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Cats rule opening night at the Hawai'i International Film Festival's annual spring showcase. Global variety awaits
at spring film festBy Tim Ryan
tryan@starbulletin.comThe seven-day event, running April 19 to 25 at the Signature Dole Cannery Theatres, opens with Peter Bogdanovich's "The Cat's Meow" and Jeong Jae-eun's "Take Care of My Cat." The festival will close with Alfonso Cuarón's acclaimed "Y Tu Mama Tambien," a Mexican road-trip film.
Here is the schedule:
April 19
>> "The Cat's Meow" (USA, 2001): William Randolph Hearst brought some of the century's best-known personalities aboard his yacht in November of 1924, which led to a still-unsolved, hushed-up killing. Stars Kirsten Dunst as Marion Davies, Edward Hermann as Hearst and Eddie Izzard as Charlie Chaplin. 6:30 p.m.>> "Take Care of My Cat" (South Korea, 2001): Three women search for their place in the world in this film, winner of the NETPAC Award for Best Asian Feature at Korea's Pusan Film Festival. 8:45 p.m.
Dates: April 19 to 25 HIFF SPRING FESTIVAL
Where: Signature Dole Cannery Theatres
Tickets: $7 general, $6 for HIFF Ohana members
Information: Call 528-3456 or visit www.hiff.org
Note: Ohana members may purchase advance tickets 1 to 9 p.m. Friday through Sunday at the Signature Dole Cannery Theatres box office, 1735-B Iwilei Road. Tickets for the general public go on sale next Monday.
April 20
>> "Asoka" (India, 2001): Epic chronicles the life of Prince Asoka, an Indian icon of peace and nonviolence. However, his path was streaked with jealousy and rage and paved with the blood of millions, as his evolution is unraveled from hopeless romantic to heartless warrior king seeking vengeance. Noon.>> "Ninjinsky" (Australia, 2001): With diary excerpts narrated by Sir Derek Jacobi, the film captures fragments of the famous dancer's family life in 1917 when he was in exile in St. Moritz, suffering a nervous breakdown while waiting for the war to end. 1 p.m.
>> "Under the Moonlight" (Iran, 2001): A young Iranian, Seyyed Hassan, studies at Quran school and will soon become a mullah. Seyyed buys new clothes for the occasion but is robbed and sets off looking for the thief, discovering a dark side of society. This may be one of the first Iranian films to question the self-enclosed world of religion. 3:15 p.m., and 6:30 p.m. April 24.
>> "How Harry Became a Tree" (Ireland/U.K./France/Italy, 2001): Based on a classic Chinese fable, this fable involves Harry (Colm Meaney), a poor farmer who believes that to define a life, one must have an enemy, thus focusing his hatred toward shopkeeper George. 3:30 p.m., and 6 p.m. April 24.
>> "Cherish" (USA, 2001): Robin Tunney plays a woman under house arrest who cooks up weird schemes to escape, to no avail. Tim Blake Nelson delivers her ankle bracelets, and love blossoms but is disrupted by a stalker. 6:30 p.m.
>> "Agitator" (Japan, 2001): Political and business machinations are under way when a hit on a yakuza leader paves the way for a merger of rival gangs. However, one gang, aghast by this betrayal, sets a chain reaction of revenge in order to protect the yakuza code. 8:45 p.m.
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April 21
>> "The Mystic Masseur" (Trinidad, 2001): This adaptation of V.S. Naipaul's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel is set in colonial 1940s Trinidad. Ganesh sets up shop as a masseur to support himself and new wife, Leela, while pursuing his dream of writing a book. He becomes an expert on Hinduism and mystical "healing" and proclaims himself the Mystic Masseur; propelled by fame, Ganesh enters politics, a move that forces him to face the conflict between his ambitions and his values. 1 p.m.>> "Chicken Rice War" (Singapore, 2001): An erudite take on "Romeo & Juliet," pitting the Wongs against the Changs. The dueling families both own famous chicken and rice eateries. 1:15 p.m., and 6 p.m. April 23.
