Team
Meet the
CIARA LEINAʻALA LACY
WRITER-DIRECTOR
Ciara is an Emmy-nominated Native Hawaiian filmmaker whose interest lies in crafting films that use strong characters and investigative journalism to challenge the creative and political status quo.
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She has directed content for film and television, managed independent features, as well as coordinated product placement and clearances for various platforms. Her work has screened at festivals around the world such as Sundance and Berlinale as well as shown on networks including Netflix, PBS, ABC, and Al Jazeera. In the digital space, she has created content for notable outlets like the Guardian and the Atlantic Online. Ciara is honored to be the inaugural Sundance Institute Merata Mita Fellow and has also benefited from fellowships with the Sundance Institute, the Tribeca Film Festival, the Princess Grace Foundation, Firelight Media's Documentary Lab, the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation, and the Gotham Film & Media Institute. Ciara holds a BA in Psychology from Yale University, is a proud graduate of the Kamehameha Schools Kapālama. As a child, Ciara was an expert flower picker and lei sower, a skill she learned from her family’s business selling lei to local retailers in Honolulu.
DANIEL SOUSA
DIRECTOR OF ANIMATION
As a recipient of the Creative Capital Foundation for the film Feral, which went on to win numerous awards at film festivals around the world, and an Academy Awards nomination in 2014.
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In his work, Sousa uses animation and themes commonly found in mythology and fairy tales to examine archetypes of human nature, and the inner struggles between our intellects and our unconscious drives. Rather than following conventional narratives, he approaches filmmaking from a painter’s perspective. He focuses on states of mind, evoking the fragility of fleeting moments, memories and perceptions. In 2008 he was the recipient of a production grant from the Creative Capital Foundation for the film Feral, which went on to win numerous awards at film festivals around the world, and an Academy Awards nomination in 2014. In addition to his independent projects, Sousa has worked as a director and animator with Cartoon Network, Olive Jar Studios, Global Mechanic, and Duck. He is a founding member of Handcrankedfilm, a film makers' collective, along with Jeff Sias, Bryan Papciak, and Jake Mahaffy. Sousa has taught at several colleges in the New England area, including RISD, Harvard University, The Museum School, and The Art Institute of Boston, as well as at the Animation Workshop in Denmark.
CONCEPCION SAUCEDO-TREJO
PRODUCER
A Mexican-American multi-hyphenate talent with skills as a union production coordinator, union production accountant, and production supervisor on projects like SNOWDEN, POINT BREAK, and LOST.
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Concepcion is a Mexican-American film producer and proud member of the Producers Guild of America (PGA). She is a multi-hyphenate talent with skills as a union production coordinator, union production accountant, and production supervisor on national and international projects including notable titles such as SNOWDEN, POINT BREAK, and LOST. Her leap into producing came from a natural desire to bring diverse content to big and small screens and utilizing her expertise of studio primetime workflow and systems to collaborate with talented filmmakers to develop content that creatively celebrate and highlight humanity, diversity and core values while promoting training and supporting new talent to the competitive world of filmmaking. Raised on the border between Mexico and the US, she has an empathy for different cultures, languages and points of view. Her ventures into independent producing have brought to life successful projects like the period, narrative short film JUVENTUD, which premiered at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con and was an official selection of the 2017 Hawaii International Film Festival as well as managing productions for high profile talents like CARLOS SANTANA’s “She’s Fire” music video . Her first feature-length film as an independent producer, SECONDHAND HEARTS, broadcast on Showtime in 2019.
LINDA & BOB NICHOLS
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS
The Nichols have been long-time supporters of the arts in Hawaiʻi. Their involvement with the film community in Hawai’i started with bringing the Sundance Institute.
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She has directed content for film and television, managed independent features, as well as coordinated product placement and clearances for various platforms. Her work has screened at festivals around the world such as Sundance and Berlinale as well as shown on networks including Netflix, PBS, ABC, and Al Jazeera. In the digital space, she has created content for notable outlets like the Guardian and the Atlantic Online. Ciara is honored to be the inaugural Sundance Institute Merata Mita Fellow and has also benefited from fellowships with the Sundance Institute, the Tribeca Film Festival, the Princess Grace Foundation, Firelight Media's Documentary Lab, the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation, and the Gotham Film & Media Institute. Ciara holds a BA in Psychology from Yale University, is a proud graduate of the Kamehameha Schools Kapālama. As a child, Ciara was an expert flower picker and lei sower, a skill she learned from her family’s business selling lei to local retailers in Honolulu.
