Happy days
for film buffs

HIFF '97 annual film treat

By Tim Ryan
Star-Bulletin

One hundred films, 26 screens, six islands, 14 days.

November is the time of the year when film buffs and those who enjoy "foreign" features that rarely make it to Hawaii take vacations, call in sick or take long lunches to watch tens of thousands of feet of celluloid presented annually at the Hawaii International Film Festival.

The problem with the festival -- Nov. 7-Nov. 20 -- is not so much deciding which films deserve your time, but finding a way to see as many as possible over such a short period. And that's not even factoring in the special events, seminars and meet-the-filmmakers' gatherings.

Nearly every country in the Pacific rim this year is represented in feature films and documentaries: China, Japan, India, Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Canada.

The Festival Program Guide is available in the current issue of Honolulu Weekly; tickets go on sale to the general public Saturday.

20th Century Fox<BR> Sigourney Weaver stars in "The Ice Storm,"
showing at the film festival Nov. 7. Director
Ang Lee will introduce the film and take
questions afterward.

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Several filmmakers and actors are coming, including directors Ang Lee and Arthur Dong, and actors Toni Collete, co-star of "Muriel's Wedding"; Miranda Otto of "Love Serenade"; Rajit Kapur, the Tom Cruise of India; Qu Ying, star of Zhang Yimou's "Keep Cool"; John Ritter, co-star of "Hacks" and "Slingblade"; Dave Foley, also of "Hacks" and TV's "News Radio"; Academy Award-winning cinematographer John Seale; and a festival fixture, film critic Roger Ebert. "Hacks" stars Tom Arnold and Illeana Douglas also have been invited.

The festival kicks off Nov. 7 at the Hawaii Theatre with the exclusive screening of the Cannes Film Festival winner "The Ice Storm," starring Sigourney Weaver and Kevin Kline. Ang Lee, the film's director, will introduce the film and afterward will take questions from the audience.

Other festival highlights are Michael Winterbottoms' "Welcome to Sarajevo" (UK) starring Marisa Tomei and Woody Harrelson; Atom Egoyan's drama "The Sweet Hereafter" (Canada) with John Hurt; Shinobu Yaguchi's comedy "My Secret Cache" (Japan); Eric Khoo's "12 Stories" (Singapore); "True Love and Chaos" (Australia) starring Miranda Otto ("Love Serenade") and Noah Taylor ("Shine"); Shohel Imamura's Cannes winner "The Eel" (Japan); "Flight of the Albatross" (New Zealand) starring Jack Thompson; and Arthur Dong's Audience Seattle Film Festival award-winner, "Licensed to Kill."

The festival this year will honor the films of Lee and Dong.

The Dong retrospective is the first-ever to includes all his film work, beginning with the 1970 high school film "Public" up to the recently released "Licensed to Kill." Other Dong films at the festival are "Forbidden City, USA," "Coming Out Under Fire," "Lotus" and "Sewing Woman."

Lee's work has an unusually wide scope that runs from 18th-century England to 1990s Taiwan: "Fine Line," "Pushing Hands," "Eat Drink Man Woman," "The Wedding Banquet," "Sense & Sensibility" and "The Ice Storm."

Pacific Rim countries are well-represented under the festival theme "Better Living Through Celluloid":

The "Australian Wave" includes a bumper crop of first-rate dramas and comedies: "Blackrock," "True Love and Chaos," "Kiss or Kill," "Mao's New Suit," "Advertising Missionaries" and "Taking Pictures."

The "American Independent Alternatives" section includes "Hacks," "1999," "Allie and Me," "Beyond Paradise" (world premiere), "Yellow," "Wonderland," "The Shot Heard 'Round the World," "Beyond Barbed Wire" and "The Blackfeet."

"China's Changing Faces" series includes "The Opium War" (China's official film of the Hong Kong changeover), "Happy Together," "Comrades," "Almost A Love Story" (nine Hong Kong film awards including best picture), "Young and Dangerous 3," "Made in Hong Kong," "Lifeline," "Feline" and "The River." Zhang Yimou, an acclaimed Chinese filmmaker, returns to showcase his new film, "Keep Cool."

