Lance D. Collins is a Maui, Hawaiʻi–based writer and producer whose work foregrounds Indigenous, queer, and diasporic voices across Hawaiʻi and the Philippines. His projects span documentary and narrative forms, often in Hawaiian, Tagalog, Ilokano, and Bicolano, and explore struggles over land, identity, love, and survival.

From a Hawaiian family’s fight to retain ancestral lands to queer and trans stories told in local languages, his films center communities historically pushed to the margins, creating space for their resilience, complexity, and

imagination. In addition to filmmaking, Collins is a human rights attorney, publishes scholarship on the legal history of Hawaiʻi and the Philippines, and is a multiple Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award–winning music producer.

Sancia Miala Shiba Nash is a filmmaker and organizer from Kīhei, Maui with ancestral roots in the Japanese archipelago, currently living and working in Honolulu, Oʻahu.

Her practice is guided by oral histories, archives, and acts of translation. Currently she supports the digitization efforts and public programming of independent documentary team Nā Maka o ka ʻĀina’s (Joan Lander and Puhipau) moving image collection.

In 2020, Sancia Miala co-founded with artist Drew Kahuʻāina Broderick, kekahi wahi, a grassroots film initiative dedicated to documenting transformations across Hawaiʻi and Moananui.

Noah Keone Viernes, Ph.D. is a Kanaka Maoli filmmaker, musician, and educator with ancestral ties to Punaluʻu, Kaʻū, and a formative upbringing between Hawaiʻi, New York, Chicago, and South Carolina.

Since 2013, Noah has served as a faculty member of the Global Studies Department at Akita International University in Tōhoku, Honshu, Japan, where he offers courses in political thought and visual culture.

His ongoing work addresses the aesthetics of protest, contemporary cinema, and the intersection of political expression, sound culture, and filmmaking in Southeast Asia and Hawaiʻi.

Artist, Filmmaker

Hailing from Kalihi, O'ahu, Sean Connelly (born Hawai'i / Ilocano) is an artist and spatial practitioner working across contemporary art, spatial practice, and civic engagement. His practice integrates sculpture, moving image, cartography, and site-based intervention to examine relationships between land, water, architecture, and power. Grounded in archipelagic and oceanic ways of knowing, the work approaches place as an interconnected familial, ecological, cultural, and cosmological system rather than a fixed site. 

Informed by intergenerational, familial, and matriarchal relationships to Hawaiʻi, Sean’s practice understands art as cultural infrastructure—capable of holding historical complexity while contributing to long-term ecological, social, and spatial futures.

Visual Artist

Talavou Fitisemanu — known artistically as Tvou — is a heritage artist whose work moves across visual storytelling, cultural protocol, and contemporary design. His practice spans exhibitions, ceremonial performance, event direction, and creative production, all grounded in ancestral knowledge and the village values that shape his lens.

As a multidisciplinary creator, Tvou blends Samoan cultural principles with modern visual forms, producing work that honors people, place, and lineage. His exhibitions and cultural events weave together art, ceremony, and community activation, creating immersive experiences that feel both grounded and forward‑moving.

Across every medium — from graphic design and cultural installations to performance‑led events — Tvou’s work centers identity, heritage, and the shared stories that connect communities.

Maori Cultural Practitioner

Born in 1974 and of Ngāti Kahungunu and Ngāi Tahu descent, Ellison Huata is the eldest daughter of the late Tama Huata, founder of the Kahurangi Māori Dance Theatre and Te Wānanga Whare Tapere o Takitimu, and Tangiora Huata.

Ellison has dedicated her career to the promotion, preservation, and advancement of Māori performing arts, music, culture, and indigenous artistic expression. Her work reflects a lifelong commitment to protecting and celebrating Māori heritage while creating opportunities for future generations to connect with their culture and identity.

A graduate of Te Wānanga Whare Tapere o Takitimu, Ellison holds a Bachelor of Māori Performing Arts (BMPA) along with postgraduate qualifications. She currently serves as Chief Operating Officer of Te Wānanga Whare Tapere o Takitimuand is an integral member of the Kahurangi Māori Dance Theatre of New Zealand.

Ellison has built an extensive international career in Māori performing arts and cultural diplomacy. She has represented Aotearoa New Zealand as part of official delegations at World Expos in Dubai and Japan, sharing Māori culture and performing arts with international audiences. She has also served as a Māori Ambassador for Princess Cruises, performing, educating, and engaging with audiences throughout her extensive international tours.

