Film screening and discussion with Pua Case and Kapulei Flores. 

When the massive Thirty Meter Telescope is proposed to be built on Mauna Kea, an uprising of kiaʻi (protectors) in Hawaiʻi dedicate their lives to protecting the sacred mountain from destruction. Through the lens of mothers and daughters in three Native Hawaiian families — including community organizer Pua Case and her two daughters, artist-activists Hāwane Rios and Kapulei Flores — the feature-length documentary Standing Above the Clouds (2024) explores intergenerational healing and the impacts of safeguarding cultural traditions.

Pua Case is a Kumu Hula, a teacher of traditional dance and chant, and a teacher of the ways, culture and traditions of the kanaka maoli or native peoples of Hawai’i. Pua serves on the board of Mauna Kea Education and Awareness, and she and her family are petitioners in the contested case hearing filed on behalf of Mauna Kea.

Kapulei Flores is a Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) photographer and activist.