top of page

Changing Seas - Maui Aloha ʻĀina: Mauka to Makai

Liz Smith

27 mins | 2024

Embark on a journey across the breathtaking landscape of Maui, where scientists, land restorationists, and passionate volunteers are drawing upon the ancient wisdom of the Hawaiian people to breathe new life into their cherished ecosystems.

Sponsored by:

Friday Harbor Film Festival

Friday Harbor Film Festival
poster-strongerThanEver.jpg

Embark on a journey across the breathtaking landscape of Maui, where scientists, land restorationists, and passionate volunteers are drawing upon the ancient wisdom of the Hawaiian people to breathe new life into their cherished ecosystems. Even amidst profound loss in the wake of recent wildfires, these resilient islanders are unwavering in their commitment to revive traditional watersheds, safeguarding the invaluable coral reefs that define their coastline. Rooted in the principles of aloha ʻāina—love of the land—and mālama ʻāina—caring for the land—they are reconnecting water pathways from mauka to makai—from the mountains to the ocean—and working together to heal their island home.


Produced by South Florida PBS, Changing Seas is a marine science series focused on ocean issues and exploration. The series goes to sea with scientists, giving viewers a first-hand look at how oceanographers and other experts study Earth's last frontier.

Freelance Producer since Season 12

Liz is an Emmy award-winning producer and writer with 20 years of experience transforming science stories into engagement and action. She has produced documentaries for South Florida PBS since 2019, and she co-produced the feature documentary YOUTH v GOV (2020), streaming on NETFLIX.

Liz has sailed aboard research vessels in the Pacific Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Mediterranean Sea. She has explored 2,000-year-old Greek and Roman shipwrecks, searched for Amelia Earhart’s lost Electra and assisted with search and recovery operations off the coast of Syria as part of Dr. Robert Ballard’s EV Nautilus team. She also served as the Director & COO of Conservation Media Group, where she designed the Catalyst Workshops to train and connect filmmakers and non-profits working on pressing ocean issues.

Liz holds an MFA in Science and Natural History Filmmaking from Montana State University and a BA in Astronomy from Whitman College and began her filmmaking career producing films about astrophysics at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. She’s been certified as an Advanced and Rescue scuba diver, a single-engine private pilot, and NOLS WMI Wilderness EMT.

CREDITS

Narrator

Craig Sechler


Director/Producer/Writer

Liz Smith


Director of Photography/Editor

Sean Hickey


Videographer

David Diez


Series Producer

Alexa Elliott

Produced by South Florida PBS, Changing Seas is a marine science series focused on ocean issues and exploration. The series goes to sea with scientists, giving viewers a first-hand look at how oceanographers and other experts study earth's last frontier.

< Back
bottom of page