As a key member of the Kahurangi Māori Dance Theatre of New Zealand, Ellison spent 15 years touring throughout North America, delivering theatre-in-education programmes and sharing Māori performing arts with schools, communities, and audiences. During this time, she worked in partnership with Bess Pruitt and Associates, Inc., Prologue to the Performing Arts in Toronto, Ontario, and the LA Music Center.

Beyond her professional performing career, Ellison is deeply committed to empowering rangatahi. Through Māori performing arts, she continues to provide young people with opportunities to embrace their heritage, stand tall in their identity, and develop a strong sense of pride in who they are as Māori.

Ellison’s commitment to cultural leadership is further demonstrated through her extensive governance experience. She serves as a Trustee for Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Wānanga Whare Tapere o Takitimu, Te Wānanga Whare Tapere o Takitimu, and the Kahurangi Māori Dance Theatre of New Zealand.

As an advocate for Māori music and indigenous artistic expression, Ellison serves as the Executive Director of the Waiata Māori Music Awards and is the founder of the World Indigenous Music Awards. Through these initiatives, she works to celebrate, recognise, and elevate Māori and Indigenous artists, musicians, and creative practitioners both nationally and internationally.

Throughout her career, Ellison has remained committed to the legacy entrusted to her through her whānau and to creating pathways for the continuation of Māori performing arts and culture. Her work continues to honour the foundations established by her father, Tama Huata, while supporting the next generation of Māori artists, leaders, and cultural practitioners to carry their own stories and traditions forward.

Kumu Hula, Kia’i Mauna, Educator, Activist

Lanakila Mangauil, born and raised in Honoka'a/ Hāmākua Hawai'i, is a Kumu Hula, Kumu 'ike Hawai'i, a hands-on community advocate and Mālama 'Āina, a Kia'i Mauna, and a representative of Hawai'i across the world. Lanakila is a supporter of Justice for kānaka maoli, and advocate for creating a Pono future for all of Hawai'i and our world community.

He has been an educator with the state Department of Education’s ʻIke Hawaiʻi Program for over a decade.  A cultural protector and cultivator, a Kumu Hula and community leader, Mangauil activates the community through cultural and environmental education.

Fashion Designer

Mikael Pono is a designer from Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi, whose work is deeply rooted in the land and guided by ancestral knowledge. A graduate of Parsons School of Design, he has spent the past four years working across the fashion industry with brands including Diesel, Marni, Jil Sander, Maison Margiela, Rocket Ahuna, and Who Decides War.

Grounded in a commitment to sustainability and cultural respect, Pono works exclusively with natural fibers and dyes, creating garments that honor the ʻāina. His designs draw inspiration from nature and the wisdom of his kūpuna, offering a modern expression of Pasifika identity.

His work has been featured in Vogue, i-D, WWD, Harper’s Bazaar, and Glamour, and showcased on global stages including New York Fashion Week and the Met Gala. Pono continues to uplift and share the ingenuity, resilience, and evolving narratives of Hawai'i's ʻāina and kanaka.

Composer, Pianist, Hawaiian Cultural Practitioner, Drag Artist

T.J. Keanu Tario/Laritza Labouche is a multifaceted composer, pianist, and Hawaiian cultural practitioner by day, and ballroom vogue drag artist by night. They are the first Kanaka Maoli graduate of The Juilliard School, in the classical piano division, and The California Institute of the Arts. Their compositions have been performed by ensembles including the New York Youth Symphony, the Juilliard Chamber Orchestra and the Attacca String Quartet. Performances for the concert stage include ‘Capriccio’ for One Piano/Four Hands commissioned by the Aloha International Piano Festival and premiered by Lisa Nakamichi and Jon Nakamatsu. The score to short film, A Fish Out of Water, was the Official 2017 Winner of Boundless in Brooklyn: A 48 Hour Dance Film Contest and premiered at the Cinéma Majestic Passy/Écrans de Paris.

Tario’s film credits include The Jimmy Kimmel Show, HBO Max’s Generations, national commercials for ULTA Beauty and Nintendo Switch, and ‘Crimson’s Cabaret’ short film (featured winner at the Cannes World Film Festival). In combating the stress and performance anxiety in the “serious arts” world, she has been able to freely express herself through the persona of Lady Laritza. By creating art in a nonconventional way, it gives a special voice to the marginalized BIPOC LGBT+ community. Being Māhū is an entity that lives within the trans/nonbinary community. Through her continued work within the arts, she strives to inspire others to live and create freely in their truths.

