Reel Wāhine of Hawaiʻi - Shaneika Aguilar
The Reel Wāhine of Hawai'i short film series chronicles talented and pioneering women filmmakers who tell Hawaii stories uniquely through a camera lens. Shaneika is an Emmy Award winning cinematographer and editor whose images transport audiences into the world of the protagonist.
- Filmmaker(s)
- Shirley Thompson
- Category
- Short Film
- Subject Matter
- Women, Biography
- Featured In
- Pacific Pulse
- Region
- Hawai'i
- Length
- 9 Minutes
- Year
- 2024
- Website
- https://www.reelwahineofhawaii.org/
-
Shaneika Aguilar is a cinematographer, born and raised on the island of O‘ahu. Shaneika has always been fascinated with cameras and the ability to capture and materialize a moment in time. She is best known for her work on independent films as well as branded content. Her work as a filmmaker with NMG Network garnered 2 Emmy Awards and 5 Pele Awards and included brands like Halekulani and Flux Media. She is a 2018 graduate of the University of Mānoa Academy of Creative Media, and is the new lead content producer for Redefined Weddings, a boutique photography and video company. She continues her work as a commercial photographer and freelance cinematographer, focused on capturing local stories that build connection and unity in her community.
Shirley Thompson - Writer/Director/Editor
Shirley Thompson is a seasoned Emmy™ Award winning documentary producer, writer, editor and director. She is best known for the documentaries she has edited, written and co-produced including The ‘Ilima Lady (2023), Baseball Behind Barbed Wire (2023), Finding Kukan (2016), and Pidgin: the Voice of Hawai‘i (2009). She co-produces and co-directs the Reel Wāhine of Hawai‘i film series in collaboration with Hawai‘i Women in Filmmaking. Many of the films she has worked on have received major funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. She is a long-time member of the New Day Films collective. As a Latina and a daughter of immigrants, she is committed to filmmaking that builds bridges across cultures and communities.
Malia Adams - Camera, Intern, and Production Assistant
Malia Adams, born in Kailua and raised in Chile, is an indigenous filmmaker. Malia earned a Bachelor’s degree at UH Manoa in Creative Media. She spent this last year living in Spain, where she pursued a Master’s degree in Media and Literary translation at the Pompeu Fabra University. Her short film, I Will Be Your Breath, was nominated Best Hawaii Made (2021) at the Hawaiʻi International Film Fest and won Best Experimental at Cannes Short Film festival (2021).
Jessi Wong - Production Assistant
Jessi is currently studying at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), majoring in psychology. They want to become a social worker to help transgender and/or autistic adolescents or young adults. They have participated and worked in HWF's programs for over 2 years and are committed to HWF's mission. They are passionate about LGBTQ+ and disability issues and seek to advocate for and help those communities.
Social Media
Instagram: @hiwomeninfilmmaking
Facebook: @Hawai‘i Women in Filmmaking
