Standing Above the Clouds follows Native Hawaiian mother-daughter activists as they stand to protect their sacred mountain Mauna Kea from the building of the world’s largest telescope. The film has screened at Hawaii International Film Festival, LA Asian Pacific Film Festival, Allied Media Conference, and Maoriland Film Festival. The production team is currently working on a feature length adaptation of Standing Above the Clouds that follows the same characters and goes in-depth into the sacrifices and nuances of working for social change alongside your mother or daughter.

Director Biography - Jalena Keane-Lee

Jalena Keane-Lee is a director, cinematographer, and producer who explores interpersonal and systemic trauma and healing. Jalena is the co-founder of Breaktide Productions, an all women of color video production company rooted in intersectional solidarity. Breaktide has carried out national video campaigns for brands like Nike and Thinx, and their branded content has won two Cannes Lion awards — and in 2019, were named to YBCA’s 100 list of changemakers. Jalena produced a short film for Independent Lens and her films have screened at the UN, HIFF, CAAMFest, and LAAPFF. She has been supported by NeXt Doc, The Jacob Burns Creative Culture Fellowship, PIC, and Nia Tero.