Huliau Environmental Filmmaking Club
Now in its 17th 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. We also provide assistance to teachers who want to engage their students in creating films during school hours.
A one day workshop with opportunities to participate in future projects!
Join us for a day exploring how Hawaiʻi stories come to life on screen—from the first idea to the final cut. Learn from local Hawaiʻi filmmakers and media professionals who use film to tell meaningful stories from our communities, while getting hands-on experience with cameras and the creative and technical skills behind filmmaking.
Building on 16 years of guiding young filmmakers to create award-winning environmental films, Maui Huliau Foundation’s workshop explores how storytelling can educate, inspire, and create positive change. Whether you’re interested in filming, directing, editing, or simply have an idea you’re excited to explore, you’ll learn the craft of filmmaking while exploring issues that impact our communities, ʻāina, and the places we care about, and developing ideas that could become future film pitches.
This one-day workshop also opens the door to future filmmaking opportunities. Standout story pitches may be selected for production, and students can continue their filmmaking journey through fall break projects and flexible programs offered throughout the school year.
No experience necessary—just curiosity and a story worth telling!
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 2026-27 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.
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.