Islandtrification documents the journey of Kanaka Maoli families resisting predatory gentrification on Maui, Hawaii, which has a deep history of displacing locals due to economic development-agribusiness and remains the prime spot for the world elite to build their multimillion-dollar estates.

Director Biography - Lani Cupchoy

Lani Cupchoy is a self-contained creative and passionate storyteller rooted in social justice and K-18 education. Her credits include Director, Writer, Executive Producer, Producer, Cinematographer, Editor, and Choreographer. Film has allowed her to deepen and broaden scholarly activities that disseminate scholarship in more accessible ways while fostering civic engagement and empowering communities. For her first directorial debut, Lani's award-winning documentary Truth Seekers (2016) tells the story of how Fifth graders and their teacher from Bell Gardens Elementary took on the California State Capitol and successfully championed the passage of AB 146 requiring that the unconstitutional deportations of Mexican-Americans be included in textbooks. For her second major film, Lani served as Executive Producer-Producer-Writer for Urban Seeds (2019), an award-winning documentary that highlights the story of a grassroots school-based garden movement's extraordinary passion for food justice in urban Los Angeles and their fight to transform neighborhoods and schools into healthier communities. Her third award-winning film Food Medicine (2020), documents the story of mother-daughter's use of undervalued home garden methods to grow, share and deliver fresh healthy abundant produce with family, neighbors, and friends. Her fourth film Aloha Soul Food (2022), nostalgically explores decolonial foodways through the family life stories of six Pacific Island women.