Running time: 75 minutes + talk story panel
Remathau: People of the Ocean is a feature documentary that follows the journey of Nicole Yamase, the first Micronesian to dive to the deepest part of the ocean, Challenger Deep, in the Marianas Trench. Debuting at the 2025 Hawai‘i International Film Festival (HIFF), the film received the Pasifika Award, celebrating the strength and resilience of Pacific people. This screening is in conjunction with the Schaefer International Gallery exhibition Ocean of Peace and will include a talk story panel following the film.
View the trailer HERE
Nicole begins her journey of discovery by diving to the deepest part of the ocean, an area within the Marianas Trench named “Challenger Deep” that lies beneath the territorial waters of her country. When she surfaces, she is met with a storm of media attention. Feeling the immense pressure of being the first Micronesian to go down to the Challenger Deep (and only the second woman in history), Nicole begins a deeper dive into her own identity as a Micronesian and a descendant of great navigators. This experience ultimately opens her eyes to the true resilience of Pacific Island people who—despite immense hardship brought on by external forces—continue to draw strength from the cultural practices, languages, and ancestral knowledge that anchor them to their oceanic homeland.
Director Daniel H. Lin is a filmmaker and photojournalist focusing on the impacts of climate change, post-colonialism, and globalization on cultural identity within Indigenous communities across the Pacific Islands and in Asia. Daniel states, “In March of 2021, when Nicole asked me personally to help her tell the story of her historic dive to the deepest part of the ocean, I had no idea that it would evolve into a feature-length documentary that would end up spanning oceans, islands, and multiple generations. With this film, we witnessed the deepest dive of all—a journey through identity, representation, and responsibility. The experience allowed us to look through the window of time and affirm that, if left open, it will always breathe new life into what a Pacific Island story can and should be.”
FREE! Ticketed reservations required via MACC Box Office. (Reservations open January 3)
About the Ocean of Peace Exhibition
The “Ocean of Peace” represents a framework that was endorsed by Pacific Island leaders in 2025, envisioning a future for the Pacific region as a space of harmony and cooperation drawn from traditional values and cultural customs. The exhibition features six contemporary artists of Micronesian heritage: James Bamba (Guåhan/Northern Mariana Islands), Carol Ann Carl (Pohnpei), Gillian Dueñas (Guåhan), Kalany Omengkar (Palau/Northern Mariana Islands), Anthony Watson (Palau), and Lissette Yamase (Chuuk). These artists integrate the beliefs and practices of their Micronesian cultures with lived experiences in the Hawaiian Islands to build connections across island chains, expressing ways we can collectively realize this future. Click HERE to learn more.
Ocean of Peace is presented by Maui Arts & Cultural Center in partnership with the East-West Center Arts Program and the Pacific Islands Development Program, with support provided in part by the Center for Pacific Islands Studies, Medical-Legal Partnership for Children in Hawai‘i, Kosasa Foundation, Atherton Family Foundation, Cooke Foundation, State of Hawaiʻi, and County of Maui – Office of Economic Development.
