Stacey Young with the YPL US Alumni Roadshow cohort, in New York City.
Pacific Island Film Festival (PIFF) of New York City Executive Director Stacey Young says she is inspired by her family to showcase Pacific excellence in the United States.
While speaking to a cohort of 12 Young Pacific Leaders (YPL) in New York City during the United States Alumni Roadshow, Stacey shared family’s history of public policymaking and volunteerism in the States for
five generations.
Hailing from San Francisco, with roots in Hilo, Hawai’i, and now a New York resident, Stacey is a Product Leader at Disney, and sits on the Board of Hollywood NYC.
Young Pacific Leader Dylan Kava of Fiji listens as Executive Director of PIFF NYC Stacey Young of Hawaii shares her passion for showcasing Pacific people throughout the United States and Pacific region.
“Moving out here to New York and not seeing the same type of Pacific Island excellence that I saw back in California, or even back in Hawai‘i, made me feel bad,” she says.
Stacey also sits on the board for Hālāwai NYC, which strives to advance and support an inclusive community with shared interests in the culture and future of the people of Hawaiʻi and other Pacific Islands.
During Covid, the group began screening films online, and following the pandemic, the demand for Pacific films to be shown continued.
“So, we spun up the Pacific Island Film Festival – it is a volunteer-run nonprofit, and we’re super proud,” Stacey says.
The PIFF is an annual festival dedicated to telling a richer, more comprehensive story of the Pacific Islands, and a platform for Pacific voices to be heard, encouraging the preservation of culture throughout the region, and in the United States.
This year’s event took place from September 18-21 around Manhattan, and showcased films by directors from Hawai’i and mainland US, Palau, Guam, Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia, Samoa, and Fiji.
Stacey says everyone she has encountered not only acknowledges the skill and the amazing content that comes from the Pacific community, but also recognizes it is something missing here in New York City and the United States.
The desire for Pacific content and a taste of culture does not stop in New York City, with the likes of Moana 2, Lilo & Stitch, and Chief of War achieving huge success throughout the United States.
This increase in content has raised some issues and concerns, including the need to protect intellectual property and story sovereignty throughout the Indo-Pacific, which both Stacey and the YPL alumni are keen to tackle.
After meeting the YPL Alumni Roadshow cohort, Stacey says she is eager to support everyone’s journey to help preserve Pacific culture and storytelling.
“I really hope I can do something similar to what we’ve done with the Pacific Island Film Festival: shine a light on the great work they are already doing.
“The drive is all there, and the things I’m hearing from around the table are items we could help facilitate — letting those larger companies who want to reach out to independent filmmakers with the skill and passion to do it.
“We’ve got the skill and the passion in spades; we just have to connect you with the right organizations – that’s what I’m hoping to do.”
Visit the Young Pacific Leaders website for more details on the US Department of State program.
