Hawaii Filmmakers Share Their Experience
Our artists shape our vision and understanding of Hawaii.
That’s why today we’re pleased to publish Q&As with four Hawaii filmmakers, all participants in this year’s Hawaii International Film Festival.
The four are among the participants in the Made in Hawaii section of the festival.
While Civil Beat may be known for its public affairs reporting and discussions, we believe that many other topics are central to people’s lives here. Artists, writers, filmmakers — they all have something to share that may help us understand ourselves and Hawaii better.
(To contribute to our Community Voices section, email an article or video to news@civilbeat.com. Include a short bio and a photo of the author.)
The festival this year will hold the world premieres of six films in its Made in Hawaii section. They are: “6B,” “Knots,” “My Koaloha Story,” “Paradise Broken,” “The Short List” and “Subjective Expressions.”
It will also hold a panel on the state of the local industry. That session will be held at 1:15 p.m. Oct. 22 at the Regal Dole Stadium 18 Theatres & IMAX. Admission is free.
This year’s festival will show 212 films from 43 countires. It runs from Oct. 13-23 at the Regal Dole Cannery Stadium 18 Theatres & IMAX.
The Local Films
6B
World Premiere
Made In Hawaii
Friday, October 14 | 6:30 PM | Regal Dole
United States 2011 | English | 90M
DIRECTOR: Jay Hanamura, Ryan Kawamoto, Roy Kimura, Nathan Kurosawa, James Sereno
CAST: Kalani Queypo, Jim Aina, Wil Kahele, Keahi Warfield, Keo Woolford, Micheal Ng, LV Alberto
6B is the anthology feature film of five Hawaii filmmakers and boast an all-Hawaii cast, crew and production team. Each of the five stories revolve around rooms with the number “6B” and examines the darker side of island life. Hawaii novelist, Chris McKinney (THE TATTOO), also contributes to the stories of this film.
KARATE KID II
MADE IN HAWAII
Monday, October 17 | 9:00 PM | Regal Dole
United States 1986 | English | 113M
DIRECTOR: John G. Avildsen
CAST: Ralph Macchio, Noriyuki ‘Pat’ Morita, Tamlyn Tomita, Nobu McCarthy, Yuji Okumoto, Danny Kamekona
In celebration of the 25th anniversary of this classic 1986 film and its’ Hawaii roots, HIFF is proud to present a special screening of THE KARATE KID PART II.
This sequel to the 1984 surprise hit THE KARATE KID reunites Ralph Macchio as high-schooler Danny and Hawaii’s own Pat Morita as Danny’s martial-arts mentor, Miyagi. Picking up where the first film left off, the film finds Danny and Miyagi making an emergency trip to Okinawa, where Miyagi’s father is dying.
KNOTS
World Premiere
Made In Hawaii
Monday, October 17 | 6:30 PM | Regal Dole
United States 2011 | English | 90M
DIRECTOR: Michael Kang
CAST: Illeana Douglas, Sung Kang, Janel Parrish, Kimberly-Rose Wolter
KNOTS is an independent film, featuring a local mom and her three daughters who own a wedding/bridal consultant business, helping brides and grooms from all over the world express their love and commitment on that special wedding day, but unfortunately can’t keep their own kapakahi love lives in order.
MY KOALOHA STORY
World Premiere
Made in Hawaii
Saturday, October 15 | 7:00 PM | Sunset on the Beach
Thursday, October 20 | 6:30 PM | Regal Dole
United States 2011 | English | 74M
DIRECTOR: Gary San Angel
CAST: Daniel Ho, Alvin Okami
MY KOALOHA STORY is a Made in Hawaii ‘talk story’ style documentary-music film about a family owned ukulele business and their special brand of old-school Aloha. What was once a failed plastics business in the midst of bankruptcy is transformed into one of the most highly regarded and beloved ukulele companies in the world, KoAloha Ukulele.
PARADISE BROKEN
World Premiere
Made In Hawaii
Friday, October 14 | 9:30 PM | Regal Dole
United States 2011 | English | 90M
DIRECTOR: James Sereno
CAST: Dante Basco, Nadine Nicole, Khalil Kain, Ocean Kaowili, Katherine Emily Mills
Ray and Misha’s one bedroom apartment, only a half-a-mile from Waikiki Beach, feels a world away from the white sandy beaches and crystal blue waters of Honolulu. As the sun sets and the sightseers retire for the evening, Ray, a small-time drug dealer, and Misha, a hula-dancing prostitute, work the back alleys of Waikiki, trying to scrape a living from tourist crumbs. PARADISE BROKEN is the Hawaii unseen.
THE SHORT LIST
World Premiere
Made In Hawaii
Saturday, October 15 | 8:45 PM | Regal Dole
United States 2011 | English | 120M
DIRECTOR: Robert A. Bates, Jason K. Lau, Stefan Schaefer, John C. Ching, Gerard Elmore,
CAST: Patrick Fujioka, Tricia Marciel, Theo Coumbis, Dann Seki, Tony Silva, Harold Sue
Join crack seed owner, Mr. K, as he shares his treats from his special short list of films. These tempting morsels include HOTEL ST., a crime procedural drama, THE PROTECTOR, a romantic thriller, THE ROUNDUP, a western, BAIT, a drama with a twist, and ONE EVENING IN THE BLUE LIGHT BAR & GRILL, a romantic comedy. Five local writers with five local directors created this tasty blend of short stories. All the films were hundred percent locally produced in Hawaii and preservative free.
SUBJECTIVE EXPRESSIONS
World Premiere
Made in Hawaii
Thursday, October 20 | 7:30 PM | Regal Dole
United States 2011 | English | 70M
DIRECTOR: Dominik Walczuk
CAST: Caroline Antilla, Nahko Bear, Caroline Heim, Mikolaj Walczuk, Lee Michael Walczuk, Dominik Walczuk, Renata Walczuk
Shot entirely on location in Hilo, Hawaii, SUBJECTIVE EXPRESSIONS is the first feature-length effort from 19-year-old director Dominik Walczuk. The film tells the story of Pan, a young twenty-something year-old girl who is not sure what direction she wants to take with her life. But when she decides to try out working-for-housing at a local theater, she begins a path of unexpected self-discovery.
