Maui festival a treat for film buffs, stargazers

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

"Shaolin Soccer," a kind of cross between "The Bad News Bears" and "The Matrix," is among Asia's biggest box-office hits and one of 55 feature films to choose from during the Maui Film Festival. Miramax Films

For five nights, starting Wednesday, film aficionados will be faced with the daunting task of selecting which of 55 features and 20 shorts — being screened at five Maui venues — to put on their dance cards.

"We have a four-venue opening night this year," said Barry Rivers, festival founder and director, about the multiple screenings that put pressure on what to see. "In previous years, we opened only with Celestial Cinema with one overlapping program. But I think we've found the right combinations of films without compromising the program," he said.

Simply put, moviegoers will have to make choices in the fourth annual event.

"We've had a big advance sale, well over 50 percent so far of total sales last year, but we have no idea yet what attendance will be like," said Rivers. "But it's gonna be hot — and huge, because we've got sizzling films."

Unlike Honolulu's Hawai'i International Film Festival, held in conventional movie houses, the Maui Film Festival is set in a resort area, Wailea, so destination clearly is part of its magic. There are amenities a-plenty, and because the festival attracts certified Hollywood celebrities, oglers have a field day. Last year, Clint Eastwood made everybody's day; this year, Sir Anthony Hopkins tops a roster of announceable stars, since he's getting an award.

Further, the Maui festival boasts an incredible outdoor screening opportunity dubbed the Celestial Cinema, with films shown on a 50-foot-wide screen under a canopy of stars at the Wailea Gold & Emerald Golf Course, not far from the lapping Pacific waves. You couldn't begin to re-create this "theater" in Los Angeles. Similarly, a SandDance Theatre, oceanside on Wailea Beach below the Four Seasons Resort, means you can watch more outdoor films while wiggling your toes in the sand.

Add food, music and that stardust, and you have the makings for a true biggie, with all the requisite buzz and hype.

For starters, there will be several announced-in-advance movie stars, plus others you'll see and recognize in the flesh, enjoying the festival like an average Joe. Or Jane.

Identities of celebs generally are kept secret, in respect to their privacy, said Rivers. But word is already out that stargazers can expect Kelly Hu (local girl recently in "The Vagina Monologues," and one of the early summer flicks, "X2: X-Men Reunited"), Bai Ling (Vietnamese actress) and Keisha Castle-Hughes (star of the much-trumpeted "Whale Rider" film from New Zealand).

The festival already has received good press — The Hollywood Reporter, a trade publication, helped publicize the upcoming hoopla — and it's attracting mainstream media, both print (The Los Angeles Times, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter) and broadcast ("Entertainment Tonight"), eager to spread the gospel of the tropical festivities.

A trailer, luring visitors to the event with enticing tropical images, features a poem that Rivers wrote and a chant by Charles Kaupu. It is airing four times a day on 50 screens in the Wallace Theatre chain on the Mainland.

NASA has emerged as a festival sponsor, said Rivers. Consequently, "NASA: Bringing Digital Technology Back to Earth," will be an opening night attraction at the Digital Skydome site. Two companion films, "Above and Below Maui," which precedes the NASA film, and a trailer for "Step Into Liquid" following, are also on the bill.

"This is all terrific stuff — they put sizzle on the steak for our opening," said Rivers.

"It's difficult to say which will be the audience favorite, but 'Whale Rider' is the perfect film for Hawai'i," said Rivers of the Maori entry about female empowerment, with a mythical connection to marine life. "The young girl's (Keisha Castle-Hughes) performance surpasses any I've seen in a long time."

Maui Film Festival

Opens Wednesday, continues June 12, 13, 14 and 15.

At Wailea and other sites.

• Number of featured films: 55.
• Number of short films: 20.
• Venues for screenings: Celestial Cinema at the Wailea Gold & Emerald Golf Course; Castle Theater, at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center; McCoy Theater, at the MACC; Digital Skydome, at the Pacific Terrace of the Wailea Marriott; and SandDance Theatre, on the beach at the Four Seasons Resort in Wailea.

