Publicity photo
Woody Harrelson, bottom left, stars in "Welcome to
Sarajevo," a film from the U.K., which will be screened
by HIFF. The film also stars Marisa Tomei.

---

‘Ice Storm,’ ‘Keep Cool’
top fest bill

By Tim Ryan
Star-Bulletin

Cannes Film Festival winner "The Ice Storm," starring Sigourney Weaver and Kevin Kline, will open the 17th annual Hawaii International Film Festival at the Hawaii Theatre on Nov. 7. Ang Lee, the film's director, will introduce the film and answer audience questions after the screening.

The two-week event, running Nov. 7 to 20, will feature about 100 films to be shown on 26 screens on five islands. (On Maui, the Big Island, Kauai and Molokai, the festival runs from Nov. 14 to 20.) Schedules, screen sites and activities are still being determined.

HIFF, the only statewide film festival in America, features films from Asia, the Pacific and North America. This year's festival films represent more than 20 countries.

"We've assembled a powerful group of films that will be more accessible than ever," said HIFF director Christian Gaines. "Our aim ... is to bowl over our audience with caliber and quality while luring in a curious, new audience with films that couldn't be resisted."

Zhang Yimou, acclaimed Chinese filmmaker, returns this year to showcase his new film, "Keep Cool," that was recently banned from Cannes. Also scheduled is "The Opium War," the official Chinese film of the recent changeover ceremonies in Hong Kong; Peter Chan's "Comrades, Almost A Love Story," which received nine Hong Kong film awards including best picture; "Happy Together" from Wong Kar-Wai; and Tsai Ming-liang's "The River," from Taiwan.

Other highlights are Michael Winterbottoms' "Welcome to Sarajevo" (UK); Atom Egoyan's drama "The Sweet Hereafter" (Canada), starring John Hurt; Shinobu Yaguchi's comedy "My Secret Cache" (Japan); Eric Khoo's "12 Stories" (Singapore); "True Love and Chaos" (Australia); Shohel Imamura's Cannes winner "The Eel" (Japan); "Flight of the Albatross" (New Zealand); and Arthur Dong's Audience Award-winner at the Seattle Film Festival, "Licensed to Kill," which will be part of a tribute to Dong. He will also attend this year's festival.

Locally made films include Eddie Kamae's "Luther Makekau: One Kine Hawaiian Man," and the world premiere of David Cunningham's "Kama'aina: Children of the Land," a 35mm film shot in Kona.

There will be a section of new features and documentaries from throughout the Pacific Rim. Other subsections include:

"Films from Hong Kong, Taiwan and mainland China"

"India as a Spiritual Center" -- A special section of Indian films and commentary as part of the 50th anniversary of India's independence from the British.

"Korean Cinema Perspectives" -- Last year, Korea's "A Hot Roof" won the Golden Maile Award.

"Discoveries from Japan" -- The best films from a new wave of filmmakers.

"The Australian Wave" -- A lineup of dramas and comedies await a local audience generally receptive to Australian films.

"American Independent Alternatives" -- Strong films from bright U.S. talents.

"Focus on Southeast Asia. Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines" -- These areas have shown film industry growth, with works addressing social and political concerns.

"The Films of Arthur Dong" --Lineup includes "Forbidden City, U.S.A.", "Coming Out," "Under Fire" and "Licensed to Kill." The award-winning Dong is honored with the first complete retrospective of his documentary film work.

"Featuring Paradise: Representations of the Pacific in Film" -- A film and panel series delving into world cinema perception of "paradise," ranging from Hollywood images of Hawaii stereotypes to the self-documentation of indigenous peoples.

"Hawaii No Ka Oi: Film and Videomakers of Hawaii" -- The best of local film and video talent including the premiere of Eddie Kamae's film "Luther ... And His Legacy Lives On."

"Emerging Cinema: Films from Eastern Europe" -- First effort in an ongoing series featuring the world outside our region.

"The Fringe: Films Auntie Shouldn't See" -- A showcase of provocative films for cineastes who think they've seen it all.

"Short, Fast & Funny: The World's Funniest Shorts" -- A feature-length selection of the funniest shorts as selected by Sundance Film Festival associate programmer John Cooper.

"The Family Outing" -- Hard-to-see funny and serious films that educate, entertain and promote critical discussion among family.

