While covering the Hawaii International Film Festival on Oahu a few weeks ago, we were enthralled to view a plethora of films, and meet and visit with an array of producers, script writers, directors and performers.
It was a candy-store experience to have the honor and pleasure to meet and visit with an array of such captivating people.
A most memorable film-premiere was the movie FAIR. We met up with actress/producer, Ms. Elizabeth Rain following the premier showing of her film at the Consolidated Theatres Kahala.
Ms. Rain's performance as Snow White was stellar, and hilarious. We still laugh every time we recall her film. The Fair storyline is centered around a birthday party that takes place at a former high school classmate of Snow white.
Her friend had made it big and hosted a poolside birthday party with Snow White as the special guest. Sadly, the nasty, spoiled and indulged kids were severely disgruntled when they discovered that Snow White was their poolside performer.
They were really counting on the Ice Princess as their main stage performance, and they brutally protested. To save the day, Snow White has to do a 911 call to her Ice Princess cohort and beg her come to the party to save the day.
Ms. Rain’s film credits include: Jane The Virgin, Magnum PI as well as Justin Chon’s Sundance Film Festival favorite, Jamojaya.
Come along and join us for a visit with Ms. Rain, AKA the disheartened Snow White.
The film Kai Hali’a (Sea of Memory) a “Made in Hawaii Short” was directed by Angelique Axelrode.
Angelique says, “Incorporating digital video with 8mm and intentionally damaged 16mm footage, direct film animation and embodied movement, Kai Hali'a offers a bridge and a continuum of the past into the future and the future into the past.
“The images feel atemporal, constantly shifting and evolving, revealing memory’s dynamic and malleable nature. The contemporary movement in Kai Haliʻa is an exploration of how the body remembers and dances across generations and identities, and how the ‘iewe, or umbilical cord, is the bridge from the past/pō and into alternative futures.”
Join us for a conversation with Angelique, Axelrode’s mother, Tricia Axelrode and her Father Ted McKinney, at the Red Carpet awards banquet in Waikiki.
Also at Red Carpet gala we met up with Richard Hamasaki independent Filmmaker/poet/producer and Jody Stillwater, independent producer, director, and filmmaker. Join us as they share fascinating insights about their jointly produced film, Manifesto for Concrete Poetry.
An intriguing aspect of both Kai Hali’a and Manifesto for Concrete Poetry is that both movies artfully meld video with live performance.
We were also truly fascinated by LA based film financier, producer and Women Empowerment Leader and producer, Luna Zhang. She embodies a transparent passion and enthusiasm for creating life changing documentaries.
Ms. Zhang’s slate of films, television series, documentaries, and animated features reflect her passion for meaningful storytelling, women empowerment, LGBTQA communities, Asian and minority representation, and social consciousness.
Ms. Zhang was honored to be a part of the Hawaii International Film Festival's Indigenous Shorts Program. She says it’s one of the best programs, well curated with indigenous cultures and stories focused not only on North America but globally.
Come along and join the conversation with Ms. Luna Zhang.
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