Just 5 percent of the films submitted to the Maui Film Festival are going to be shown at this year's prestigious five-day showcase.

That "Rock Prophecies" is one of 33 films making the cut for the 10th anniversary celebration, running Wednesday through June 21, simply adds to Robert Knight's local-boy-makes-good story.

Think "Almost Famous," but in true documentary style, and instead of a young writer making his name by covering rock stars, "Rock Prophecies" documents Knight's four decades of taking photos of rock's biggest stars before they were famous.

It's an uncanny gift worth documenting. He was the first to shoot Led Zeppelin when the group came to Honolulu in 1969 to play its first U.S. concert. He's been on stage to shoot Jimmy Hendrix. He's shot Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Steve Vai, The Ramones, The Rolling Stones, Santana — every major act that passed through Honolulu from the late '60s to 1980 and beyond. His own star has grown from behind the lens to the point that, today, if you're a young artist lucky enough to get a shoot with him, it's like receiving the pope's blessing.

"It's been an unbelievable ride for this boy from Palolo," Knight said during a telephone interview while he was traveling through Texas last week to attend the graduation ceremony of Tyler Bryant, the guitar protegé he discovers in the documentary.

"When I was asked to do this, the director first wanted to do a reality show. I hate reality genre. The only way I could do this documentary was if I could do it showing the people who helped me get where I am. They took my 40 years of work, more than 220,000 photos, and reduced it to 79 minutes, but they actually did a pretty good job of capturing it. We had 110 hours of overshoot, with a lot of Hawai'i ties that never made it in. Interviews with (promoter) Tom Moffatt, The Brothers Cazimero, at the Waikiki Shell — hopefully some of that will be in the DVD release some day."

"Rock Prophecies," directed by John Chester, is a must-see documentary if: a) you're a history buff interested in legendary guitarists; b) love local-boy-makes-good stories; c) dig photography; or d) you get motivated by stories of passion.

He can't play guitar, but he knew early on he loved photography and music. He has shot so many gifted musicians over the years that the challenge Chester had for him for the documentary was to purposely find the next great guitarist, which he found in blues phenom Bryant.

Knight was also the first in America to shoot the Australian rock group Sick Dogs, which is set to release its second album July 7. Knight is betting it will make them the next big thing.

Asked about ones to watch who we've never heard of, he immediately barks out the British band Tantrum ("A bunch of 19-year-olds who are great."), Ryan McGarvey ("A 21-year-old who is just as good as Stevey Vai. Just unbelievable, and different from Tyler (Bryant). Tyler is wild, young and just sexy like Jeff Beck. Ryan is more of a school guy.") and Scott McKeon, who has been playing recently with John Mayer and opened for Clapton.

"The funny thing about today's rising stars is they are all clean kids," Knight said. "They don't do drugs. They don't smoke or drink. They don't even have tats. It's all about the music for them. Great musicians of every era seem to have common traits."

If there is one thing about "Rock Prophecies" you want more of, it's Knight's past brushes with legends. So much of the film deals with Bryant and the Sick Dogs that overlooked are moments in Jeff Beck's house where he pulls out an old guitar that Tina Turner etched her name in during a party. It's a massive guitar collection and reveals Knight's rare bond with Beck inside his reclusive home and lifestyle.

"Rock Prophecies" also shows Knight as more of an outsider growing up in Palolo. His parents, missionaries who raised him on O'ahu, never embraced his love for rock music and discouraged him from listening to the music.

He couldn't stay away.

"My parents had a church on 6th Avenue," Knight said. "I graduated from Kaimuki High School in 1968, tried UH for six months before I took off for the San Francisco Art Institute. A year later, I came back to Hawai'i, hooked up with Led Zeppelin and was the first to shoot them when they first got off the Pan Am plane. It's a historic shot now, but from then on, I knew what I wanted to do, and I knew I wanted to get to know the bands better and be a part of that lifestyle."

There are great clips in the documentary of Elton John, and stories behind each iconic photo.

There's also a touching storyline with Knight's decision to sell the rights of his Jimi Hendrix shots to Hendrix's sister, who runs The Jimi Hendrix Experience in Seattle, in order to pay for his own mother's medical care. "Her condition has deteriorated more since the film," Knight said. "The Alzheimer's disease has taken her memory. She doesn't know who I am anymore, but physically she's healthy."

If there is one regret, it's that more of his Hawai'i ties didn't make it to the big screen.

"I have a huge archive of contemporary Hawai'i," he said. "C&K, Frank DeLima, Rap Reiplinger, The Brothers Cazimero. ... If they were big in Hawai'i from 1969 to 1980, I probably did a cover or shoot with them."

Willie Nelson and Zooey Deschanel will be honored at this year's Maui Film Festival, the 10th anniversary of cinema under the stars.

Nelson is being honored with the Maverick Award "for having the courage of his convictions, a willingness to speak his mind and the backbone to withstand the heat from those who take issue with his vigorous expression of our collective constitutional right to the freedom of artistic and political expression," film festival officials said in a news release.

The award will be presented next Friday at the Celestial Cinema, followed by the world premiere of "One Peace at a Time," a film on solutions to global problems.

Deschanel ("Yes Man") will receive the Nova Award Thursday at the Festival's inaugural "Toes in the Sand" tribute at the SandDance Theatre.

The award honors "a film artist whose stunningly original and seamless performances consistently infuse each character they play with unique insight and wisdom." Deschanel's film "(500) Days of Summer" will show June 21.