Roger Ebert's "Democracy in the Dark" -- The film critic conducts a shot-by-shot analysis of Akira Kurosawa's "Ikiru," using a stop-action laser-disc approach so that everyone in the room can contribute their observations.

"Hoax! The Art of Joey Skaggs" -- The New York and Kauai-based conceptual artist's media hoaxes have fooled the media for 20 years. Skaggs will show clips, tell stories and provoke thought and action.

"The Art & Technique of the American TV Commercial" -- Spots represent the best in visual style, cinematography, animation, humor, art direction and music.

"The Cultural & Visual Literacy Program" -- Since its start, HIFF has promoted cultural understanding through film to Hawaii's students. Teachers are provided with lesson plans with pre-film and after-film activities. All public and private schools (Grades 7-12) are invited to participate at no charge.

HIFF has secured the education rights and purchased 35mm prints of "My Sky," "My Home" (Indonesia), "Heartstrings" (China) and "Our Twisted Hero" (Korea), with plans for an electronic course.

Ang Lee's vision celebrated

Each year, HIFF presents several awards to filmmakers for achievement. Awards include:

The Golden Maile -- For documentary and feature films which best promote cultural understanding. A jury is charged with watching five nominated feature films and five nominated documentary films to determine the winners.

Confirmed jurors for 1997 so far include: Malti Sahai, Directorate of Film Festivals (India); Kim Dong-ho, Director of the Pusan International Film Festival (Korea); and Edward Yang, director of "A Brighter Summer Day," "A Confucian Confusion" and "Mahjong" (Taiwan).

The Vision in Film Award -- This award has only been presented three times in the festival's 17-year history. This year it goes to Ang Lee.

Since showing the U.S. premiere of Lee's debut feature "Pushing Hands" in 1992, Lee's reputation as a cross-cultural and universal filmmaker has been cemented with such films as "Eat Drink Man Woman," "The Wedding Banquet" and "Sense and Sensibility."

A retrospective of these films, as well as the gala presentation of "The Ice Storm" will celebrate his vision.

The Primeco Hawaii Audience Award -- Lets viewers vote.

The Eastman Kodak Cinematography Award -- This prestigious award is bestowed by longtime film supporter Eastman Kodak to an outstanding body of work. This year, the award goes to John Seale, Academy Award-winning cinematographer of "The English Patient."

---

You’ll pay to see some
HIFF films this year

Funding cuts mean moviegoers
will have to take up the slack

BY TIM RYAN
Star-Bulletin

Economic reality has caught up with the Hawaii International Film Festival. For the first time in its 17-year history, there will be admission charged for the Nov. 7 to 20 event.

Admission to half of the 100 films -- only those films shot in 35mm -- will be $6. Admission to the 16mm films and video presentations will remain free.

"We don't know how people will go for this," said festival director Christian Gaines. "This was an extremely difficult decision.

"It's a survival move, not a move to get rich."

Festival officials made the decision after polling some of its 1,400 Hawaii International Film Society members. The feedback was positive, Gaines said, with many surprised that an admission fee had not been established earlier.

The last few years have seen the festival's state funding cut from $400,000 to $100,000. That figure drops to zero by the year 2000, Gaines said, when the festival's current annual budget is $100,000.

"Keeping the festival free is simply not possible without the state funding that we and other arts organizations in Hawaii once received," Gaines said.

Most funding comes from corporate sponsorship, local and national grants, and HIFF membership which in 1996 raised about $150,000.

Festival officials expect the fee to raise $25,000 to $90,000.

Festival officials didn't want to make the new admission fee too high, fearing that would discourage people from joining or rejoining the Film Society, Gaines said.

Other festivals charge $7 to $10 admission, he said.

The venues showing the pay-for-view and free admission films will be announced soon, Gaines said, although this year, for the first time, Consolidated Amusement Co. will not be offering a venue.

Film Society members who join for the minimum $50 get pre-selection privileges two weeks before tickets go on sale to the public, six admission tickets to the festival, and two other screenings during the year, a $48 value. Memberships cost up to $1,000.

For information on the film festival and how to become a HIFFmember, call 528-FILM (3456).

Those with Internet access may look for more information on the web site at http://www.hiff.org; or address e-mail to hiffinfo@hiff.org.