AWARDEE: Christen H. Marquez
NATIVE HERITAGE: Kānaka Maoli
LOCATION: Los Angeles, California
AWARD: 2023 SHIFT – Transformative Change and Indigenous Arts
DISCIPLINE: Film/Video
WEBSITE: christenm.com
PARTNER ORGANIZATION:
Hawaii Strategy Lab
Website: hawaiistrategylab.org
Social Media: Facebook; Instagram; Twitter
ABOUT
Through their work in film as a Director, Producer and Videographer, Christen H. Marquez is dedicated to move people to action, change systems, empower communities with new knowledge, and catalyze justice. Their work shines light on social injustices and offers critical perspectives on issues that affect many communities today. Marquez holds a BFA in Film and Video Production from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.
Marquez was producer for the award-winning film “Two Shadows,” and her directorial debut, “E Haku Inoa: To Weave A Name,” premiered nationally on PBS in 2013 and continues to be broadcast regularly. She was a Producer for the documentary “Belly of the Beast”, which was nominated for a Peabody Award and won an Emmy for Outstanding News and Current Events Documentary. Her work has been broadcast on networks and platforms including Discovery, Nat Geo, PBS, Oxygen, CNN, NBC Universal, Netflix, and Disney+. In the Fall of 2023, she completed a documentary project at Ben Affleck’s company Artist’s Equity as a Producer, and she is excited to be able to turn her attention toward Directing her new documentary project, LUCKY WE LIVE HAWAII.
“There is an alarming exodus of Native Hawaiians from their Indigenous homeland to the continental United States. This out migration is driven by complex economic, legal, and land ownership systems shaped by white supremacy.”― Christen H. Marquez (Kānaka Maoli)
PROJECT
Marquez’s SHIFT Project, Lucky We Live Hawaii, is a feature documentary that highlights stories of Native Hawaiians whose lives and access to housing and land are impacted by white supremacy. Connecting this present-day issue to historical events, the film will offer Native-Hawaiian led solutions for access to land, housing, and capital. Lead Partner Organization Hawaii Strategy Lab will support with data research, outreach, and marketing for the film. The film will be screened by community partners and will be followed by panel talks and conversations to provide education, critical conversation, and activation around solutions for attendees.
PARTNER ORGANIZATION
Hawai’i Strategy Lab brings together their passions for data, research, culture, and social justice to imagine a better way to have the conversation: with everyone who needs to be at the table talking about what is really happening in Hawaiʻi.