Hui Mo’olelo: Lahaina Film Showcase
On September 18, 2026, Maui Public Art Corps and the County of Maui will bring its Lāhainā Think Space pilot project to New York University. Part of the ongoing community engagement process for the future Lāhainā Memorial honoring the 100+ lives lost in the August 8, 2023 wildfires, this gathering seeks to share Maui stories while also listening deeply to Hawaiʻi students and diaspora communities whose perspectives are essential to remembrance, recovery, and rebuilding.
The evening concludes with the Hui Moʻolelo: Lāhainā Film Showcase, featuring animated short films inspired by intergenerational talk-story recordings with Lāhainā residents and their loved ones. Created by artists from Hawaiʻi and NYC, the films demonstrate how careful listening can become meaningful public art, transforming personal stories into shared experiences that preserve cultural memory and inspire conversations about the future of remembrance. This free, two-hour campus gathering features:
- Screening of animated short films and brief documentaries
- Cultural facilitation and storytelling by Hui Mo‘olelo leaders
- Pop-up musical performance by Leilani Patao
- Community dialogue and audience Q&A
- Opportunities for Hawai‘i students to share reflections and lived experience