SHORT SYNOPSISBORN AND RAISED IN HAWAII, JULIAN WILLIAMS IS A SEMI-PRO SURFER ON THE PRECIPICE OF MAKING HISTORY. NOW BASED IN LOS ANGELES, AND POISED TO MOVE UP THE RANKS AS HAWAII’S FIRST PRO AFRICAN-AMERICAN SURFER, HIS SKILLED EASE NAVIGATING THE OCEAN’S WAVES LIES IN STARK CONTRAST TO THE RACIAL PREJUDICE HE CONFRONTED TO GET THERE – REINFORCING THE COMPLEX ETHNIC HIERARCHY THAT EXISTS IN THE ISLAND STATE. AS THE SUBJECT OF SHORT FILM MAKAI, DIRECTOR LORIS RUSSIER FOLLOWS WILLIAMS’ JOURNEY INTO SURFING AGAINST HAWAII’S BREATHTAKING NATURAL LANDSCAPE – AND THE BACKDROP OF RACISM THAT STAINED HIS EXPERIENCE GROWING UP.
