‘Standing Above the Clouds’ Takes Viewer Beyond Headlines, Frontlines

Process documentaries following Indigenous land protectors are typically endurance tests for filmmakers, not to mention protagonists. But the payoff is that these films often resonate strongly with audiences in their ability to take viewers beyond the headlines and frontlines in profound and intimate ways.

One of several strong land-activism docs looking for buyers at Hot Docs this year is Jalena Keane-Lee’s feature-directing bow “Standing Above the Clouds.” The film follows three Native Hawaiian families over six years as they work alongside a growing coalition of local and international supporters to protect Mauna Kea (a dormant volcano on Hawaii’s largest island) from further development—specifically, a project to build the massive Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) on the sacred mountain’s arid summit, which is the site of the world’s largest astronomical observatory.

“I was raised by an activist mom within a community of strong women, which was definitely an initial spark,” Keane-Lee told Variety in an exclusive in-person interview in advance of the film’s warmly received premiere on Sunday in Hot Docs’ International Competition program.

She and producer Amber Espinosa-Jones, who joined the project early on, are childhood friends and were both members of a Bay Area social-justice dance theater company that was the subject of a documentary. “That experience taught me the importance of communication with participants and their inclusion in the process,” said Keane-Lee. “Part of my work as a filmmaker is to reclaim this medium that was founded as an extractive process and transform it into something that can return agency to the people that are in the film.”

“Standing,” which also screens Wednesday, is grounded in her award-winning 2020 short of the same title, which screened at more than 30 festivals and was broadcast on POV and streamed on the Criterion Collection.

Keane-Lee, the cinematographer on both films, became interested in the Mauna Kea kiaʻi (protectors) via her aunt, who lives on The Big Island. Through family connections, she met community organizer Pua Case—the central protagonist— and her daughters Hāwane and Kapulei. Pua Case then introduced her to the other Native Hawaiian mothers and daughters seen in the film. She became a cultural advisor and co-producer.

Although a feature was the goal, the short allowed trust to build between filmmakers and participants. “The movement was extremely active when I started filming in 2018 and throughout 2019, when trucks arrived in an attempt to build the telescope and a frontline was established at the base of the mountain,” said Keane-Lee, who was on her own while filming.

Native Hawaiian filmmaker Erin Lau, whom Espinosa-Jones knew, was also on the frontline during that period and later joined as a producer. “She was part of a media collective also putting out footage because with these kinds of protests, the predominant news narrative is always going to be on the side of the establishment, so it’s up to protesters to counteract that narrative,” Keane-Lee said.

“Something we talked about on the mountain was that the physical intervention of the protectors needs to be matched with narrative intervention. And that’s the work of artists and storytellers.”

The feature film continued where the short left off but soon COVID arrived, changing the dynamic of the story as well as the creative and producing practices. “The stillness of COVID created a space for past traumas to surface, not only from Mauna Kea but also Standing Rock and many frontlines,” Keane-Lee said. “The cultural practices we saw in 2019—often very theatrical and with thousands of people—were now being utilized on an intimate scale for personal healing.

“This allowed for a much deeper story that grew over time and allowed for a different quality of footage—and my own technical skills evolved as well.”

“We were able to be in Hawaii and film while engaging in industry forums and pitch events (including Hot Docs’ Deal Maker in 2021) because everything was online,” she said, adding that Espinosa-Jones’ familiarity with the array of foundations and funds supporting issue-based documentaries was key to sustaining the film’s momentum.

Noted filmmaker Tracy Rector of Nia Tero—a U.S.-based non-profit working with Indigenous Peoples and movements worldwide—was an early mentor and gave the feature its seed funding.

Jess Devaney and Anya Rous of New York-based Multitude Films boarded as executive producers, as did U.S. activist and investor Ruth Ann Harnisch.

The film is handling U.S. sales, with Amber Espinosa-Jones as the main contact, while international festivals and sales are being handled by Corey Tong.

“Standing Above the Clouds” also screens at the Seattle Film Festival on May 15 and 17.