UH president says film school possible
By Scott Ishikawa
Advertiser Staff Writer
University of Hawai'i President Evan Dobelle, keynote speaker at the city's Regional Islandwide Vision Meeting, yesterday proposed that the university create a film school to complement the state's film studio at Diamond Head.
Kyle Sackowski • The Honolulu Advertiser
At the Hawai'i Convention Center meeting, Dobelle suggested that a full-degree program could be established in the film arts and television. Digital arts and technology could also be part of a growing state industry, Dobelle said.
Mayor Jeremy Harris welcomes Peter Bower and Barbara Lee Southern to the city meeting.
"The next step is to empower our local people to create films and television shows of national and international quality," Dobelle told a morning audience of 1,500. "It shouldn't only be Hollywood telling stories about Hawai'i. It should also be Hawai'i's people telling their own stories through film and television."
Dobelle had no timeline for his plan, but said he will discuss it with university officials tomorrow.
"I think it needs to have a close ties with a beautiful (film studio) facility that is probably underutilized," Dobelle said.
Dobelle's proposal for a UH film school drew hearty applause from the audience and Mayor Jeremy Harris.
Dobelle, who unveiled a plan last week to develop the UH-West O'ahu campus, said yesterday that the Kapolei project would complement a long-range plan to open jobs in that part of the island and ease traffic elsewhere.
The new campus could include a 60,000-seat football stadium and the UH medical school.
"The demographics are changing and are moving out to that side, so that's where we need to build," Dobelle said.
Yesterday's vision meeting was held to discuss proposals for improvements throughout O'ahu.
"We're putting the flesh on the bone now," Harris said.
The regional planning process seeks to go beyond goals set by 19 O'ahu community planning groups, each of which proposes local projects financed with
$2 million from the city. The long-range regional projects may be paid for with bonds and federal grants as well as city money.
The groups will present their final proposals to the city in November. Proposals so far include:
• Transforming the waterfront adjacent to Nimitz Highway by creating an underground traffic tunnel beneath Honolulu Harbor. A new marina and waterfront park also could be built off Sand Island Access Road.
• Developing the Pearl Harbor Historic Trail, by moving warehouse enterprises away from the waterfront and creating more attractive businesses.
• A second access road for the Wai'anae Coast.
• A Kamehameha Highway corridor tying North Shore communities with enhanced bikeways and sidewalks.
• A Windward O'ahu trail system offering hiking and horseback-riding trails.
People interested in becoming part of the city's vision process can call 523-CITY, or find more information online.
