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About the Filmmaker

Ciara is an Emmy-nominated Native Hawaiian filmmaker whose interest lies in crafting films that use strong characters and investigative journalism to challenge the creative and political status quo. She has directed content for film and television, managed independent features, as well as coordinated product placement and clearances for various platforms. Her work has screened at festivals around the world such as Sundance and Berlinale as well as shown on networks including Netflix, PBS, ABC, and Al Jazeera. In the digital space, she has created content for notable outlets like the Guardian and the Atlantic Online. Ciara is honored to be the inaugural Sundance Institute Merata Mita Fellow as well as part of the inaugural class of NATIVe Fellows at the European Film Market. She has also benefited from fellowships with the Sundance Institute, the Tribeca Film Festival, the Princess Grace Foundation, Firelight Media's Documentary Lab, the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation, and the Gotham Film & Media Institute. Ciara holds a BA in Psychology from Yale University, is a proud graduate of the Kamehameha Schools Kapālama, and has given talks at academic institutions across the U.S. She continues to work on documentary projects while expanding her intimate style of filmmaking into the branded content, commercial, and narrative spaces. As a child, Ciara was an expert flower picker and lei sower, a skill she learned from her family’s business selling lei to local retailers in Honolulu.

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Synopsis

A magical take on a true story, The Queen’s Flowers is an animated short adventure for kids that follows Emma, a Native Hawaiian girl in 1915 Honolulu, as she makes a special gift for the last monarch of Hawaiʻi, Queen Liliʻuokalani.