Six Indian films and commentary pieces are showcased in "India as a Spiritual Center," marking the 50th anniversary of India's independence from the British: "The Making of the Mahatma," "The Red Door," "The Flight," "Deep River," "Broken Silence" and "Traveling Song."

The "Best New Films From Japan" series includes "Postman Blues," "Suzaku," "Supermarket Woman," "My Secret Cache," "Memories of the Soil," "Isamu Noguchi: Stones and Paper."

"Korean Cinema Perspectives" presents "A Petal," "Three Friends," "Pyongyang Diaries" and "Homeless."

The "Focus on Southeast Asia" section shows the growth of the film industry in this region through films and shorts that feature contemporary issues:

Malaysia: "From Jemapoh to Manchestee" and "Amok"

Singapore: "12 Stories," "God or Dog" and "Bugis Street"

Thailand: "Fun Bar Karaoke" and "Dream Society"

Vietnam: "An Oath" and "The Long Journey"

The Philippines: "Milagros," "Deep in Paradise," "Children Only Once" and "Why is There a Yesterday?"

Festival-goers with more "provocative" tastes can attend "Films Auntie Shouldn't See": "Nowhere," "Famewhore," "My Teacher Eats Biscuits," "I Married a Strange Person" and "Bugis Street."

As for awards, several are being presented, including the coveted Golden Maile for film and documentary that best promote cultural understanding.

Nominees include "Shot Heard 'Round the World," "Kiss or Kill," "Homeless," "The Long Journey," "Mao's New Suit," "My Secret Cache," "Homesick Eyes," "Hacks," "12 Storeys" and "Isamu Noguchi: Stones and Paper."

(The Awards Ceremony and Reception will be held at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel on Nov. 13 at 6 p.m. Tickets are $50. Call 5288-HIFF for reservations.)

Other awards:

PrimeCo Hawaii Audience Award where viewers pick their favorite film.

Eastman Kodak Cinematography Award, presented to Academy Award-winning Cinematographer John Seale for his work on "The English Patient," "Dead Poets Society," "Gorillas in the Mist" and "Witness."

Vision in Film Award to Ang Lee

Aloha Airlines Hawaii Film and Videomaker's Award for the best local offering.

Seminars include film critic Ebert's free "Democracy in the Dark," a stop-action, step-by-step journey through Akira Kurosawa's classic film "Ikiru." The talk will be held at the University of Hawaii's Art Auditorium at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 7 p.m. Monday and Wednesday.

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Luther Kahekili Makekau's story is told
in "One Kine Hawaiian Man."

Films from paradise

Hawaii Film and Videomakers

This series by top local filmmakers includes:

"Luther Kahekili Makekau: One Kine Hawaiian Man": Makekau, born during the reign of King Kalakaua, lived his life steeped in the traditions of his ancestors. This is the world premiere of the film by Eddie Kamae.

"Kau Sugar: A Town Remembers": Cliff Watson's tale of the closing of a Big Island sugar mill and the changes brought to the town of Pahala.

"Memories of Hawaii Five-0": Emme Tomimbang and James MacArthur -- "Dano" in the series -- embark on a nostalgic tour of Hawaii's best know television show. Kam Fong, Zoulou, Al Harrington and other cast members are interviewed, along with Jack Lord's wife, Marie.

"Living on Islands": Victoria Keith surveys the difficulties and problems -- environmental and otherwise -- of living within the limited resources of an island.

"Uiaki Foo: Resolving the Future": Taueva Faotusia examines the ambivalence of an island people, in this instance Tongans, accustomed to living as a kingdom and now faced with the promise of greater democracy.

"E Ola Ka Olelo Hawaii": The importance of preserving Hawaiian culture by keeping the Hawaiian language alive.

Short films: "Piig" (Jeremy Grosvenor), "Revelation for 25 cents" (Chikara Motomura), "Triumph & Tragedy of Hawaii's Last King, David Kalakaua" (Irene Yamashita), and "Ellison Onizuka, Hero to Hawaii" (Irene Yamashita).

Featuring Paradise

Film and panel series delves into perceptions of "paradise," from Hollywood's Hawaii stereotypes to documentation by indigenous peoples:

"Waikiki Wedding": 1937 film starring Bing Crosby, a young Anthony Quinn and several Hawaii performers.

