honoluluadvertiser.com

Sponsored by:

Comment, blog & share photos

Log in | Become a member
The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 11:37 a.m., Thursday, May 22, 2008

Maui Film Fest to honor 4 Hollywood actors

By Wayne Harada

Movie stars Pierce Brosnan, Virginia Madsen and Dennis Quaid will be honored June 12 at the Wailea Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, bringing stardust to the 2008 Maui Film Festival, slated June 11 through 15, 2008 at the Wailea Resort and the Maui & Arts & Cultural Center in Kahului. Actress Felicity Huffman also will be honored in a separate event June 13.

Brosnan, widely known for his James Bond roles ("Golden Eye," "Tomorrow Never Dies," "The World Is Not Enough" and "Die Another Day"), will also be seen in the forthcoming "Mamma Mia," will receive the festival's Maverick Award, which honors a film artist committed to making movies that matter and embraces environmental concerns to promote a better life on Earth. Madsen, of an Oscar nominee for "Sideways" and also known for "The Astronaut Farmer," will receive the Navigator Award, for carving a path of distinction through the turbulent seas of the entertainment industry, without sacrificing fundamental commitment to excellence. And Quaid, whose credits include "Far From Heaven" and "Vantage Point," will earn the Galaxy Award, for his ongoing delivery of star-making performances in the constellation of cinematic stardom.

Huffman, an Academy Award nominee for "Transamerica" and a regular on "Desperate Housewives,"

also will receive an award — the Nova Award— on June 13. It rewards the actor who creates an original and seamless performance with unique insight and wisdom. Her film, "Phoebe in Wonderland," will be screened during the festival.

All Hollywood figures will be present to receive their awards.

The festival will open with the movie, "Bottle Shock," a dramedy recreating the early era of the California wine industry and the infamous 1976 "blind" wine tasting where California wines trumped the French and shocked the world, and wind up with "Down the Barrel," a surfing documentary with the likes of Kelly Slater, Kalani Robb, Joel Parkinson and Rob Machado. Both screenings are part of the popular "Celestial Cinema" series, presented in an open-air screening with a Dolby Digital-equipped outdoor theater with a 50-foot wide screen, on the Wailea Gold & Emerald Gold Course.

Among the scheduled highlights:

• "Encounters at the End of the World," a Werner Herzog documentary on Antarctica.

• "The Fall," a film directed by Tarsem.

• "Young @ Heart," the documentary about a senior choir singing rock songs.

• "Water Man," the documentary about surfing legends Laird Hamilton and Gerry Lopez.

• "The Great Buck Howard," with John Malkovich, Colin Hanks, Emily Blunt and Tom Hanks.

• "Hawaiian Starlight," a time-lapse cinematic "symphony" of telescopic images from atop Mauna Kea.

Besides filmic events, the Maui Film Festival also boasts culinary and musical treats, including the Taste of the Islands opening night twilight reception at the Fairmont Kea Lani Maui on June 11, the Starry Night Moon Dance at Tommy Bahama Tropical Cafe at The Shops at Wailea on June 12, the Taste of Chocolate at the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea on June 13, the Taste of Wailea overlooking the Celestial Cinema June 14, and a Father's Day concert with Makana at the Celestial Cinema on June 15.

Information: (808) 572-3456, www.mauifilmfestival.com

Reach Wayne Harada at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com.