hawaii international film festival for free!

oh well, it doesn't look like i'll be home for the hawaii international film festival this year, however supercw is trying to spread the word that hiff organizers desperately need volunteer drivers to shuttle vips around town. if you can commit to a four hour shift, this is your chance to peek behind the scenes and potentially meet a few up and coming filmmakers.

film fan bonus: each shift you sign up for scores you a voucher to take in a screening of one of the many indie/foreign entrants in this year's festival!

more details and other volunteer opportunites are posted here.

hiff kicks off this thu, oct 18th so do click over to the online box office for the scoop on the 2007 festival schedule (eraserhead, anyone?).

i heart sawyer

if anyone else is experiencing withdrawal tonight in the midst of a lost-less premiere week, console yourself with this clever notecard set spotted on etsy which captures fans' angst at waiting until 2008 to find out what the heck happened to locke and charlie (said with claire's australian accent).

'ulalena

that the stage show 'ulalena is brand new to me just shows you how long it has been since my last visit to maui. the theatrical spectacle has been described as a mash up of cirque du soleil (one of the executive producers brought mystère to the world) meets the mythology and history of hawaii and her people.

say no more. if 'ulalena is half as magical as mystère it will be well worth the price of admission. take a peek at a few reviews (here and here) for the professional perspective of those who are not easily awed by acrobatics and colorful stage tricks.

details:

• where: maui theatre
• when: tue - sat @ 6:30p
• tix: $49.50 - $69.50

heart of the sea

we spend a lot of time out at makaha when we're home and a friend always shares the story of when he met rell sunn (aka the queen of makaha) at the beach. a few years ago, he raved about a documentary on rell called heart of the sea after it aired on independent lens on pbs. the film racked up a number of awards when it was released for its poignant take on rell's life and is a lesson in living your life with grace and how truly embodying the aloha spirit is good not only for yourself but for your community too.

unfortunately, the film is not currently on the pbs schedule (but you should still check out il which is one of my favorite programs on tv) and nowhere to be found at netflix, however the hawaii state library happens to have a vhs copy so you can put your library card to work if you still own a vcr.

dvds can be picked up at women make movies swell cinema which also has a trailer posted on their website.

fyi - rell's family has set up a non-profit which keeps the rell sunn menehune surf contest going and which also supports breast cancer research in honor of rell. click here to learn how you can help.

{update | jan 2010: dvds are now on the shelves at your local library!}

lost on stage

 

a few members from the cast of lost are hitting the stage next weekend to benefit the honolulu theatre for youth. barring any scheduling conflicts, matthew fox, jorge garcia, daniel dae kim, terry o'quinn, henry ian cusick, michael emerson, elizabeth mitchell & chris soldvilla will perform selected readings from the theatre's upcoming 2007-2008 season.

the ticket prices may sound a tad pricey however just keep the following in mind when you phone in your order:

one - your dollars are helping to fund hty programs (a very good thing)

two - the benefit will include a reception so you just may get a chance to rub shoulders with some of the cast members

details:

• when: sun, mar 4th @ 4:30p
• where: tenney theatre @ saint andrew's cathedral
• tix: $100, $200 & $300
• tel: 808.457.4263