Girl fest

By Zenaida Serrano
Advertiser Staff Writer

Among the festival highlights are screenings of dozens of films, including "DEBS," a "Charlie's Angels" spoof directed by Angela Robinson. GiRL FeST Hawaii Today-June 5 Various times, locations and fees To purchase tickets or passes: girlfesthawaii.org, charge by phone at 599-3931 or purchase tickets at the door. 599-3931

"We're not like a lot of those much-needed direct services out there that heals the victim once the abuse has been done," said Xian, co-founder of the publicly supported nonprofit agency The Safe Zone Foundation. "We try to nip it in the bud by preventing the mentality behind the abuse."

The solution lies in changing peer culture, Xian said, which is the long-term mission of GiRL FeST Hawaii, a multimedia festival created by Safe Zone.

"(Our goal) has been, and will always remain, ending violence against women and girls through education and entertainment," said Xian, who refers to herself as the "nonexecutive director" of the event.

GiRL FeST Hawaii takes place today through June 5 and features a plethora of events geared to both the younger and older sets, with a focus on film, art, dance, music and spoken word.

"These are the things that influence popular culture, these mediums, and popular culture is what dictates (how kids) form their ideas, their social interactions with other kids, what's cool, what's not, that kind of thing," said Xian.

"So if we establish and keep on pushing that idea — that abuse or violence in relationships is not cool, you don't have to take that, you can stand up for yourself and not do that kind of stuff even though everything around you is telling you different — I think we can chip away at something that's worth chipping away at."

The festival will include dozens of lectures, workshops and panel discussions, including "Women Organizing for Change." The free event, 2 to 5 p.m. Monday at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa Architecture Auditorium, will cover the different aspects of women's movements and organizations in present-day politics.

Among the keynote speakers is Sonia Sanchez, a poet and professor from Philadelphia and American Book Award in Poetry recipient.

"I think what's important about GiRL FeST is simply that people would get an opportunity to listen to many experts talking about the culture of violence going around the world today and see the take women have on this," Sanchez said.

Organizers hope to make GiRL FeST Hawaii an annual event. Money raised will benefit the Domestic Violence Clearinghouse & Legal Hotline, Hawai'i State Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Child & Family Service Shelter for Abused Spouses and the Gregory House.

While GiRL FeST Hawaii focuses on the well-being of girls and women, don't let the festival name throw you. Men are encouraged to attend.

Of particular note is "More than a Few Good Men: Strategies for Inspiring Men and Boys to be Allies in Gender Violence Prevention," a full-day training conducted by Jackson Katz, one of the nation's leading anti-sexist male activists. The workshop, which costs $15 to $30, takes place 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday at the Queen's Conference Center at The Queen's Medical Center.

Other festival highlights (see accompanying schedule for times and ticket prices):

Films: Dozens of award-winning films from some of the best independent women filmmakers will be screened at Wallace Theaters. There will be Q&A sessions with director Sachi Hamano today, directors Edgy Lee and Jackson Katz on Monday at the theaters, and animator Emily Hubley on Saturday at The ARTS at Marks Garage.

Music: Among the festival's opening events, check out Doria Roberts tonight at Studio 1. A rock, folk and jazz singer from Atlanta, Roberts has shared the stage with Sarah McLachlan, Sinead O'Connor, Suzanne Vega and The Indigo Girls.

Visual art: The GiRL FeST Gallery at The ARTS at Marks Garage features works by Samantha Maeshiro, Diane Carr, Elea Dumas and others. Exhibit hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. today through Saturday and Tuesday through June 5; 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. There's a closing party, too; see details below.

Spoken word: In 1998, Alix Olson's team from New York City's Nuyorican Poets Cafe clinched the National Poetry Slam Championship. Let Olson rouse your spirits Saturday at Studio 1 or Wednesday at Anna Bannanas.

