A short documentary that journeys into Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge on the slopes of Maunakea, one of the last places in Hawaiʻi where native forest birds still thrive.

The film weaves together the voices of longtime guardian Jack Jeffrey, musician Jake Shimabukuro, cultural practitioners, families, and scientists to reveal a rare sanctuary shaped by decades of conservation work and community care. Through intimate storytelling, original score, and detailed cinematography, the film explores the fragile balance between survival and loss as climate driven disease and wildfire threaten the refuge’s future. Released for Hakalau’s 40th anniversary, the film is both a celebration of what this forest means to Hawaiʻi and a call to protect the voices that still echo through its canopy.