Kīhei’s Cailin L. finds her voice as a film director
When Kīhei sophomore Cailin L. decided to try her hand at filmmaking, she got to learn from one of the best: Maui’s own Destin Daniel Cretton, director of Marvel’s “Spider-Man.”
After getting her feet wet in his Hisako Film Lab last spring, she returned for the summer session, pitched an original concept, and landed in the director’s chair under his guidance.
Storytelling has been a passion of Cailin’s since her bedtime story days, and she vividly remembers being captivated by “Captain Marvel” on her first trip to the movie theater at age 8.
“None of those younger parts of me would have ever imagined that I would get the opportunity to work with the director of the new ‘Spider-Man’ movie and do press interviews with him on NPR and Hawai‘i News Now, much less make my own movies that show up on the big screen,” she says.
That dream came to life through Cretton’s Hisako Film Lab, which gives Maui students the chance to write, direct, and edit original short films alongside industry professionals. It’s exactly the kind of hands-on experience HTA’s Career-Based Learning program is built for, giving students like Cailin the flexibility to trade classroom hours for real time on set.
Cailin got her first taste of filmmaking last spring with “Quince,” a collaborative effort she developed with two other students. Looking back, she describes it as a trial run.
“I feel like my first lab in the spring was what introduced me to the film industry,” she says. “But this summer film lab is what really made me love filmmaking and directing as a whole.”
This time around, the idea was entirely hers. Cailin pitched “4AM” — a concept she was prepared to pursue on her own if it wasn’t selected — and watched it become her team‘s project, and ultimately one of Hisako’s most-watched films.
Working with a crew of returning students, Cailin took the lead as a first-time director and project manager.
“I enjoyed it so much that I am considering becoming a director in the future,” she says.
This summer, Cailin also stepped into paid industry work, filming and editing three interviews for Maui Huliau‘s annual benefit dinner. And her journey with “4AM” isn’t over: She will continue working with Hisako through the rest of the school year to develop parts two and three of the story.
Check out Cailin’s interview on Hawai‘i News Now.
