Nonprofit ʻOhina recently announced the winner of its Greenlight Award for ʻOhina Labs 2025 as Katelyn Chong of Kāneʻohe, who took the top prize for her script “Shop Local.” Chong receives production support and $10,000 to help her make her script into a short film.
Sean Oketani’s script “Kaikamāhine” received the Judges Award of $2,500 to support its development and production.
ʻOhina debuted in 1999 to support independent filmmakers and give them an opportunity to share their work with the community through a short film showcase called ʻOhina Showcase. The word ʻohina means “gathering” or “collecting” in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi. In 2017, the nonprofit launched ʻOhina Labs, an Oʻahu-based filmmakers workshop where one winner takes home the Greenlight Award.
This year, ʻOhina Labs 2025 paired selected participants with guest mentors such as Bryson Chun (writer for “Moana 2” and “Doogie Kamealoha, M.D.” on Disney+), Mitchel Merrick (director/writer for “Water Like Fire” and “Kūkini”), and Bao Tran (director/writer for “The Paper Tigers”). The workshop’s pitch day included mentors and guest judges, including Noah Evslin (producer/writer for “NCIS: Hawai‘i” and writer for “Hawaiʻi Five-0”) and Jordan Kandell (producer/writer for “Adrift”).
The program was led by filmmakers Gerard Elmore, executive director of ʻOhina, and Lisette Flanary, the nonprofit's director of education. The workshop was hosted at Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art, Culture & Design, a center of the Doris Duke Foundation, and was sponsored by Hawai‘i Pacific Health.
Chong is a recent graduate of television writing and production at Chapman University, she shared during the workshop. Her story “Shop Local,” is a comedy set on the Windward side of Oʻahu, which explores how two rival family-run lychee stands are impacted by the arrival of a flashy influencer food truck, according to her website.
Three writers who participated in ʻOhina Labs 2025 will receive additional mentorship:
· Aukai Ligairi with “Indigenous | Technology” (mentorship provided by Evslin)
· Nickolaus Sugai with “Hannah and the Wedding” (mentorship provided by Chun)
· Jack Truesdale with “The Islanders” (mentorship provided by Kandell).
Other writers participating in ʻOhina Labs 2025 included:
· Zack Rikito Harris with “Hukilau”
· Cherish “CJ” Keauhou Joao with “No Scared, Go Get Em!”
· Didier Navarro with “Chasing Mafu”
· Geronimo Son with “Right Under Our Feet”
· Jonathan Wolfe with “Tourist.”
This year, ʻOhina also held its first Producers Lab, with an invite-only cohort of three producer fellows: Serena Rio Flores, Eli Cusick and Dymond Cabildo. The fellows were joined by mentors Al’n Duong (producer of “The Paper Tigers”) and Averie Joy Maikalima O Makua Huffine (co-executive producer of “Just Beyond” on Disney+).
Chong’s script will be produced by the three fellows from the Producers Lab, with creative mentorship from Stephen Broussard, vice president of production and Development at Marvel Studios. Read more about ʻOhina.
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Katie Helland can be reached at katie@alohastatedaily.com.
