Keoni Kealoha Alvarez

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Keoni Kealoha Alvarez is a Native Hawaiian Emmy Award-winning producer, filmmaker, director, journalist, author, illustrator, and cultural advocate dedicated to preserving Hawaiian culture and protecting sacred Native Hawaiian burial places. For more than two decades, he has documented, educated, and advocated for the protection of iwi kūpuna, helping bring greater public awareness to the profound cultural and spiritual importance of honoring ancestral resting places.

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Alvarez is the producer and director of KAPU: Sacred Hawaiian Burials, a documentary developed through more than 20 years of research, cultural learning, and community engagement. The film was selected for the Hawaiʻi International Film Festival, broadcast on PBS Hawaiʻi, and screened at the Bishop Museum. He is also an Emmy Award-winning producer for his work on FRONTLINE/PBS’s Maui’s Deadly Firestorm.

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When Keoni looks back on where his journey began, he remembers the people who believed in him, shared their knowledge, and took the time to guide him. Their mentorship helped him see possibilities beyond what he once imagined for himself and gave him the encouragement to continue pursuing his dreams.

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Keoni continues to dream big. One of his goals as a filmmaker is to someday receive an Oscar at the Academy Awards for telling meaningful stories that give a voice to Indigenous peoples and share their experiences with audiences around the world. Beyond filmmaking, another lifelong dream is to someday be considered for the Nobel Peace Prize for his advocacy and work toward the preservation and protection of Indigenous ancestral burial places around the world.

 

These are ambitious dreams, but more than 20 years ago, completing KAPU: Sacred Hawaiian Burials was also a dream. Through the encouragement of mentors, filmmakers, cultural practitioners, and community leaders, Keoni learned to believe that he could continue moving forward and accomplish things he once could only imagine.

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There are truly no words that can fully express his gratitude for the mentorship and guidance that have shaped his life. More than 20 years later, those relationships remain an important part of his journey and have helped shape the filmmaker, storyteller, and cultural advocate he is today.

 

Keoni is especially grateful for the teachings and guidance he has received from Hawaiian kūpuna and cultural practitioners, including his mentor Palikapu Dedman. Their knowledge and example have helped strengthen his understanding of his kuleana — his responsibility to serve, protect, educate, and help carry Hawaiian cultural knowledge forward.

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Through filmmaking, education, writing, journalism, and advocacy, Alvarez continues this lifelong kuleana. His mission is to educate future generations, strengthen respect for Hawaiian traditions, and help ensure that iwi kūpuna and their sacred burial places are respected and protected for generations to come.

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Mahalo nui loa to everyone who has believed in Keoni, shared their knowledge, offered their guidance, and helped a young Native Hawaiian filmmaker find his way. He hopes to continue making Hawaiʻi proud through the stories he tells and through the work he does in service to Indigenous communities.

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His journey is rooted in gratitude, guided by kuleana, and inspired by a commitment to ensuring that the voices, stories, traditions, and ancestral places of Indigenous peoples are never forgotten.