HOW IT WORKS
A streaming platform built so Hawaiʻi-based filmmakers get paid for their work.
Maui Stream is a community-owned streaming platform from Akakū Maui Community Media. Every paid film on the platform is by a filmmaker based in Hawaiʻi. They set the price. 70% of every rental goes directly to them.
01 — WHAT YOU CAN WATCHFree community media, plus rentable films.
There are two kinds of content on Maui Stream, separated clearly so no one is ever surprised by a paywall.
FREEFrom Akakū's YouTube
Akakū produces community media and public-affairs coverage — county council, water boards, cultural events, news. The relevant playlists are mirrored into Maui Stream automatically, refreshed every day. Always free. No account required to watch.
RENTALFilms from Hawaiʻi-based filmmakers
Documentary, narrative, student work, festival selections — from filmmakers based in Hawaiʻi. Filmmakers set their own price (typically $1.99–$14.99). Each rental gives you 48 hours from first play.
02 — HOW RENTALS WORKFilmmaker-set pricing. 48 hours per rental. 70% to the creator, every time.
The rental model is built around the filmmaker, not the platform.
- 1The filmmaker sets the price. Between $1.99 (student shorts) and $14.99 (festival features). They decide based on production scale, festival status, or however they want to position the work.
- 2You get 48 hours per rental. The window starts the moment you first press play, not at purchase. Watch as many times as you want within the window.
- 370% goes directly to the filmmaker. Not at the end of the month — at the moment of the rental. Stripe Connect splits each payment automatically: 70% to the filmmaker, 30% to Akakū.
- 4The 30% covers the platform. Payment processing fees, video infrastructure, Akakū's overhead. There's no profit-extraction layer above community media. Maui Stream is operated as part of Akakū, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
“70% to the filmmaker” isn't a promo. It's the default rate, on every rental, paid in real time, no exceptions.
03 — HOW SUBMISSIONS WORKAlways open. Reviewed by real curators. Approved within 48 hours.
Submissions to Maui Stream are open year-round. No deadlines, no contest. If you're a filmmaker based in Hawaiʻi, you upload your film through your studio, and a real person on the curatorial team watches it and decides whether it belongs.
- →One yes is enough. The curatorial team is small — invited, named, accountable. A single approval from any curator moves your film onto the platform.
- →Reviews happen within 48 hours. No black box, no algorithm. Every film gets a human watching it.
- →Decline is not a judgment of quality. Many great films won't be a fit for the platform's mission. You can revise and resubmit anytime.
04 — THE KULEANA BADGEEarned recognition. Permanent home. Auto-approved uploads.
The Kuleana Badge is the platform's recognition for filmmakers whose work has earned trust. Kuleana is a Hawaiian word for the responsibility and privilege that comes with showing up — it isn't given, it's recognized. Akakū grants it at our discretion to filmmakers whose work shows they belong here.
What changes when you receive Kuleana:
- →Your filmmaker page goes live at
mauistream.org/filmmakers/your-name. Share it anywhere — bio links, festival programs, press kits. - →Future uploads auto-approve. No more waiting on the curator queue. Films you upload after receiving Kuleana go live as soon as our platform finishes processing.
- →The mark appears next to your name on your page. Subtle, deliberate. Recognition, not branding.
05 — FOR FILMMAKERSYou set the price. You keep 70%. You get paid in real time.
If you're a filmmaker based in Hawaiʻi — student, indie, working pro, first short or fortieth feature — Maui Stream is being built so you have a streaming home that pays you, not extracts from you.
- →You set your rental price. $1.99 minimum (because of payment processing fees), $14.99 realistic ceiling. Most filmmakers price between $4.99 and $9.99.
- →You complete a guided setup once. Two steps: your byline (name, photo, bio) and Stripe Connect (identity verification + bank account). Stripe handles the money side — we never see your SSN or full bank details.
- →You upload through your studio. A clean six-section form covers title, credits, art, trailer, your mahalo message, and the film itself. Your file streams straight to our video infrastructure — nothing has to pass through our servers.
- →You get paid every time someone rents. No monthly settlements with mystery deductions. Stripe routes 70% to your account at the moment of the transaction.
- →Hawaiʻi residency is verified through Stripe's address check. The platform is built around the place, not where your ancestors came from. Based here = welcome here.
Become a filmmaker →
06 — THE LAUNCHBuilding the first cohort.
Maui Stream is currently in beta. Submissions from Maui and Hawaiʻi filmmakers are open, and we're onboarding the first cohort now. The platform opens to the broader public once the catalog is deep enough to deliver a real experience — soft-launch by community, not by countdown.
If you're a Hawaiʻi filmmaker with finished work, this is the moment. Films and filmmakers in the first cohort will define the shape of the platform — built by Akakū, run by the community, designed to last.