"Tokyo Trial" will show at the Regal Dole Cannery Stadium on April 24 at 3 p.m. and April 25 at 6:15 p.m. Tickets start from $9 per person. To purchase tickets, call 550-TIKS (8457), fax 536-2707 or buy direct from the Hawaii International Film Festival box office at Dole Cannery, 680 Iwilei Road, Suite 100, Honolulu, HI 96817.

Lessons of War is an ongoing film series that focuses on the lessons of war learned through individual experiences from a wide variety of personal, national, ethnic and cultural perspectives.

Directed by Gao Qunshu, "Tokyo Trial" was shot in English and stars international actors Kenneth Tsang, Damian Lau, Ying Da, Ken Zhu and Kelly Lam. The film explores the complexities of the post-war International Military Tribunal for the Far East (IMTFE), also known as the Tokyo Trials, held from 1946 to 1948. The trials provide the backdrop to the simple, universal story of a young, star-crossed love between a Chinese man and a Japanese woman. The symbolism reflects the deep scars left by the war, but offers a glimmer of redemption and forgiveness.

"Although the war may have ended on the decks of the battleship Missouri, the repercussions of the war echoed for years afterwards," said Mike Weidenbach, curator for the USS Missouri Memorial Association, which operates the Battleship Missouri Memorial in Pearl Harbor. "The aftershocks can still be felt today.

"The goal of the series is to open our eyes to our shared humanity. We hope to bring awareness to humanity's common bond that is often forgotten when we wage war against one another."

HIFF is dedicated to the advancement of understanding and cultural exchange among the peoples of Asia, the Pacific and North America through the medium of film. It is the largest "East meets West" film festival in the United States. The festival receives sponsorship from numerous corporations every year, with the largest contributor being Louis Vuitton.