BEYOND THE MAUNA

Beyond the Mauna is a short documentary about the controversial construction of a Thirty-Meter-Telescope (TMT) on the sacred summit of Mauna Kea in Hawai’i. The film follows two Native Hawaiian women. Noe Noe Wong-Wilson is an elder Hawaiian leader, or kupuna, at the head of a peaceful movement blocking access to the summit of the mountain. Mauna Kea is the birthplace to the first Hawaiian gods, and Noe Noe sees the construction of TMT as a desecration of her ancestral lands. Mailani Neal is a young astronomer advocating for the construction of TMT. Thousands of years ago, Polynesians navigated by the stars to reach the island of Hawai’i. Mailani views astronomy as a way to live out their legacy. Both are inspired by their ancestors, both fight for what they believe is right, and both want a better future for Hawai’i.