The University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ (ACM) will be featured at the 2020 (HIFF), and due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the virtual event will allow viewers to enjoy the films from the comfort of their homes. An ACM professor and alumna¡¯s horror film, and an ACM alumnus’ film about a young Hawaiian activist will also premiere at HIFF to drive-in audiences.
Student and alumni showcase
Seven students and alumni will showcase their films in the UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ ACM showcase, November 5–29. Joshua Co, a senior digital cinema major, will feature two films. is about a young girl preparing to defend her home after hearing about an incoming hurricane and is about a middle school student finding more about who he is as his world around him is falling apart.
“The intent behind these two films was to share the Â鶹´«Ã½ that I know, living in my little corner of it,” Co said. “Both films were extremely personal. Brown Bodies in a Far Sea was shot in my family home and with that, I wanted to bring an art house style to an indigenous aesthetic. With Ikaika I wanted to create a piece that felt like a distant memory, a piece that strung together little moments that evoke a sense of both loss and understanding.”
, directed by senior creative media major Briana Smith, is about a woman who runs a program for special needs young adults at Pali Lanes in Windward Oʻahu. The inspiration for the film came after Smith stumbled upon an online article that focused on a grassroots campaign attempting to save the bowling alley from a difficult financial situation.
“I contacted the Save Pali Lanes committee and got to meet Rosemarie (also known as Ms. Rosie), the wonderful subject of my film,” Smith said. “After that, I visited her group, W.I.N.G.S., every Tuesday for about two months before shooting. I am a big proponent of personal narrative, so I’m very grateful that Rosemarie was so willing to share her story.”
, directed by spring 2020 creative media graduate Sophia Whalen, is an animated action film about magical girls who need to prevent a sludge monster from destroying their town on Â鶹´«Ã½ Island. The film is set in Whalen¡¯s hometown of Kailua-Kona.
“All the action happens on this very specific part of Aliʻi Drive. There¡¯s Huliheʻe Palace, Mokuaikaua Church, the sea wall, etc.,” Whalen said. “It¡¯s not common for films to be set in this town and I want the people who live here to see their home on the screen.”
More films
- , a horror/comedy short about an exhausted movie theater usher who is tormented by a phantom haunting his workplace, directed by Gavin Arucan
- , a film about two friends who are on the run from their Kauaʻi home and make their way up Waimea Canyon, directed by Arucan
- is about Pele, a young and hot-tempered volcano goddess, who has been challenged by Kamapuaʻa, a shapeshifting trickster in a race around Â鶹´«Ã½ Island, directed by Kalilinoe Detwiler
- is based on Mexican folklore La Lechuza involving a mother who transforms into a barn owl taking care of her young son and preparing him for his first flight, directed by Molly Tapken
- is a short drama about a teenage boy who is afraid of being transparent, directed by Justin Kimata
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the .
Story Game
A new horror/thriller film, , will premiere at HIFF 2020. UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ ACM Associate Professor and ACM alumna Anne Misawa was the film¡¯s cinematographer, and ACM alumna Nikki Lau was one of the film¡¯s producers. Story Game features three students camping on a remote beach during spring break. After meeting a park ranger, they all make a bet to tell the scariest story. The three scary stories are infused with Pan-Pacific flavor as they were shot in Japan and Â鶹´«Ã½.
Story Game will be featured online, and in-person at an Ala Moana drive-in event (November 5) and at Olino by Consolidated Theatres (November 15). For more information and to purchase tickets, .
Hawaiian Soul
A film written and directed by ACM alumnus ʻ?ina Paikai and produced by ACM alumnus Kaliko Maʻiʻi will premiere at HIFF 2020. tells the story of George Helm, a musician who used his gift of song to become a leader in the movement to protect Hawaiian land and Native Hawaiian rights.
Hawaiian Soul will be featured online, and in-person at a Windward Mall drive-in event (November 22) and at Consolidated Theatres Ward (November 29). For more information and to purchase tickets, .
—By Marc Arakaki