DEAN HAMER
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
An Emmy Award winning filmmaker, New York Times Book of the Year author, and NIH scientist emeritus with a history in communicating complex ideas.
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She has directed content for film and television, managed independent features, as well as coordinated product placement and clearances for various platforms. Her work has screened at festivals around the world such as Sundance and Berlinale as well as shown on networks including Netflix, PBS, ABC, and Al Jazeera. In the digital space, she has created content for notable outlets like the Guardian and the Atlantic Online. Ciara is honored to be the inaugural Sundance Institute Merata Mita Fellow and has also benefited from fellowships with the Sundance Institute, the Tribeca Film Festival, the Princess Grace Foundation, Firelight Media's Documentary Lab, the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation, and the Gotham Film & Media Institute. Ciara holds a BA in Psychology from Yale University, is a proud graduate of the Kamehameha Schools Kapālama. As a child, Ciara was an expert flower picker and lei sower, a skill she learned from her family’s business selling lei to local retailers in Honolulu.
TERRY LEONARD
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Terry has produced over 40 feature films in his 20-year career, including the 2023 Oscar nominated MARCELL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON (Best Animated Feature)
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His movies have screened or won awards at Sundance, Tribeca, Berlin, Slamdance, Woodstock, Hamptons, The Los Angeles Film Festival, South by Southwest and countless regional festivals as well as accolades from the Directors Guild of America and the Independent Spirit Awards. Terry is an active member of the Producers Guild of America and the Directors Guild, speaking on panels and mentoring up-and- coming filmmakers. Terry holds a BFA in film from Emerson College and splits his time between New York City and Los Angeles.
JONATHAN ZALBEN
COMPOSER
Jonathan creates compelling soundtracks for picture drawing on his decades-long experience in music, film, television, and media art.
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Jonathan creates compelling soundtracks for picture drawing on his decades-long experience in music, film, television, and media art. He studied violin and music composition at Juilliard Pre-College, Yale, and NYU. Zalben's media art has been viewed at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, MASS MoCa, Boston Public Library, Sony Wonder Technology Lab in New York City, and art galleries around the world. He won an award for his media art collaboration, Compound Pilot, at SXSW. In 2023 he was nominated for a Guild of Music Supervisors Award for "Ron Carter: Finding the Right Notes" directed by Peter Schnall for PBS. Zalben also music supervised "Shut Up and Paint" directed by Titus Kaphar and Alex Mallis which aired on PBS and was shortlisted for the 2023 Oscars in the Best Short Doc category, and he also music edited the MGM film "TILL" directed by Chinonye Chukwu, which was shortlisted in the Best Original Song category. He recently wrapped music editing the MGM Amazon film "Roadhouse" directed by Doug Liman and starring Jake Gyllenhaal. Film/TV credits include the Emmy-award winning series, "Axios on HBO" directed by Matthew O'Neill and Perri Peltz, the Oscar-nominated film Redemption (HBO) directed by Jon Alpert and Matthew O'Neill, Alone (NY Times Op-Doc) directed by Garrett Bradley, which won the Sundance Jury Award and was shortlisted for an Oscar, There's Something Wrong With Aunt Diane (HBO) directed by Liz Garbus, On Pointe (Disney+) directed by Larissa Bills, Just Before I Go (Starz) directed by Courteney Cox, and No Way Jose (Sony Pictures) directed by Adam Goldberg. Zalben is the founder and owner of First Frame Music, a company for music supervision, licensing, and score, which has a diverse roster of artists and a catalog of over 3,000 musical works. In addition, Zalben teaches music for picture and is the Director of Media Scoring at CUNY Brooklyn College's Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema at Steiner Studios. You can read more about him here: www.jonathanzalben.com
TIMOTHY KORN
SOUND DESIGNER
Tim Korn is a highly experienced audio engineer with 20 years of work experience. He specializes in sound design, spatial audio and mixing.
