For generations, niu (or coconut) was Native Hawaiians' Tree of Life, cultivated for food, weaving and building: a source of both physical and spiritual nourishment. In modern-day Hawai‘i, this once sacred tree is regarded as an ornamental liability, and niu are stripped of their coconuts before they are mature enough to eat, due to fear that falling nuts could be a hazard to tourists. The grassroots movement "Niu Now" is on a mission to restore the niu as a fundamental food crop in Hawai'i and spread the Indigenous wisdom of "aloha 'āina:" loving land and serving people.

NIU NOW will tell the story of a serendipitous cross-cultural friendship poised to change the role of niu (coconut) in contemporary Hawai‘i. The grassroots movement Niu Now, led by Dr. Manulani Aluli Meyer (AKA, Aunty Manu), a Native Hawaiian PhD in Indigenous epistemology and Indrajit Kumara Samarasingha Gunasekara, an Indigenous coconut farmer from Southern Sri Lanka, seeks to reestablish niu as a food crop, arrest its genetic erosion and instill the spirit of aloha ‘āina in Hawai‘i’s youth. In three years they have collected, grown, and given away nearly 2,000 niu seedlings, catalogued over 100 unique niu varieties on O'ahu and established over 20 new uluniu (coconut groves) in Hawai‘i. The film will document their efforts from 2021-2024 to revitalize niu culture in the face of a warming and increasingly arid climate, an invasive beetle that feeds off coconut palms and a tourist industry that values form over function. Their commitment is steadfast, the joy in their work infectious, and they are guided by an ancient and renowned teacher: the kumu niu.

Kupu ka niu, kupu ke kanaka!

When coconuts grow, humanity flourishes!

NIU NOW is a recipient of Production funding from PICʻs Media Fund.