Posted on: Saturday, October 5, 2002

Film by 'You Somebody' star, brother to show in L.A. festival

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Editor

"The Procrastinators," a short comic film written by and starring brothers Andy and Ray Bumatai, will be shown at the Los Angeles Film Festival Oct. 15-20.

The movie, directed by Shawn Hiatt and produced by Dawn Kaniaupio, also will be exhibited at this year's Hawai'i International Film Festival, Nov. 1-10.

Its first local screening will be at the 2002 'Ohina Short Film Showcase, set for Oct. 18 and 19 at the Honolulu Academy of Arts. Showtimes will be announced.

"It's a unique approach to narrator-driven films," said Ray Bumatai, a star of the "You Somebody" at Diamond Head Theatre. "The narrator has an influence over what happens on screen and can manipulate dialogue."

The film was shot with high-definition cameras, he said, then transferred to film, with production completed earlier this year before Bumatai did "You Somebody." During the run of the musical, Bumatai had to drop out of the cast to have a brain tumor removed, but he said he will attend the L.A. festival with Kaniaupio for the Oct. 19 screening.

"We shot the film on a modest budget, in conjunction with Alpha Media, all over the island — at Yokohama, Sandy Beach, Makapu'u, Wahiawa," Bumatai said.

In the biker parody film, both Bumatais ride vintage Harley-Davidsons they built themselves.

"My bike broke down while filming, and I had to fix it at a 7-Eleven," Bumatai said. "Our bikes are so old, we say they need the three Rs: repeated roadside repairs."

The film also has been submitted to the Sundance and Toronto film festivals, and the brothers eventually hope to expand the little work into a feature.