Cultural Practitioner, Filmmaker, Artist

Heretu Tetahiotupa of Tahiti, Moana Nui a Hiva, is a musician, composer, drawer, tattoo artist, graphic designer, and film producer.

He is passionate about both arts and sciences, having studied musicology, physics, and chemistry. He has undertaken audiovisual work for the local television channel. He is an organizing member of the contemporary music Festival Eo Himene, which showcases the musical expression of Marquesan artists. He is the founder of the collective Lucid Dream, recognized for two short films.

He participated in the making of the documentary "Patutiki, the art of Marquesan tattooing", which won the top prize at the International Oceanian Documentary Film Festival FIFO Tahiti.

He was appointed head of the COMOTHE of Nuku-Hiva (Organizing Committee of the Matava'a o Te Henua Enana), which will organized the Marquesas Islands Arts and Cultural Festival in 2023.

Heretu was selected as a #YPL24 delegate and cultural representative at FestPac Hawaiʻi!

Dancer, Choreographer, Teacher, Director of Manahau by Aruho’ia

Aruho’ia has been dancing since she could walk. Her primary role for nearly twenty years has been co-choreographer for the dance troupe MANAHAU TAHITI, with whom she has participated in Heiva I Tahiti (Hura Tau) in 2010, 2011, and 2014 and Hura Tapairu in 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2018. They were awarded 2nd prize TAPAIRU, 1st prize (Aparima category) and 2nd prize (Ote'a category). The professional troupe has traveled to France, Taiwan several times, Samoa and Nouméa as well.

In 2010 Heiva I Tahiti, a festival showcasing local talent and cultural tradition for decades, Aruho’ia was crowned “Best Dancer”. This is an achievement awarded to only two very talented individuals each year.

Aruho’ia is passionate about her Tahitian culture and Ori Tahiti. As the director and lead instructor for her dance school MANAHAU, she enjoys sharing her knowledge and professional experience. Her focus in working with her students is to uplift and instill self-confidence in the younger generation of dancers.

Some of her other achievements include: Ambassador of Culture during Miss Polynesia 2009 and Miss National Tourism in Fiji during the Miss South Pacific election, and participation in the Marae Arahurahu Show with the group Ori I Tahiti (Terau Piritua). She was a member of the Jury at Hura Tapairu 2011, at Heiva de Nouméa in 2010, and at Heiva Internationale of Ori Tahiti (Matani Kainuku).

Director, Hitireva, and Arato’a School of Ori Tahiti

Kehaulani Chanquy is a celebrated leader, choreographer, and cultural ambassador, widely respected for her commitment to both preserving and evolving the art of ‘Ori Tahiti.  She leads the award-winning dance troupe Hitireva and directs the dance school Arato’a - two pillars of Tahitian dance culture.

Chanquy began dancing in childhood and went on to receive formal training at the Artistic Conservatory of French Polynesia.  When she was just 19 years old, she took over the Arato’a school, and in 2006, she founded Hitireva.  Under her guidance the troupe has earned top honors, winning the Heiva i Tahiti grand prize in the amateur division in 2009, and in the professional category in 2016 and 2024.  

In 2018, she collaborated with the Artistic Conservatory to present E Parauparau Te Ôfa’i, a piece narrating the history of the sacred marae Arahurahu. Beyond the stage, Kehaulani is also a passionate mantor, shaping the next generation of dancers and strengthening the global voice of Tahitian culture. 

Director, Ia Ora Te Hura, Dancer, Choreographer

Passionate about ‘Ori Tahiti since she was a child, Poerani Germain is an experienced, professional dancer. She is a former choreographer of Tamariki Poerani and the current director of IA ORA TE HURA. Her work with Tamariki Poerani in 2017 led the group to winning the 1st prize at the Heiva i Tahiti and the Hura Tapairu.

In 2022, with her own group, she won the 1st prize for Best Group - Hura Ava Tau, an Award for Best Music Composition and the Best Orchestra Award at the Heiva I Tahiti. Again at Heiva I Tahiti in 2024, in the Hura Tau category, her group won third place in addition to Best Costume (Hura Nui and Vegetal) and Best Tāne Dancer.

She considers ‘Ori Tahiti as both an art, rooted in her culture, and a way to stimulate creativity, express ourselves and feel the mana.