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By Phil Spalding, Special to the Star-Bulletin
Hawaii International Film Festival personalities gather on awards
night. From left to right are Kekuhaupio Embernate, cast member
of "Taro Roots"; Chuck Boller, HIFF executive director; Sun Zhou,
director of "Breaking the Silence"; and Temuera Morrison, actor
in "What Becomes of the Broken-Hearted."

Korean film
‘Chunhyang’ wins
top HIFF award

It's based on a folk song about
forbidden passion; a film about
Aborigines wins best documentary

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By Tim Ryan
Star-Bulletin

Prize winners in the Hawaii International Film Festival were announced yesterday.

The Korean film "Chunhyang" has won the film festival's Golden Maile Award for best motion picture.

"Chunhyang," directed by Im Kwok Taek, is based on the ancient Korean folk song performed in Pansori tradition. It is a romantic story of forbidden passion, devotion and love.

"Buried Country" received the Blockbuster Video Audience Award for best documentary.

The movie tells how Australia's Aboriginal people were drawn to country music and made a special blend all their own.

The film, directed by Andrew Nehl, traces six decades of this rich musical tradition.

"The Diplomat" won the First Hawaiian Bank Golden Maile Award for best documentary. The Australian film is about Nobel Peace Prize co-laureate Jose Ramos Horta's struggle against injustice and oppression in East Timor.

The awards were presented at a gala celebration at the Hawaii Convention Center.

In other awards:

"Ka'ililauokekoa," an all-Hawaiian language film, won the Aloha Airlines Hawaii Film & Videomaker Award. The film, directed by Kalaiokona Ontai, is an interpretation of a Hawaiian legend relating to a story of Kauai chiefess Ka'ililauokekoa.

"Breaking the Silence," from China and directed by Sun Zhou, took top honors in the Network for Promotion of Asian Cinema award.

Roger Deakins was awarded the Eastman Kodak Award for Excellence in Cinematography.

SEE THE WINNERS Some tickets may yet be available at the door for screenings of the winning films tomorrow at the University of Hawaii Ballroom: 12:30 p.m. -- Golden Maile Documentary: "The Diplomat" 2:30 p.m. -- Hawaii award winner: "Ka'ililauokekoa" 3:30 p.m. -- Audience Award winners: -- Feature film, "The Debut" -- Documentary, "Buried Country" -- Short, "Taro Roots" 6:30 p.m. -- Golden Maile Best Feature: "Chunhyang" 9:30 p.m. -- NETPAC winner: "Breaking the Silence" After a week on Oahu, the film festival moves to the neighbor islands through Nov. 16.