COURTESY OF HIFF
"Dirty Deeds" is an Australian crime comedy that will be shown Tuesday.
Films focus While the Hawaii International Film Festival has built its reputation on presenting American debuts of top Asian films in the past, this year's spring festival will focus on films from Europe.
on Europe
The Hawaii International Film Festival
» HIFF schedule
begins its spring lineup of movies
» 3 tales set in French town
» Implausible yawner
» Con vs. conBy Gary C.W. Chun
gchun@starbulletin.com"We thought it would be good to broaden our palette, so to speak, with films from other countries," said film coordinator Anderson Le. "It just so happens that a number of the recent good films have come from Europe, although we'll keep with our Asian Rim focus at our main festival in November."
Le said there are four films in particular that festival-goers should pay attention to, all playing at the Signature Dole Cannery multiplex:
>> "Bend It Like Beckham" (6:30 p.m. today; reviewed on yesterday's Entertainment page): "It is an amazing film, such a raucous comedy with endearing characters. It's part of the evolution of ethnic comedies that started with 'Monsoon Wedding' and 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding' that have broad appeal," he said. "The director, Gurinder Chadha, attended one of our very first festivals with 'Bhaji on the Beach,' and it was always her intention to make a big, broad comedy. It's about an Indian girl who loves soccer, but her upbringing with her family in England restricts her from showing her enthusiasm for the sport. It totally works, bringing elements of sports, romance and winning against all odds."
>> "The Sea" (6:30 p.m. Tuesday): "It's a film from Iceland and the director of '101 Reykjavik,' a film that played at our main 2001 festival. It's about the destruction of a family in a small village in Iceland. The adult children go back home to celebrate the birthday of the father, who wants them to run the family business. Not only is the family in charge of the fishing business, but it also employs the entire town. The battle within the family threatens to shut down the town's industry. Director Baltasar Kormakur has put together a well-constructed family drama."
>> "La Trilogie" (noon and 3 p.m. tomorrow, and 3 p.m. Sunday; review on opposite page): "These three interlocking films are the most ambitious of the films we're showing. In some ways, it's like Krzysztof Kiselowski's 'Trois Couleurs,' in the sense it's a trilogy of films, but, with these films, they all have basically separate story lines. Taking place in a small town in France, these films expose the notion of love in different genres -- one is kind of like a comedy, another, a crime caper film, and the last a straightforward drama. They were made by a new director, Lucas Belvaux."
>> "The Tracker" (6:30 p.m. tomorrow): "This is from Australia, and the director, Rolf de Heer, showed his 'Dance Me to My Song' at our '97 festival. It's a great film, like an allegory or fable. It's set in the turn-of-the-century Outback. Three white officers are tracking an Aboriginal man accused of killing a white woman, and they use another Aborigine to help track him down. Incorporating folk music and paintings, the film shows how the tracker outsmarts his bosses. It's well shot and has a great story."
The remaining films include the Spanish social melodrama "Mondays in the Sun," starring Oscar nominee Javier Bardem of "Before Night Falls" fame, the French comedy "Monday Morning," "Bollywood/Hollywood" from Canada (review on opposite page), and American entries "Confidence" (review on today's Entertainment page), a crime drama starring Dustin Hoffman and Edward Burns, and "A Decade Under the Influence," a documentary on American films made during the turbulent '70s.
Late entries include the South Korean boxing drama "Champion"; the Australian crime comedy "Dirty Deeds," starring Toni Collette, Sam Neill, John Goodman and Bryan Brown; "Poolhall Junkies," with Oscar nominee Christopher Walken, Chazz Palminteri and the late Rod Steiger; and, in keeping with the festival's original intentions, two Asian films from Hong Kong: the light comedy "Love for All Seasons" and the atmospheric supernatural thriller "The Eye."
"It's our sixth year," said Le about the spring festival, "and it's going strong and gets more popular every year, providing an alternative venue for international cinema."
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Here is the schedule for the sixth annual Hawaii International Film Festival. All films will be shown at the Signature Dole Cannery 9 or 10 theaters. On screen
Tickets are $8 general; $6 HIFF Ohana members, seniors, students and military.
If there is a cancellation, tickets for the particular screening will be exchanged at no cost for tickets to a film that is not sold out. Exchanges at patron's request can be made for a $2 handling fee.
All ticket purchases and exchanges will be made at the Signature Dole Cannery box office.
Today
>> 6:30 p.m. -- "Bend It Like Beckham"
>> 9 p.m. -- "Confidence"
Tomorrow
>> Noon -- "La Trilogie: Cavale"
>> 3 p.m. -- "La Trilogie: Un Couple Épatant"
>> 6:30 p.m. -- "The Tracker"
>> 9 p.m. -- "The Eye"
Sunday
>> Noon -- "A Decade Under the Influence"
>> 3 p.m. -- "La Trilogie: Apres la Vies"
>> 6:30 p.m. -- "Bollywood / Hollywood"
>> 9 p.m. -- "The Tracker"
Monday
>> 6:30 p.m. -- "Monday Morning"
>> 9 p.m. -- "Poolhall Junkies"
Tuesday
>> 6:30 p.m. -- "The Sea"
>> 9 p.m. -- "Dirty Deeds"
Wednesday
>> 6:30 p.m. -- "Love for All Seasons"
>> 9 p.m. -- "Monday Morning"
Thursday
>> 6:30 p.m. -- "Champion"
>> 9 p.m. -- "Mondays in the Sun"
Hawaii International Film Festival
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calendars and events.
