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Reel News Tim Ryan |
‘Whale Rider’ stars
at Maui film festivalThe biggest hit of the Maui Film Festival was New Zealand's "Whale Rider" about a feisty young girl staking her claim on Maori traditions. Part credit in getting the pic to Maui goes to Hawaii Film Office manager Donne Dawson and Big Island Film commissioner Marilyn Killeri. The pair saw the pic at the Sundance Film Festival this year, then told fellow travelers and Maui fest directors Barry and Stella Rivers that "Whale Rider" was a must get. (The film is scheduled to open in Honolulu June 27.)
Short-film standout was "Most," a 29-minute drama about a bridge-tender which won best short film and best newcomer honors for filmmaker Bobby Garabedian, who promised the Riverses his first feature film will be shown there.
The surfing documentary "Step Into Liquid" by Dana Brown had the biggest audience in the festival's history, 3,010. The film ends with breathtaking footage of tow-in surfers riding 60- to 70-foot open ocean waves at Cortez Banks, a seamount 100 miles off the coast of San Diego. The film opens here in August, and Brown promises a major Honolulu premiere.
A must-see venue was the Digital Sky Dome, under the stars on the roof of the Outrigger Marriott Hotel, which boasted exceptional sound and crisp imagery. Rivers plans for some new venues next year, including screenings "on the ocean." ...
Execs for NBC's newest reality show "Average Joe" are still negotiating with a luxury Big Island resort to film part of nine prime time episodes there next month for a fall airing. The decision will likely come down this week. "Average Joe" would be the fifth reality show to film on the Big Island in two years. ...
The battle between the Australian film industry and the U.S. over a free trade agreement has shifted to the digital front. The Australian Film Commission and industry guilds are worried that U.S. negotiators will press for a standstill agreement, which would mean the Down Under folks could not enact new cultural policies, including regulating or subsidizing broadband and digital services. The next round of U.S.-Australia talks are slated for Honolulu next month where Australian negotiators expect the U.S. to spell out its demands for access to the media and entertainment markets.
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Contact Tim Ryan at tryan@starbulletin.com.