longest-running program. The program assists students in making short environmental films ranging from documentaries to music videos. These films share the important work being done by community groups in Maui Nui to protect the ʻāina and empower youth voices on environmental issues. In the 2023-24 school year we will be offering our semester long filmmaking program in the fall and a condensed spring break program. We are also providing assistance to teachers who want to engage their students in creating films during school hours.

Serving youth from all Maui schools

We have served youth ages 12-18 from over 20 different schools on Maui and Molokaʻi!  Your donations help keep our programs affordable for all students.

Over 100 films on YouTube!

Our YouTube channel now has over 100 student films with over 125,000 views!  They empower the voices of Maui’s youth to educate our community and visitors about how they can help protect our island’s environment.

Award winning films!

The 100+ short environmental films produced by our filmmaking program have been selected over 180 times in 27 film festivals around the world!  These films include documentaries, claymation films and even music videos.

2024 Spring Break Program

Our spring break environmental filmmaking program is open to students in grades 7-12 from all schools. Students will work together (usually grouped by age) to create a short environmental film over the five days of spring break from March 18th-22nd. Participation in ALL FIVE SESSIONS is REQUIRED to participate.

Due to the condensed format of this program, we are setting a theme for the film topics, focusing on environmental parodies of TV commercials. Before the program begins, students will be emailed more info on this theme.

This program is a collaboration with Hisako Film Lab, a filmmaking education organization providing hands-on instruction and resources to Maui’s youth. It was founded by Maui-born-and-raised filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton, known for directing Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Local operations on Maui are directed by Brad Kester, a filmmaker and CTE credentialed teacher who has mentored aspiring filmmakers for over 10 years. 

Our staff will provide equipment, as well as assistance in planning, filming, and editing. No prior experience is needed. The films will be shown at our student film festival in May, on YouTube, and entered in film festivals throughout the country. The $75 program fee includes snacks, equipment, and transportation. Need-based scholarships are available.

About the program schedule:

In order to participate, students must be able to attend all sessions listed below (no exceptions!). Please read the dates carefully and contact us with any questions before applying: Kapono<at>mauihuliaufoundation.org

Monday March 18th & Tueday March 19th from 9am-4pm at Hawaiian Canoe Club in Kahului. These sessions will focus on filming practice exercises and preproduction (film planning, script writing, storyboarding, etc).

Wednesday March 20th & Thursday March 21st  These days will focus on filming so filming locations and exact filming times will vary, but will stay close to will stay close to the 9am-4pm time frame. Transportation will be provided from Hawaiian Canoe Club.

Friday March 22nd from 9am-4pm at Hawaiian Canoe Club in Kahului. On this final day students will take turns editing their film and participate in various other hand-ons filmmaking workshops and outdoor activities.

In-School Filmmaking Support for Teachers & Students

In addition to our regular semester-long program, we will continue to offer filmmaking support to teachers and students during the 2023-24 school year. Teachers can use the form below to request support for film projects with their students which have an environmental or ʻāina-based focus. Examples can include documenting on-campus sustainability projects, exploring the ahupuaʻa where your school is located, student perspectives on an environmental topics, and more. Our staff will provide equipment and a combination of both virtual and in-school support for filmmaking projects for grades 7-12 in Maui County including planning, filming, and editing.

In addition, we can also offer assistance to individual students or small groups of high school students working on environmental films for senior projects or school projects. Students must be in grades 9-12 in Maui County to request our support in creating a short film. To qualify your film must have an environmental or ʻāina-based focus or message. After reviewing your request, we will contact you with further information. Use the link below to submit your request.