Documenting resiliency and ingenuity 

By: Dr. Miriam Dominguez

The most remote inhabited island in the Pacific Ocean, Rapa Nui (Easter Island, Chile), occupies a place in the popular imagination with its iconic stone statues. It is in the remoteness and beauty of this landscape that filmmakers Sergio Mata’u Rapu and Elena Kouneski Rapu documented the paradoxes that arise when indigenous and local communities seek both economic development and ecological sustainability. 

Sergio and Elena Rapu will screen their film documentary Eating Up Easter for The Maurin Academy and participate in a discussion and Q & A session on June 24 at 7 PM CST.  Stay tuned for an interview with the filmmakers and the details on how to participate on our first movie event! 

Eating up Easter Trailer: https://eatingupeaster.com/trailer-1

 SERGIO MATA’U RAPU | DIRECTOR / PRODUCER / EDITOR

Native Rapanui Producer/Director Sergio Mata’u Rapu is the only Easter Islander working in production in an English-speaking country. He has spent the last 15 years shooting, and producing documentaries that have aired on History Channel, Travel Channel, National Geographic, and NOVA. Through his work, Sergio aims to show the diversity of life through thought provoking media to inspire resolutions to social, economic, and environmental conflicts (Credit: eatingupeaster.com)

ELENA RAPU | PRODUCER / WRITER

Elena Rapu is an anthropologist and filmmaker. She received her MA in Anthropology from SUNY Binghamton, specializing in the Pacific. She has 15 years of experience on Easter Island working in archaeology, the hotel industry, and guiding tours. She is passionate about exploring the complex realities faced by living cultures as they grow and change in a globalized world. (Credit: eatingupeaster.com)