>> "Markova: Comfort Gay" (Philippines, 2001): Forced to prostitute himself for the Japanese armed forces during the WWII occupation of the Philippines, Markova escapes, but his battle isn't over even when U.S. forces liberate the country. A true story. 3:30 p.m.
>> "Roots & Branches" (China, 2001): A tragic accident leaves the four children of the Qi family orphaned. They are separated and lose touch with one another after escaping their persecuting relatives for their respective foster homes. 3:30 p.m., and 6:30 p.m. April 23.
>> "Dogtown & Z-Boys" (U.S., 2001): Chronicles the humble beginnings of the skate-surf movement in Dogtown (a grungy area of Santa Monica) from the '70s to its eventual mainstream success. The film is humorous and off kilter, narrated by Sean Penn. 6:30 p.m.
>> "Lan Yu" (China/Hong Kong, 2001): Based on a popular Internet novel, "Lan Yu" is a romantic love story set against the cultural and political upheaval of 1980s China, leading up to the Tiananmen Square massacre. 8:45 p.m.
>> "The Princess Blade" (Japan, 2001): Yuki uses her sword to cut through more than her foes -- she tries to cut through her past, in seeking happiness. But filial piety and demons hold her back, and she soon uncovers a dark secret that reveals her destiny. 9 p.m.
The HIFF Spring Film Festival will be followed by the third annual Hawaii Student Film Festival, April 26 to 28 at the Signature Dole Cannery Theatres. The three-day event will showcase new films by students from kindergarten and up, from across the United States. STUDENT SHOWCASE
The student festival also includes free seminars conducted by film professionals from script analysis to "how to break into the business."
Tickets for the screenings are $5, $3 for children. For a schedule, contact Paul Booth at 808-823-9208 or visit www.hiff.org.
April 22
>> "What Time Is It There?" (Taiwan, 2001): After the death of the family patriarch, his wife and son become the victims of the mundane. While Mom prays constantly for the return of her husband's spirit, son Hsiao Kang sells watches in Taipei's streets, where he becomes infatuated by a woman who leaves for the City of Lights. To console himself, he tries to set all Taipei's clocks to Paris time, while the love of his life is overwhelmed with loneliness in France. 6:30 p.m.>> "Rain" (New Zealand, 2001): It's 1972, and Janey (Alicia Fulford-Wierzbicki) travels to the beach for a long holiday with her family. Mimicking her mom, Janey begins to steal smokes and sets her sights on becoming an adult, with unforeseen results. 8:45 p.m.
April 23
>> "Flower Island" (South Korea, 2001): Three women form a bond of pain as they search for a mythical island that will heal their wounds. 8:45 p.m.
April 24
>> "Pistol Opera" (Japan, 2001): Sequel to the psychedelic '60s cult classic "Branded to Kill" follows the exploits of No. 3 Killer, Stray Cat. With her kimono, black army boots and pistol in hand, Stray Cat is a force to be reckoned with. The film flows with mood, tone, sounds and color, incorporating European film styles and philosophy, rather than plot points and exposition. 8:45 p.m.
April 25
>> "La Spagnola" (Australia, 2001): Lola lives in squalor after husband Ricardo buys a flashy sports car with the last of the family savings and runs off with his new blond lover Wendy, in this quirky comedy. Ricardo soon expires, leaving everything to Wendy. Scorned, Lola seeks revenge by hatching a plan to steal back the sports car. 6:30 p.m.>> "Y Tu Mama Tambien" (Mexico/USA, 2001): Best friends Julio and Tenoch live the life of privileged teen slackers. On a road trip to a beach called Boca del Cielo (Heaven's Mouth), they're joined by sexy older woman Luisa and begin a journey of seduction, betrayal and the harsh realities of society and poverty. 8:45 p.m.
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