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Based in Brooklyn, Tim is passionate about rusty sounds and plants, and his passion lies in finding random objects that can be twisted and contoured into interesting sound design. He has been a partner and the supervising sound editor at Dungeon Beach for 12 years, giving him a deep understanding of aspects of post. Tim strives to keep learning and growing as a creative and technical engineer.
Ciara is an Emmy-nominated Native Hawaiian filmmaker whose interest lies in crafting narrative and documentary content that uses strong characters to challenge the creative and political status quo. She has directed content for film and television, managed independent features, as well as coordinated product placement and clearances for various platforms. Her work has screened at festivals around the world such as Sundance and Berlinale as well as shown on networks including Netflix, PBS, ABC, and Al Jazeera. In the digital space, she has created content for notable outlets like the Guardian and the Atlantic Online. Ciara is honored to be the inaugural Sundance Institute Merata Mita Fellow and has also benefited from fellowships with the Sundance Institute, the Tribeca Film Festival, the Princess Grace Foundation, Firelight Media's Documentary Lab, the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation, and the Gotham Film & Media Institute. Ciara holds a BA in Psychology from Yale University, is a proud graduate of the Kamehameha Schools Kapālama. As a child, Ciara was an expert flower picker and lei sower, a skill she learned from her family’s business selling lei to local retailers in Honolulu.
Ciara Leinaʻala Lacy Writer-Director
In his work, Sousa uses animation and themes commonly found in mythology and fairy tales to examine archetypes of human nature, and the inner struggles between our intellects and our unconscious drives. Rather than following conventional narratives, he approaches filmmaking from a painter’s perspective. He focuses on states of mind, evoking the fragility of fleeting moments, memories and perceptions.In 2008 he was the recipient of a production grant from the Creative Capital Foundation for the film Feral, which went on to win numerous awards at film festivals around the world, and an Academy Awards nomination in 2014. In addition to his independent projects, Sousa has worked as a director and animator with Cartoon Network, Olive Jar Studios, Global Mechanic, and Duck.He is a founding member of Handcrankedfilm, a film makers' collective, along with Jeff Sias, Bryan Papciak, and Jake Mahaffy. Sousa has taught at several colleges in the New England area, including RISD, Harvard University, The Museum School, and The Art Institute of Boston, as well as at the Animation Workshop in Denmark.
Daniel Sousa
Director of Animation
Concepcion is a Mexican-American film producer and proud member of the Producers Guild of America (PGA). She is a multi-hyphenate talent with skills as a union production coordinator, union production accountant, and production supervisor on national and international projects including notable titles such as SNOWDEN, POINT BREAK, and LOST. Raised on the border between Mexico and the US, she has an empathy for different cultures, languages and points of view. Her ventures into independent producing have brought to life successful projects like the period, narrative short film JUVENTUD, which premiered at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con and was an official selection of the 2017 Hawaii International Film Festival as well as managing productions for high profile talents like CARLOS SANTANA’s “She’s Fire” music video. Her first feature-length film as an independent producer, SECONDHAND HEARTS, broadcast on Showtime in 2019.
Concepcion Saucedo-Trejo
Producer
Linda & Robert Nichols
Executive Producers
The Nichols have been long-time supporters of the arts in Hawaii. Their involvement with the film community in Hawai’i started with bringing the Sundance Institute: Sundance ShortsLab team to Hawai’i in conjunction with the Honolulu Museum of Art (HoMA). This was followed by support of Native Hawaiian Sundance Fellows in a Sundance Native Labs workshop held at HoMA. A direct outcome was engagement in Native Hawaiian film projects and the establishment of the Nichols Family Film Fund. The Nichols have been excited to support the animated short The Queen’s Flowers by Ciara Lacy, animated by Daniel Sousa, from the beginning of the project. Other film projects supported by the Nichols Family Film Fund include WAIKIKI the Film (Chris Kahunahana), Ka Piko (Bryson Chun), Hawaiian Soul (‘Āina Paikai), E Malama Pono Willy Boy (Kekama Amona), Kukini (Mitchel Merrick and Paula Fuga) and Manoa Valley (Emily May Jampel).
