10 WHO MADE A DIFFERENCE:
Barry Rivers
His Maui Film Festival
generates some heavy
Hollywood buzz
Barry Rivers made June's Maui Film Festival at Wailea one of Hawaii's most prestigious events.
The annual festival generates major Hollywood buzz for its quality of films, prominent attendance by filmmakers and actors, and beautiful outdoor theaters.
The festival began four years ago as a 15-film, $250,000, three-venue event attracting 6,300 people but grew this year to a 55-film, $1.5 million, four-venue affair that attracted more than 17,000 people; doubled the number of awards to four with the addition of Lights Cameras Passion and the Stella, named after Rivers' wife and co-host; a Father's Day music concert; and 30 major sponsors -- more than double the inaugural year's number.
Some fought controversial battles. Others made headlines or worked quietly behind the scenes. But all made an impact on Hawaii in 2003 and are thus recognized as the Star-Bulletin's 10 who made a difference.
Media coverage has quadrupled from year one with journalists coming in from across the United States to attend the five-day festival that this year included E! television, which used festival as a backdrop for an hour-long pilot, another first.
Year four's festival was the star of special-section front-page stories and color photos in Variety, Hollywood's entertainment bible, and the Hollywood Reporter, as well as stories in national magazines and major newspapers like the Los Angeles Times.
The festival's buzz quotient has not been lost on the state's Hawaii Tourism Authority, which doubled its annual contribution this year to $100,000 from $50,000, while the Maui Film Office more than doubled its share to $25,000 from $10,000.
Rivers and his wife also show specially chosen films throughout the year at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center and, for two weeks during the December holiday season, host the FirstLight film series, geared toward screening movies likely to be considered for Academy Awards, for the convenience of vacationing filmmakers who will be voting on the films.
Plans in the works that could begin this June include a surfing competition as well as fashion and comedy events.
