'Kilauea' aims to put local talent center stage

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Editor

Producers want to film "Kilauea," a coming-of-age film about a family of Waikiki entertainers, on location in Hawai'i in 2003. But first they have to find the talent and the cash.

"It's a very cool story," said Peter Britos. Advertiser library photo

Britos, a graduate of the University of Southern California film school, said he expects to launch production in 2003, upon completion of casting and fund-raising.

"Kilauea" refers to the volcanic environment of the Big Island, central to the strength and philosophy of the central character, Kaimi Valdez, a 16-year-old girl who journeys to the area in search of solace.

"It's a very cool story about the coming of age of a 16-year-old girl, whose father comes from that generation and circuit that looked at Alfred Apaka as the hero," said Britos.

His company, Black Sand Productions Inc. of Los Angeles, will produce the film, which follows denizens of the Waikiki show and restaurant circuits.

	'Kilauea'
•	A film by Peter Britos to be produced by his Black Sand Productions Inc.
•	Inquiries:
	Black Sand Productions Inc., 3812 Aloha St., Los Angeles, CA 90027
	(323) 662-1817
	www.blacksand.tv
	production@blacksand.tv

Kahawai's screenplay won the coveted Walt Disney Fellowship Writers Award, Britos said. In addition to the Disney laurel, Kahawai won a USC Cinema-Television Graduate Screenwriting Scholarship, so the plan to shoot a movie is part of an ongoing journey of the original material.

Britos and another USC chum, Anne Misawa, are behind the project. They intend to hire as many Hawai'i residents as possible in both on- and off-camera capacities.

"I wanted to work on something that's real, yet fantastically entertaining," said Britos. "We've all grown up with 'Hawaii Five-O' and 'Magnum P.I.' in Hawai'i, but that's not about real people doing real things."

Britos is a professor of film and TV studies at the USC School of Cinema and Television, but he also teaches in the University of Santa Barbara's film studies program. He is a 1979 graduate of Castle High School and a former actor who worked in television but migrated to films and film education.

"Our hope is to hire talent from Hawai'i," he said. "That's why we set up a table reading, so actors could meet the producers and directors and others involved in the project."

Most of the participants came from Kumu Kahua, the local theater group specializing in works by island playwrights and dealing with the Hawai'i experience, and most hadn't done much film or TV work, he said.

"And the reason is, a lot of the time, when a project comes to Hawai'i, it needs local color, but most of the major (and some minor) parts are cast on the Mainland. So locals don't have much of a chance."

With a script that includes pidgin dialogue and plans to shoot on O'ahu and the Big Island, Britos said it's vital for "Kilauea" to assemble a cast that reflects the land and the lingo.

"I think it's become a global film market," he said, "with this kind of regional depiction totally viable. People go to see stuff like 'The Full Monty' and 'Amelie' because they're good stories with good scripts. I think ours has potential, too."

But like other independent filmmakers, he has to generate money to fuel the film.

"Part of my trip back home was to scout around and talk up the project," he said. "We need to get the support of the Hawaiian community; financially, too, to invest in something that has a local voice."

Britos and other moviemakers of his ilk often find it tough to get behind closed doors. "Normally, in foreign markets, governments subsidize films," he said. "Something like this could easily get a $1 million commitment from, say, the Spanish government, if we were in Spain."

Britos said he taped the table reading and selected short scenes for a video that could serve as an introduction to the project.

"When you go the indie route, no rules apply," he said. "Economically, culturally and socially, we're trying to drum up support in Hawai'i, not just for this project, but for all stories about Hawai'i to be filmed in Hawai'i."

Consequently, Britos is looking outside the box for pre-distribution dollars in Europe and Asia, and for other traditional and nontraditional funding sources.

Both Britos and Misawa have considerable experience in show business, producing and directing for TV, features, shorts, video and radio.

Britos was media manager at KHNL and KFVE TV before moving to California. In California, he worked as an executive at Burbank-based Dees Entertainment, where he directed the company's communications network, TV and radio production, including a widely listened-to syndicated music countdown show, "The Rick Dees Weekly Top 40," and the more recently syndicated "The Rick Dees in the Morning Show."

At VIBE-TV, where he was a segment producer, Britos integrated TV and Internet technology for actor/comedian Sinbad and his cast of regulars, writing and producing for a host of notables, including James Cameron, Jimmy Smits, Samuel L. Jackson, Enrique Iglesias, Carmen Electra, Hillary Swank, Chow Yun Fat, Robert Duvall, Jon Voight, Yo Yo Ma, Chaka Khan and Kobe Bryant.

Misawa, formerly from Niu Valley, is director of photography for "Kilauea."

For the lead character, Kaimi, initial auditions have been held, but Britos and Misawa are continuing their search. While acting experience is not necessary, the actress must be a dancer (hula kahiko and 'auwana, Tahitian, ballroom) and be able to free-dive and participate in some physical feats, such as martial arts moves and rock-climbing.

Plans call for the use of Hawai'i-based music for the soundtrack, said Britos. The project is targeted for the film-festival circuit and general theatrical release worldwide.