Native Hawaiian Cowgirl Lani Cran Petrie, nicknamed “Girlie”, manages the 34,000 acre state-owned Kapāpala Ranch just a few miles from an active volcano on the island of Hawaii. As Lani moves cattle down the slopes of Mauna Loa for cattle sorting, she shows the investments she has made to transform fields of lava rock and invasive guava trees into lush, fertile pastures, and help combat wildfire threats. The state has proposed taking back key parcels of the land once their leases expire in a few years, but Lani worries what this will mean for the future of the land. As Lani completes a full day of sorting cattle, she reflects on what the future may hold for the land she cares for so deeply.

Alison Week and Liz Barney

Alison Week and Liz Barney are filmmakers who tell character-driven stories exploring the relationship between sociology and sustainability. Inspired by their time living on the Island of Hawaii, they documented the lives of two Native Hawaiian cowgirls. Girlie and The Last Rodeo capture these cowgirl’s struggle to preserve their way of life and create a sustainable future for the land they manage. Both filmmakers blend their own childhoods growing up around agriculture with previous work documenting environmental issues to provide a unique perspective they hope can bridge the gap between conservation and ranching.

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