Native Hawaiian Slam Poet at 2021 Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival inaugural Merata Mita fellow, Ciara Lacy, returns in 2021 as the first Native Hawaiian woman to have her work screened at the festival. Lacy’s film, THIS IS THE WAY WE RISE, features multi-hyphenate talent and fellow Native Hawaiian Dr. Jamaica Heolimeleikalani Osorio in a powerful testament to Native creativity and the fight to protect sacred lands.
“Merata Mitaʻs work stood at the intersection of art and activism; as a beneficiary of her legacy, bringing this film about my community to Sundance is even more meaningful. I am beyond thrilled to continue my journey with the festival by presenting my new film, THIS IS THE WAY WE RISE” says Lacy.
THIS IS THE WAY WE RISE is an exploration of the creative process, following Native Hawaiian slam poet Dr. Jamaica Heolimeleikalani Osorio as her calling to protect sacred sites atop Maunakea, Hawai`i, a dormant volcano targeted for construction, reinvigorates her art. The piece was created with the backing of Firelight Media and WNET’s American Masters and is part of an anthology of films called IN THE MAKING, which tapped filmmakers of color to tell the stories of artists of color.
When measured from its underwater base, Maunakea is the tallest mountain on Planet Earth and home to one of the most sacred collections of sites in the Hawaiian islands. It also boasts near-ideal conditions for astronomical research, drawing scientists from around the world to this unique locale. Over 11 countries have interest in the telescopes atop this mountain. But many question whether these telescopes benefit and serve the Native people the rightful stewards of the land. Multiple state-funded audits and environmental impact assessments have shown that those currently managing the land have failed to suitably care for it, and the Native community has yet to be appropriately compensated for land use, despite a contract mandating this. When an international conglomerate known as the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) stepped in to add yet one more telescope, one many times larger than the already startling array of littering the top of Maunakea, Native Hawaiians reached their limit. Enough was enough. Those protesting the TMT, known as kia‘i, or “protectors”, argue the construction will further desecrate the sacred mountain.
Lacy adds, “In the summer of 2019, I watched in awe as the protection of sacred sites atop Maunakea, a fight spanning over 50 years, set my community on fire. ” “Native Hawaiians paraded by the thousands in protest, stood on street corners sign waving across America, drove down freeways horns honking with the Hawaiian flag flipped upside down in distress. It was an empowering moment of mass unity beyond my wildest dreams and to somehow be there alongside slam poet, activist, and academic Dr. Jamaica Heolimeleikalani Osorio felt like the hand of providence.”
THIS IS THE WAY WE RISE was always meant to be an exploration into the creative process of one of Hawai`iʻs most promising Native talents. But when the protection of Maunakea ignited amongst Native Hawaiians, Lacy found it became so much more.
“It was the awakening of Jamaicaʻs creativity alongside the awakening of our community, and this film now serves as a powerful record of not only one personʻs journey towards actualization but also that of a people.” says Lacy. “As we say, Kū kia`i mauana!, or defend and protect Maunakea– for our ancestors, for those alive today, and for future generations. This film is for those who stand on the frontlines.” The Sundance Film Festival runs from January 28 – February 3, and will present films online and in physical venues.
