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Now in its ninth year, the Big Island Film Festival has announced its 48 Official Selections, to be screened May 22-26.

The “talk story” film festival is a celebration of narrative films and filmmaking, with free family films at The Shops at Mauna Lani, daytime movies and nightly double features for grown-ups with no-host bar and pupus, plus “meet-the-stars” celebrity social events and more at The Fairmont Orchid, Hawaii.

On Thursday, May 22 at 7:30 p.m., BIFF’s Grand Opening at The Shops at Mauna Lani will include a free sampler of short films, and a chance to welcome filmmakers to the Island.

Celebrity guests Portia Doubleday (“Her,” “Carrie” and “Youth in Revolt”) and Jackson Rathbone (“Jasper” in the “Twilight” series) will appear in person, to give fans a chance to show their aloha.

By special arrangement with Warner Brothers, “Sophia Grace and Rosie’s Royal Adventure” will be presented at The Shops at Mauna Lani Center Stage at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, May 23.

The brand-new film stars British cousins, Sophia Grace Brownlee and Rosie McClelland, Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award Winners and frequent guests of The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

In the movie, to be released May 20 on DVD, the girls are Ellen’s special correspondents, sent to cover the coronation of a new queen.

Other notable BIFF Official Selections include the time-travel mystery-thriller “Time Lapse,” the intense and intimate portrait of homelessness, “3:13,” drama “Pretty Rosebud,” about an ambitious career woman whose unorthodox choices unravel her carefully constructed world, and comedy “Welcome to the Lucky Country” a laughable look at an Australian reality show.

Contenders from Hawaii include Leo Woolford’s acclaimed “The Haumana,” which chronicles the journey of a new Kumu Hula and his high school men’s halau, with choreography by Robert Cazimero, Lanakila Casupang, Maelia Loebenstein-Carter and Kaipo Hale.

From the Big Island, “Bullitt and the Curse of the Blood Ring” is the next chapter of the continuing island action-adventure, produced, acted, and directed by Kona filmmakers Richard Gonzalez and Rockwood.

The Official Selections for BIFF 2014 are:

3:13
Helen Alone
Horse for Sale
If We Were Adults
Light Me Up
Limit
Little Girl’s War Cry
Lost Island of the Firewalkers
Makua Charley
Meet Anna
Mirror
Missing Child
No More Aloha
One Weekend
Poison Apple
Posey
Pretty Rosebud
Prinsesa
Ravi & Jane
Rise Again
Rose, Mary and Time
Shadow
Sheltered Love
Solace
Sophia Grace and Rosie’s Royal Adventure
Suka
Suriname Gold
Take a Deep Breath
The Bathroom Attendant
The End
The Haumana
The Haunting of Heather
The Honey Maple Morgan
The Maury Island Incident
The New Neighbors
The Pimp & The Rose
Time Lapse
Tuesday Morning
We Are Enemies
Welcome to the Lucky Country
Wolf Summer
Zone 7

A limited number of ballots will be given to audience members during each screening. Votes are tallied at the end of the festival, to determine the Audience-choice Feature and Short to be screened at Best of the Fest on Monday, May 26.

Best of the Fest also includes a silent auction to benefit Fisher House at Tripler Army Medical Center, and exciting concert by award-winning Hawaiian musical artist WILLIE K.

The Big Island “Talk Story” Film Festival is a celebration of independent narrative films and filmmaking, taking place May 22-26.

Major sponsors include The Fairmont Orchid, Hawaii and The Shops at Mauna Lani and Hawaii Tourism Authority/Hawaii County CPEP.

— Find out more:
www.BigIslandFilmFestival.com