Film school urged for UH
By Beverly Creamer
Advertiser Education Writer
A film school at the University of Hawai'i — focusing on international cinema and themes of Hawai'i, Asia and the Pacific — could begin as early as fall 2004, according to recommendations of a special UH task force.
The Film School Task Force, appointed by UH President Evan Dobelle, also suggests students could begin film studies this fall by taking advantage of existing courses.
Film experts say such a school could provide a major boost for the state's film industry, already valued at about $100 million a year. University officials say the new school also would help boost UH enrollment.
"A film school can play an important role in giving us the clout we need to really build this industry," said Donne Dawson, manager of the Hawai'i State Film Office.
The task force report puts the price tag at $205,000 for start-up costs, including a director and secretary; lecturers and graduate assistants; and a series of visiting professionals.
More than 200 community members — many deeply involved in film — came together to offer ideas that were incorporated into the report. Partnerships with well-established entities, such as the Hawai'i International Film Festival and Pacific Islanders in Communication, will be "integral to the success of the program," the report said.
Chuck Boller, executive director of the Hawai'i International Film Festival, said a film school is "vital" to the film industry in Hawai'i, not just as an economic driver, but as an outlet for student work. In the past, he said, films made here "have been picked up internationally" and this would further enhance that potential.
Dawson was enthusiastic but said a film school needed to work with those entities to enhance development of a fledgling film industry. Though Hawai'i's film business has had some success, it still takes a back seat to the multibillion-dollar industries in Canada and California, she said.
"The two need to move forward together, with the industry afforded the same amount of support" as the film school, said Dawson. "If we can build the industry with the same momentum as creating this film school and educating students to become part of the infrastructure, we can create the critical mass to really turn the corner."
Tax credits for film projects in Hawai'i are already a big draw, said Dawson, but the state could do more by providing a wage and salary tax credit and adjusting some of the criteria already in place.
The governor's capital improvements budget request to the state Legislature includes $7 million for planning and design for a building to include computer sciences, film and information technology.
Allan Ah San, associate vice president for administration and the point man for campus construction, told the Legislature last week that he's hoping these popular programs will increase enrollment and boost tuition revenues.
Current plans would put the 164,000-square-foot facility close to Kennedy Theater.
Filmmaker Vilsoni Hereniko, an associate professor for the Center for Pacific Islands Studies at UH, is also enthusiastic — but for the opportunity that Pacific Islanders will now have to tell their stories their way.
"It's important to have our own film school so our people are not just consumers of Hollywood pictures, but become producers of our own images," Hereniko said. "Who better to do this than us?"
And the film festival, founded by his wife, Jeannette Paulson Hereniko, would give students a perfect venue.
"It could provide an avenue to showcase their work," Hereniko said.
The task force was headed by Tom Brislin, chair of the School of Communications, and included 15 people from the university, community and the industry.
Reach Bev Creamer at bcreamer@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8013.