Dance: Sequoia Carr-Brown, a Chicago native who moved to O'ahu from Germany four years ago, will be among the featured performers at the closing program June 5 at Sunset on the Beach in Waikiki. Carr-Brown will be joined by nearly 30 students performing hula from Halau Lokahi Hawaiian Public Charter School.

Reach Zenaida Serrano at zserrano@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8174.

On the roster

"Afghanistan Unveiled" explores the effects on Afghan women of the Taliban's repressive rule and the current U.S. war against terrorism. The film screens at 4 p.m. Monday at Wallace Theaters at Restaurant Row.

Lectures

• Sonia Sanchez, American Book Award in Poetry recipient, 2-4 p.m. Saturday, UH-Manoa Architecture Auditorium; free.
• Winona LaDuke, Green Party 2000 vice presidential candidate, 2-4 p.m. Sunday, UH-Manoa Architecture Auditorium; free.
• Andrea Smith, with Incite and Sister Fire, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Monday, UH-Manoa Center for Hawaiian Studies; free.

Panels

• Women in Media, with filmmakers Emily Hubley, animator of "Hedwig and the Angry Inch"; Elena Featherston; Rachel Raimist; and Christie George, from Women Make Movies; 5-7 p.m. Sunday, The ARTS at Marks Garage; free.
• Women Organizing for Change, with LaDuke, Sanchez, Smith, Featherston and Esther Vicente, 2-5 p.m. Monday, UHM Architecture Auditorium; free.

Workshops

• Spin, DJ turntable workshop for women, conducted by Sisters in Sound and Rebel Girl Underground; 2-5 p.m. Saturday, UH-Manoa Architecture Auditorium, rooms 211, 215 and 101A, $25 fee.
• Where Da Girls At? Learn to speak out, meet other young artists and activists, perform, and write stories, conducted by award-winning slam poet Desdamona of Minneapolis, 1-3 p.m. Sunday, Wallace Theaters at Restaurant Row Theater No. 6; $5.
• Zine Workshop, covering independent media techniques in publishing, conducted by Harry Ramos, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Sunday, The ARTS at Marks Garage; $5.
• Nexthetics, a new language in performance workshop, conducted by award-winning slam poet and performer Marc Bamuthi Joseph of San Francisco, 2-4 p.m. Sunday, The ARTS at Marks Garage; $10 registration fee.
• More Than a Few Good Men: Strategies for Inspiring Men and Boys to Be Allies in Gender Violence Prevention, a full-day training conducted by Jackson Katz, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday, Queen's Conference Center at The Queen's Medical Center; $15 students, $25 pre-registration and $30 at the door (breakfast and lunch included); $3 validated parking at the Miller Street parking complex.

Parties

• Doria Roberts concert, an opening-night event, 9 p.m.-2 a.m. tonight, Studio 1; 18 and older; $7-$20, sliding scale.
• Alix Olson and Denise Barbarita concert, 9 p.m.-2 a.m. Saturday, Studio 1; 18 and older; $7-$20.
• Sisters in Sound and the Rebel Girl Underground perform, 10 p.m.-2 a.m. Sunday, W Hotel; 21 and older; $10.
• Rosie the Riveter Party, 10 p.m.-2 a.m. Monday, Anna Bannana's; 21 and older; $5.
• Undershorts, screening of short films and celebration, 8 p.m.-2 a.m. Wednesday, Anna Bannana's; 21 and older; $5.
• Distilling the Punk, screening of documentary film "The Distillers" and punk rock concert, 8 p.m.-midnight Thursday, Club Pauahi; all ages; $5.
• GiRL FeST Gallery Closing, First Friday Gallery Walk, 5-9 p.m. June 4, The ARTS at Marks Garage; free; after-party, 10 p.m.-2 a.m., Mercury; 21 and older; $5.
• Bend it on the Beach, GiRL FeST closing event at Sunset on the Beach, with workshops, concert and closing-night film "Bend it Like Beckham," 2-9 p.m. June 5, Waikiki Beach; free.