"Taking Pictures": Filmmakers in Papua New Guinea explore the complex issue of cultural representation and the dynamics between those being filmed and those filming.

"Broken English": The producers of "Once Were Warriors" tell the story of a Caucasian woman who falls in love with a Maori.

"Song of the Islands": This 1934 drama by a small Hollywood production company was commissioned by the Hawaii Tourist Bureau and shown in several mainland theaters and on cruise ships.

"Sacred Vessels": Navigating Tradition and Identity in Micronesia": Vincent Diaz, a Micronesian scholar who studied in Hawaii in the early 1990s, explores the canoes of Guam and Polowat, not only as the foundation of his history but also as a metaphor for the history of the islands and islander travel.

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GENERAL INFORMATION

Festival dates: Nov. 7-14, Oahu; Nov. 14-20, Maui, Kauai, Big Island; Nov. 17-19, Lanai; Nov. 18-20, Molokai.

Tickets: Sales begin at 10 a.m. Saturday (see details below). Tickets are $5 for film society members; $6 for non-members. Admission is required for screenings at Hawaii Theatre, Honolulu Academy of Arts Theatre, University of Hawaii Art Auditorium, Arizona Memorial Visitors Center.

Free admission: On a first-come, first-served basis, to shows at Hawaii IMAX Theatre, McCoy Pavilion, Wo International Center at Punahou, East-West Center Imin Conference Center. No charge for "Stop, Look and Listen!" seminars and presentations.

Neighbor islands: All events are free.

Selecting films: Review film descriptions and schedule of screenings in program guide, included in the current edition of Honolulu Weekly. Fill out the Honolulu Ticket Planner before ordering tickets.

CHARGE CARD ORDERS

Place orders Saturday through Nov. 13; Visa/Mastercard only:

Telephone: 528-HIFF (4433), 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Fax: Send completed ticket planner form to 591-1499.

Online: Complete ticket planner form on film festival Web site, http://www.hiff.org, then e-mail it to hiffinfo@hiff.org.

CASH/CHECK PAYMENTS

Must be made in person:

Ward Warehouse box office: Second floor, above Nohea Gallery, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday through Nov. 13. Orders processed while you wait. Visa/Mastercard also accepted.

Liberty House box office: Men's department, Ala Moana Center, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. Saturday and Sunday and Nov. 8-9. No charge cards accepted.

TICKET PICK-UP

Orders placed by Nov. 6: Tickets ordered by 5 p.m. may be picked up the following day at Ward Warehouse box office, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Tickets ordered after 5 p.m. will be ready two days later.

Orders placed Nov. 7-13: Pick up tickets at Ward Warehouse box office until 7 p.m. the day before your first screening. If your first screening takes place the day after your order is received, pick up all your tickets at Will Call at the venue of that first screening.

DAY OF SHOW TICKETS

Available only at the venue box office one hour before the first show of the day. Tickets will be sold until 10 minutes before show time. (Hawaii Theatre charges a $1 restoration fee on top of ticket price.)

ADMISSION POLICY

Red Ticket: Film Society patrons, benefactors and producers may enter theater 30 minutes before show time.

Blue Ticket: Film Society members, general public, may enter 20 minutes before show time.

Ticketless: If any seats remain 10 minutes before show time, those in the "no-ticket line" will be admitted on a first-come, first-served basis. Line up as early as one hour before show time.

Latecomers: If no seats are left, no one will be admitted, NOT EVEN THOSE WHO HAVE TICKETS.

INFORMATION LINES

Oahu: 528-3456

Maui: (808) 244-9656

Kauai: (808) 823-0105

East Hawaii: (808) 969-9412

West Hawaii: (808) 325-7741

MISCELLANEOUS INFO

Don't call us: The festival staff will call if there are problems with your order. Do not call to confirm your requests. All screenings are subject to changes or cancellation.

Sell Out Hotline: 528-3456, has updates on changes.

Ticket exchange policy: Tickets are non-refundable. Exchanges must be handled in person at the Ward Warehouse box office at least one day before the screening. Handling fee for exchange is $1 per ticket. Day of show exchanges will not be allowed. In the event of a cancellation, you can exchange tickets for any screening that is not sold out.