Maui-based philanthropist Ed Freedman and his Stable Road Foundation were honored to provide Maui families with a surprise showing of Georgia Scott’s award-winning ocean documentary KULEANA at the first annual Be Reel Child & Youth Film Festival, presented by Imua Family Services.
The Memorial Day weekend festival was held at the historic Iao Theater in downtown Wailuku and attended by hundreds of Maui residents. Featuring films for and by the island’s keiki, the Be Reel Film Festival spotlighted the issues most important to Maui’s young people, such as environmental responsibility and cultural preservation.
Along with KULEANA, highlights included All the Things I Leave You from director Jade Castro (written and produced by Maui local Lance Collins), Pu’u Kukui: The Hill of Enlightenment from Hawaii-based filmmaker Ricky-Thomas Serikawa, and The Queen’s Flowers, directed by Emmy-winning Native Hawaiian filmmaker Ciara Lacy.
“We’ve been proud to support Imua’s mission for nearly a decade now,” said Freedman, founder of Stable Road Foundation. “When we saw an opportunity to bring KULEANA to the festival, we knew we had to make it happen. The film speaks directly about the issues shaping Maui kids’ futures—these two partners might seem like they’re from different worlds, but we recognized a powerful connection between them.”
KULEANA, narrated by Woody Harrelson and featuring Maui luminaries like surfer Kai Lenny, was hailed as a “visually stunning” exploration of the plastic pollution crisis facing the world’s oceans. Earlier this year, KULEANA won the Audience Choice Award at the Skyfire Environmental Film Festival, as well as the Producer Vision Award at the Blue Water Film Festival.
“[KULEANA] is powerful enough to make you want to change your behaviors and really examine how we are affecting our planet,” said Dean Wong, the festival’s organizer and executive director of Imua Family Services. “Even we made significant changes organizationally after seeing the film—so mission accomplished.”
Imua Family Services has served Maui families with educational and community building programs since 1947. In addition to the Be Reel Film Festival, Imua also holds popular annual events such as the Camp Imua and the Color Festival. Its Discovery Garden provides an immersive natural learning environment for hundreds of Maui keiki of all ability levels.
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“When we saw an opportunity to bring KULEANA to the [Be Reel Film Festival], we knew we had to make it happen. The film speaks directly about the issues shaping Maui kids’ futures." -Ed Freedman, founder of Stable Road Foundation
