Campaign Information
The Standing Above the Clouds impact campaign will mobilize the film as a tool for strengthening and building the power of kia’i (protectors) within the movement to protect Mauna Kea and beyond. The specific strategies that guide our campaign will be determined in close collaboration with Standing Above the Clouds’ all-women film team and protagonists, who are organizers from Mauna Kea Education and Awareness (MKEA).
Film Information
Standing Above the Clouds is a powerful feature documentary about the Indigenous women behind the largest social movement in modern Hawaiian history. The film follows three Native Hawaiian families who dedicate their lives to defending the sacred mountain Mauna Kea from the building of the world’s largest telescope, which threatens the island’s water table and cultural practices. Through the lens of mothers and daughters, Standing Above the Clouds explores the social and emotional labor of retaining ancient ceremonies in a rapidly modernizing world.
- Director: Jalena Keane-Lee
- Producers: Amber Espinosa-Jones, Erin Lau
- Editor: Diana Diroy
- Executive Producers: Anya Rous, Jess Devaney
- Consulting Producer: Ciara Lacy
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Support Our Partner
Mauna Kea Education and Awareness (MKEA)
MKEA’s mission is to educate and raise the awareness of communities in Hawai’i and beyond on the spiritual, historical, cultural, environmental, and political significance of Mauna Kea and provide cultural learning opportunities to everyone from keiki to kupuna, residents, visitors, and others concerned about native and cultural rights and responsibilities in order to create a platform for the protection of sacred places and for social justice and positive change.
Watch a Clip
After over two dozen kupuna (elders) are arrested protecting Mauna Kea, a group of mana wahine (fierce women) line up and link their arms together in front of them to stop the arrests. Chanting and singing together, they successfully stop the arrests and force the police to turn back.