In addition, the Nichols have supported cash awards for winners of the Made-in-Hawaii category at the Hawai’i International Film Festival for many years. The Nichols are supporting the return of Sundance Institute in 2024 for an Indigenous Intensive X Hawaii event. The Nichols bring extensive experience in research, publication and education. Linda is a former Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, having received her training at Yale University, later working at New York Hospital. Robert is a Professor Emeritus of Cell & Molecular Biology at the University of Hawai’i John A. Burns School of Medicine, have received his training at Stanford, Yale and Rockefeller Universities. Linda is currently the Chair of the Advisory Board for the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa, while Bob is a Board Member.
Dean is an Emmy Award winning filmmaker, New York Times Book of the Year author, and NIH scientist emeritus with a long history in communicating complex and controversial ideas to diverse publics. His work has been supported by Sundance, the Ford Foundation, ITVS and Pacific Islanders in Communications, screened and won awards at film festivals including Tribeca, Berlin and Toronto, broadcast on PBS, Netflix, and international networks, and used as outreach and educational tools by a wide range of community and educational organizations. For the past 15 years, Hamer’s work with partner Joe Wilson and Hawaiian culture bearer Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu has opened the eyes of the worlds to the lessons to be learned from Polynesia’s unique approach to diversity and inclusion. Their animated short Kapaemahu was shortlisted for an Oscar at the 93rd Academy Awards and generated a children’s book, museum exhibition, and new signage at the monument in Waikiki, making this Hawaiian story of healing and gender diversity available to the public for the first time in over a century. Hamer is also the author of numerous academic works and three best-selling nonfiction books, and has been featured in Time, Newsweek, and Science magazines and on Frontline and Oprah.
Dean Hamer
Executive Producer
Terry has produced over 40 feature films in his 20-year career, including MARCELL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON, which was nominated for the 2023 Oscar for Best Animated Feature. His movies have screened or won awards at Sundance, Tribeca, Berlin, Slamdance, Woodstock, Hamptons, The Los Angeles Film Festival, South by Southwest and countless regional festivals as well as accolades from the Directors Guild of America and the Independent Spirit Awards. Terry is an active member of the Producers Guild of America and the Directors Guild, speaking on panels and mentoring up-and-coming filmmakers. Terry holds a BFA in film from Emerson College and splits his time between New York City and Los Angeles.
Terry Leonard
Executive Producer
Jonathan creates compelling soundtracks for picture drawing on his decades-long experience in music, film, television, and media art. He studied violin and music composition at Juilliard Pre-College, Yale, and NYU. He recently wrapped music editing the MGM Amazon film "Roadhouse"directed by Doug Liman and starring Jake Gyllenhaal. Additional Film/TV credits include the Emmy-award winning series, "Axios on HBO" directed by Matthew O'Neill and Perri Peltz, the Oscar-nominated film Redemption (HBO) directed by Jon Alpert and Matthew O'Neill, Alone (NY TimesOp-Doc) directed by Garrett Bradley, which won the Sundance Jury Award and was shortlisted for an Oscar, There's Something Wrong With Aunt Diane (HBO) directed by Liz Garbus, On Pointe (Disney+) directed by Larissa Bills, Just Before I Go (Starz) directed by Courteney Cox, and No Way Jose (Sony Pictures) directed by Adam Goldberg. Zalben is the founder and owner of First Frame Music, a company for music supervision, licensing, and score, which has a diverse roster of artists and a catalog of over 3,000 musical works. In addition, Zalben teaches music for picture and is the Director of Media Scoring at CUNY Brooklyn College's Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema at Steiner Studios.
Jonathan Zalben
Composer
Tim Korn is a highly experienced audio engineer with 20 years of work experience. He specializes in sound design, spatial audio and mixing. Based in Brooklyn, Tim is passionate about rusty sounds and plants, and his passion lies in finding random objects that can be twisted and contoured into interesting sound design. He has been a partner and the supervising sound editor at Dungeon Beach for 12 years, giving him a deep understanding of aspects of post. Tim strives to keep learning and growing as a creative and technical engineer.