Let's get action for Isle films

By Lee Cataluna
Advertiser Staff Writer

I had to pick my jaw up from the floor. My eyes nearly fell out of their sockets. My ears are still ringing (but in a good way).

I never thought I'd hear the words being spoken at the State Capitol (by a banker, to make it even more amazing), but there they were, bold and true:

"For many years, the world's only glimpse of Hawai'i was via Hollywood or New York or Tokyo. We know our state has many stories to tell about our history, our people and our culture. By supporting Hawai'i filmmakers, we support Hawai'i stories being told by Hawai'i people."

Wayne Miyao of City Bank got a hearty round of applause from the small group gathered at the Legislature's Film Industry Day (City Bank was a sponsor of the event). Of course, he was preaching to the choir, but the core group of Hawai'i's working filmmakers and industry professionals haven't heard that kind of talk in, well, forever.

Interim State Film Office manager Donne Dawson (can we keep her?) organized a panel of distinguished local filmmakers to speak at the gathering. There was Kala'iokona Ontai, writer and director of "Ka'ililaukekoa," the first full-length feature film in Hawaiian; Elizabeth Lindsey Buyers, writer and director of the documentary "And Then There Were None"; Aaron Yamasato, who's work includes an uproarious claymation spoof of "Titanic" (told from the point of view of the iceberg); and Ryan Kawamoto, who's piece "Twilight" is a haunting look at the ravages of Alzheimer's.

As each person was introduced, clips were shown of their film projects. It was stunning. No one really had to speak after that. The images on the screen did all the talking, showing eloquently the immense talent, vision and courage Hawai'i filmmakers have.

And there are others. There are filmmakers and screenwriters and actors in this town working at coffee houses and shoe stores and bento counters, artists with the talent to make world-class films that bring fame and fortune to the Islands.

And finally, the words are being spoken: We need to grow Hawai'i's film industry from the inside.

What is this going to mean for independent filmmaking in Hawai'i? In terms of the Legislature, probably not much.

Those folks are so snake-bit after "Baywatch Hawai'i" that they're not about to go out on a limb for a while. It'll take a long time to convince the powers-that-be in these islands of the wisdom of sponsoring a local film industry that has paid off so handsomely for Australia, England and Ireland.

But then again, independent film is just that, independent, relying not on big studio money or government handouts, but on talent that burns bright, determination that never flags, and the drive of a story that just wants to be told.

Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. E-mail her at lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com.