Paula Fuga - Writer

A poet at heart and an accomplished ukulele player under Master Instructor, Roy Sakuma, she has intertwined her passions into award-winning songwriting. Her debut album, Lilikoi lauded the prestigious Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award for ‘Most Promising Artist.’ Since the release of her EP Misery’s End, which featured guest appearances by Ziggy Marley and Jack Johnson, Fuga has headlined the global music circuit and performed on the stages of Madison Square Garden, The Sydney Opera House Forecourt and is a three-time return guest artist to The White House. Kūkini is her first film project.

Mitchel Merrick - Director

Mitchel Merrick was born and raised in Hawaiʻi, and is a filmmaker who is passionate about telling stories that accurately represent his home with a universal reach that speaks to our collective humanity. He received his Bachelor of Media and Creative Technology from the University of Waikato in Aotearoa. Mitchel participated in ‘Ohina’s inaugural filmmaker’s lab and received mentorship for his script Kālewa (2018) under Joe Robert Cole (Black Panther). Kālewa received the Greenlight Award from ‘Ohina with full funding to be produced, then went on to screen at festivals around the world. Since Kālewa, he has continued to grow in his craft, writing and directing additional shorts as well as a feature film, Water Like Fire (2020). His most recent short film, Ka Ho’i (2021), premiered at the Hawai’i International Film Festival and earned him a special “Impact Award” for his work.

Gerard Elmore - Producer

Gerard is an EMMY® award-winning creative producer/director/editor/cinematographer. He is the vice president of film at NMG Network, responsible for developing branded content, editorial videos, commercials and films. He has shot, directed and produced a number of award-winning commercials and he is a 2022 Sundance Institute Producer Intensive Fellow. He produced, directed, and served as the director of photography for Ka Huaka'i: The Journey to Merrie Monarch, a feature length documentary produced in partnership with Hawaiian Airlines, that was included in Brand Storytelling 2022, a sanctioned event of the Sundance Film Festival. Gerard serves as the executive director for 'Ohina, an artist collective that nurtures, cultivates, and showcases Hawaiʻi filmmakers and their films. Through ʻOhina, he has produced a number of short films that have been distributed nationwide, including Kālewa & Other People, which are now a part of the Criterion Collection. He is also a governor on the regional EMMY® AWARDS board (The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences SF/Northern California) and also serves as a lecturer at The School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

Social Media

Instagram: @kukinithefilm @pfunklove @gerardelmore @mitchlmrrick