MEDIA RELEASE

The Hawaii International Film Festival presents a three-day line up of films. All films are to be screened at Palace Theater in Hilo.

Tickets on sale:
* Oct. 28, 6:30 p.m. – 15 minutes after the last show has begun
* Oct. 29, 12:30 p.m. – 15 minutes after the last show has begun
* Oct. 30, 11:30 a.m. – 15 minutes after the last show has begun

Ticket Prices:
$7 General Admission
$6 Student, Military and Seniors (55+)
$5 Palace ‘Stars’ and HIFF Ohana Members
$35 Three-day-pass

Purchase tickets:
Online: www.hiff.org

FRIDAY, OCT. 28

7 p.m. – MY KOALOHA STORY
Made in Hawaii “talk story” style documentary-music film about a family owned ukulele business and their special brand of old-school Aloha. What was once a failed plastics business in the midst of bankruptcy is transformed into one of the most highly regarded and beloved ukulele companies in the world, KoAloha Ukulele.
Director: Gary San Angel
Cast: Daniel Ho, Alvin Okami
Herb Ohta, Jr and Keith Yoshioka will play prior to the film screening.

SATURDAY, OCT. 29

1 p.m. – PACIFIC SHOWCASE SHORTS

BLESSED ASSURANCE
DIRECTOR: Aina Paikai
What if gasoline mysteriously vanished from the Earth?

EBONY SOCIETY
DIRECTOR: Tammy Davis
On a night out stealing two boys break into a house and find themselves confronted with an unexpected situation.

E HO’OMAU! THE MENEHUNE AND THE BIRDS
DIRECTOR: Michael Q. Ceballos
Kehau, a young Menehune boy, and his best friend, a little elepaio bird, discover that a group of men has been killing the birds of the Kauai rainforest in order to harvest their feathers faster.

LADY RAZORBACKS
DIRECTOR: Laura Green
When a group of Pacific Islander women start a rugby team, they find an unexpected sanctuary on the field.

LINA ‘LA’ LUSONG
Unshaken by centuries of colonial conquest and the changing tides of occupation, the lusong has endured to heal and feed the people of the land, and to impart a sacred lesson of survival.
DIRECTOR: PIC 2011 MICRONESIAN FILMMAKERS
WORKSHOP: GUAM PARTICIPANTS

MANUREWA
DIRECTOR: Sam Peacocke
A multi-stranded, narrative impression of a tragic robbery that took place in Manurewa, New Zealand.

PA’AHANA
Kekoa is a man who wants the best for his daughter, though he cannot achieve what he wants.
DIRECTOR: Lana Dang

HUKI ULUA
Three stages of dating: Boy meets girl. Boy gets girl. Boy learns the importance of knowing his roots.
DIRECTOR: Lana Dang

THE WINTER BOY
DIRECTOR: Rachel House
After a troubled relationship, a son finds a reason to let his mother in again.

4 p.m. – FAMILY OF THE WA’A
This is the story of a journey, both of a canoe and the men and women who paddled it 1,750 miles across the Hawaiian archipelago. It began with the kuleana, or sacred promise, of a young man to his uncle. But it became a life-changing endeavor. But before Kimokeo could fulfill his kuleana, he had to remake himself from the tough, beach bully he had become, into a leader of men and women. In the end, Kimokeo and his fellow wa’a paddlers realize they are each on their own path to Kure.
Director: Alyssa Fedele

7 p.m. – ALOHA BUDDHA + MINKA

MINKA – In 1967, an American journalist and a Japanese architect rescued an ancient farmhouse found in the snow country of Japan, and their lives were forever changed. MINKA is an intimate story about architecture, memory and the meaning of home.
Director: Davina Pardo

ALOHA BUDDHA – Japanese Buddhism is fading and the temples are closing. As we talk to elders of the religion, we discover that it has played a key role in shaping Hawaii’s religious identity, the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II, and in establishing Buddhism in America. There is also a movement underway to save the religion – by adding a little aloha into the practice.
Director: Bill Ferehawk, Dylan Robertson

SUNDAY, OCT. 30

Noon – GUZAARISH
Once a great magician, Ethan is now a popular radio host due to a spinal injury fourteen years ago. On the fourteenth anniversary of his accident, Ethan petitions the court to seek control of his own life. Shocking not only his listeners, but his beloved nurse Sofia as well. The ethics, the morality, the kindness and cruelty of this mission create a storm in all the lives that it envelops and its resolution forms the startling conclusion of Ethan’s remarkable journey.
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Cast: Nafisa Ali, Aditya Roy Kapur, Shernaz Patel, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

3 p.m. – THELMA

Thelma, is a mischievous and tomboyish teenage girl, who loves to run in the fields. One day, disaster strikes and her sister Hannah, is injured and faced with being crippled for life. Her only hope to walk again is an expensive operation. This sets in motion Thelma’s journey to use her gift of strength and speed, run for her sister, rise from desperate poverty, and redeem herself from the past.
Director: Paul Soriano
Cast: Eliza Pineda, Tetchie Agbayani, John Arcilla, Maja Salvador

6 p.m. – SUBJECTIVE EXPRESSIONS
Shot entirely on location in Hilo, Hawaii, SUBJECTIVE EXPRESSIONS is the first feature-length effort from 19-year-old director Dominik Walczuk. The film tells the story of Pan, a young twenty-something year-old girl who is not sure what direction she wants to take with her life. But when she decides to try out working-for-housing at a local theater, she begins a path of unexpected self-discovery.
Director: Dominik Walczuk
Cast: Caroline Antilla, Nahko Bear, Caroline Heim, Mikolaj Walczuk, Dominik Walczuk