Special events:

• Opening-night reception: 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, the Fairmont Kea Lani. $45.
• Award presentations: the Stella Award, to Geena Davis, 5 p.m. June 12, Grand Wailea; the "Lights! Camera! Passion!" Award, to Rob Reiner, 6 to 7 p.m. June 12, Grand Wailea ($25 admission for both the Stella and "Lights!" programs); the Silversword Award, to Sir Anthony Hopkins, 5 to 7 p.m. June 13, Grand Wailea ($25); the Navigator Award, to Greg Kinnear, 9 a.m. June 14, Longhi's at The Shops at Wailea ($40, includes buffet).
• Taste of Wailea: 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. June 16, Wailea Gold & Emerald Golf Course. $95, includes June 14 Celestial Cinema screenings.
• Tommy Bahama Taste of Chocolate: 10 p.m. to 1 a.m June 14, Tommy Bahama at The Shops at Wailea. $25.
• Father's Day concert and picnic: 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. June 15, on the Sunset Lawn of the Diamond Resort Hawai'i, with music by Hapa (Barry Flanagan and Nathan Aweau), Ernie Cruz Jr., Charles Ka'upu and Jerry Santos. $25 for adults, $10 kids under 12.

Tips:

• Outdoor comfort: When attending Celestial Cinema, bring blanket, mat and low-backed beach chair; chairs also available for rent or purchase; no coolers, or outside food or drink, but snacks and drinks can be purchased.
• Parental guidance: Events with liquor service are not open to those 21 and younger, including major activities such as the awards presentations and Taste of Wailea; but the Father's Day Concert and Picnic is open to all.
• Single tickets: Celestial Cinema double features, $20; Celestial Cinema late show, $10; SkyDome, $10; Castle Theater and McCoy Theater, $10; SandDance, free to anyone with a previous night's ticket stub.
• Passes: There are various pass options, from $100 to $750.
• Information: (808) 572-3456.
• Online: www.mauifilmfestival.com.

Highlights from the Maui Film Festival:

• "Alex and Emma," a film by Rob Reiner. Luke Wilson is a novelist who hires Kate Hudson as his stenographer to whip out a manuscript in 30 days; she becomes part of the plot, not only of the novel, but of the romantic comedy. 8 p.m. Wednesday, Celestial Cinema.
• "American Aloha: Hula Beyond Hawai'i," a documentary on three hula halau, including that of Mark Keali'i Ho'omalu of California. 5 p.m. June 14, McCoy Theater.
• "Brothers on Holy Ground," a documentary on New York firefighters two weeks after 9-11. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, McCoy Theater. Also featuring "Imagine: Children All Over the World," with children singing John Lennon's "Imagine."
• "The Dancer Upstairs," a film with Javier Bardem, marking John Malkovich's directorial debut, about a Latin American policeman who pursues a guerrilla leader while battling his corrupt superiors. 10 p.m. Wednesday, Celestial Cinema.
• "A Decade Under the Influence," a look at the Hollywood of the 1970s, when sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll prevailed, yielding earth-shattering mind-exploring films from directors and newly awakened audiences. 5 p.m. Wednesday, Castle Theater.
• "Jet Lag," a film with Juliette Binoche as a ditzy beautician, and Jean Reno as a grouchy frozen-food magnate, who are thrown together by fate while stranded at Charles de Gaulle airport. 10 p.m. June 14, Celestial Cinema.
• "A Midsummer Night's Rave," a modern take on the Shakespearean classic, set in a forest outside L.A., embracing lights, lasers and unadulterated fun, with help from glowing pills from the magical Puck. 9:30 p.m. June 14, Castle Theater.
• "Shaolin Soccer," Hong Kong's surprise cinematic hit, combining soccer and kung fu in a blend of sports and comedy, inspired by the gravity-defying hi-jinks of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." 10 p.m. June 12, Celestial Cinema.
• "Small Voices," an uplifting story of a dedicated Filipina school teacher (Alessandra de Rossi), who brings hope to villages in the lush but impoverished Luzon outback. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Castle Theater.
• "Step Into Liquid," a film by Dana Brown, son of Bruce "Endless Summer" Brown, combining action photography with traditional filmmaking, shot at various surfing spots, from Jaws on Maui to Rapa Nui, from Ireland to Vietnam. 8 p.m. June 12, Celestial Cinema.
• "The Age of Ignorance," a claymation entry with an X-rated punch, exploring sex through the eyes of cavemen and cavewomen. Adults only. 9:30 p.m. June 14, Castle Theater.
• "Thirteen," a film by Catherine Hardwicke and 13-year-old Nikki Reed, about being 13. 7:30 p.m. June 15, Celestial Cinema.
• "Whale Rider," a film about a 12-year-old Maori (Keisha Castle-Hughes) who challenges the patriarchal traditions of her New Zealand culture, and to become the first girl Whale Rider. 8 p.m. June 13, Celestial Cinema.