Films

Award-winning films from independent women filmmakers. Unless otherwise specified, all movies play at Wallace Theaters at Restaurant Row; admission is $5.

• "Lily Festival," followed by a Q&A with the director, 8 p.m. today.
• "Waking Mele," "Three Exits" and "UHM Showcase," 10 p.m. Saturday and 6 p.m. Wednesday.
• "In the Company of Women," 10 p.m. today and 8 p.m. Tuesday.
• "Mental Hygiene," 6 p.m. Sunday.
• "Adrift in the Heartland," 10 p.m. Sunday.
• "Metsi," 4 p.m. Monday. Screening with Women Make Movies film "Afghanistan Unveiled."
• "Exit 8A" and "Ice," followed by a Q&A with "Ice" director Edgy Lee, 6 p.m. Monday.
• "No Man's Land," 4 p.m. Sunday.
• "Tough Guise," followed by a Q&A with Jackson Katz, 8 p.m. Monday.
• "The Distillers," 10 p.m. Monday.
• "A Female Cabby in Sidi Bel-Abbes," 4 p.m. Wednesday.
• "Bollywood/Hollywood" and "Hummer," 4 p.m. Thursday.
• "Ke Kulana He Mahu," 6 p.m. Thursday.
• "Spin the Bottle," 8 p.m. Thursday. Hawai'i premiere.
• "Bend It Like Beckham," June 5, Sunset on the Beach in Waikiki; free.

Films from the Mad Cat Film Festival of San Francisco

• "Historia Del Desierto," "Anorexie," "Chronicles of an Asthmatic Stripper," "Margeaux Cartoon," "Murmur" and "Wipe Your Mouth," 8 p.m. Saturday with Power Up films, 10 p.m. Monday with "The Distillers."

Films from Women Make Movies of New York

• "War Takes," 4 p.m. Saturday.
• "Heart of the Sea," 6 p.m. Sunday.
• "Paradise Lost," 8 p.m. Sunday.
• "Afghanistan Unveiled," 4 p.m. Monday. Screening with "Metsi."
• "Uphill All the Way," 4 p.m Tuesday.
• "Beah," 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Films from Power Up of Los Angeles

• "Bug in My Ear," "Fly Cherry," "DEBS," "Little Black Boot" and "The Nearly Unadventurous Life of Zoe Cadwaulder," 8 p.m. Saturday with Mad Cat films, 10 p.m. Tuesday and 10 p.m. Thursday.

Experimental screenings

• Screening of short animations by Emily Hubley, animator for "Hedwig and the Angry Inch," followed by a Q&A with Hubley, 6 p.m. Saturday, The ARTS at Marks Garage.
• "A Longer Journey," "Barely Audible," "Constructions," "Idioteque," "Past Tense," "Sidewalk Stories" and "Tokyo Equinox," 6 p.m. Tuesday.

Undershorts screenings

• "Barrier Device," "Colorforms," "Confection," "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness," "Kissed By Angels," "Remembrance," "Dear, Sweet Emma," "Green Eyes," "Terra" and "This is for Betsy Hall," 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 p.m. Tuesday.

Closing-day program

Bend it on the Beach, 2-9 p.m. June 5, Sunset on the Beach in Waikiki Beach; free. Events include:

• 2-5 p.m.: Free sports workshops for women, including kite surfing at Sandy Beach Park by professional kite surfers Sheldon Plentovich and Marigold Zoll; volleyball on the beach run by past and present Hawai'i women's collegiate volleyball players, followed by a demonstration game; and triathlon training by Boca Hawai'i. Limited spaces available. Register: 599-3931.
• 5-5:45 p.m.: Doria Roberts concert.
• 6-6:45 p.m.: Dance performances by Halau Lokahi Hawaiian Public Charter School, Sequoia Carr-Brown and guests.
• 6:45-9 p.m.: Surfboard giveaway and screenings of a five-minute short by the GiRL FeST Film Camp teen participants, followed by the Sunset on the Beach film, "Bend it Like Beckham."