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Hawaii Heats Up the Film Festival Circuit

October 13, 2009 at 3:38 PM | by | Comments (0)

A scene from Noriben, playing at this year's Hawaii International Film Festival.

Though the time for Tribeca, Cannes, and Toronto has come and gone, the film festival circuit hasn't screeched to a halt. There's Sundance to look forward to, of course, but a welcome alternative to similar large-scale hype galas are festivals held far away from Los Angeles, New York, and other metropoles.

Hawaii may not be Hollywood, but there's still creativity abound on the big island. And while it may not attract as much attention as, say, Berlin, the Hawaii International Film Festival has earned a well-respected reputation among cinema's inner circle, with people like Roger Ebert praising its East-meets-West sensibility.

This year's HIFF kicks off on Thursday, October 15th and runs through the 25th, with a lineup of films that represent the best, emerging creative minds from Asia and the Pacific Rim. This is where Ang Lee started to attract international attention pre-Brokeback Mountain, pre-Crouching Tiger, so it's safe to say the programmers have an eye for talent.

If you're around the sun-soaked climes of HI, make an effort to see movies like BFF: Best Friends Forever, a certified blockbuster in the Philippines that probably won't make it to your local multiplex. Other movies worth catching include Noriben: The Recipe for Fortune, a Japanese film about love, food, and personal revelations, and Mammoth, starring Gael Garcia Bernal and Michelle WIlliams, about a wealthy New York couple, their child, and their Filipino nanny.

Tickets to screenings can be purchased individually online, or in person at the box office located at 650 Iwilei, #101, across from the theaters. But if your heart is set on seeing a certain film, you'll want to plan ahead. You can also register online to create your own film calendar and rate and review films as you attend screenings. It's your chance to channel A.O. Scott...in a tropical-print shirt.

Related Stories
· Hawaii International Film Festival [Official Site]
· Hawaii coverage [Jaunted]
· Film Festival coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: HIFF]

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