Synopsis:

Malia, a 51-year-old Native Hawaiian salt farmer, is confronted with the effects of Climate Change. She grew up molding clay into salt beds, transferring water out of the natural ocean wells, and raking through her family’s crystallized salt sheets. Now, the ancestral salt ponds where generations of salt practitioners have built farms for their families are flooding. The summer season, their peak time for harvesting, is too wet for salt to form. A fierce and determined leader of the salt-making community, Malia takes it upon herself to find the cause of this crushing stop to their cultural practice. Combining modern science with indigenous knowledge, she discovers that sand dunes between the rising ocean levels and the farm area are shrinking from the weight of tourists’ vehicles. She and the community behind her successfully advocate for local government policies to protect the area. A few years later, she is able to return to salt-making, but her fight against the global climate crisis is far from over, when her first-hand experience becomes pertinent beyond the salt ponds.

Meet the filmmaker

Catherine Lily Thomas is an 18-year-old student. Born and raised in the Bay Area, she grew up as a ballerina and photographer. She is an intern and student ambassador at Project Underdog, a nonprofit organization advocating for legislation against dog abuse. Her pursuit of filmmaking stems from her passion for storytelling and videography.