BY GEORGE F. LEE / STAR-BULLETIN
Those who attended the Hawai'i International Film Festival's
Academy Awards party last night got to play at being an
Oscar audience -- although Steve Martin was a taped
image, not the real thing.

Oscarmania
at the W

Donations to HIFF
won partyers early
word on the winners

By Dave Donnelly
Star-Bulletin

Last night was Oscar night in Hollywood, but for those who attended the telecast of the affair at the Diamond Head Grill in the W Honolulu, it was a Doggone Good Day Afternoon.

The showing, arranged through KITV's Mike Rosenberg, was a benefit for the Hawai'i International Film Festival and for the benefit of those who hate delayed telecasts.

Those attending the Diamond Head Grill showing also had the advantage of seeing the telecast on a giant screen, and some members of the community were willing to come up with big bucks (in the form of donations to HIFF) to attend the 4 p.m. showing and enjoy a food feast as well.

BY GEORGE F. LEE / STAR-BULLETIN
Enjoying the party, from left, were filmmaker Eddie
Kamae, HIFF sponsor Dwight Damon and Pamai
Tenn, who took second place in the "Guess the
Winners" contest.

The many fans of the clever antics, both creatively prepared and ad-libbed, by former host Billy Crystal, and who then had to endure the self-love "Aren't I clever" attitude by the misplaced Whoopi Goldberg, had to take heart that the evening was in the hands of host Steve Martin, who rarely misfires.

You know that the HIFF people, namely Chuck Boller and Luella Costales, were pulling for Ang Lee -- who lost to "Traffic's" Steven Soderbergh -- and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" all the way.

That film was shown at their film festival at the Hawaii Theatre last fall -- one of four festivals showing the film nationwide, and Lee even made a personal appearance here in 1997 for the opening of the "The Ice Storm."

Beaming at the crowd, many in tuxedos, was HIFF board chairman Jeff Portnoy with wife Sandy. He was in a short-sleeved shirt. No tux? "I didn't want to show everyone up," he said.

Stuart Lee, brother of Jason Scott Lee, was there, but his more famous brother was not. Said Stuart, "He's a free spirit."

In the end, there was something for everyone, especially for the grand prize winner in HIFF's "Guess the Winners" contest.The grand prize went to Carlos Perez-Mesa. Second place went to Pamai Tenn. There was a four-way tie for the remaining prizes.

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