:: HIFF flash pass ::

On the move....

2006-10-14T16:57:00.000-10:00

The official blog from the Programming Department of the Louis Vuittion Hawaii International Film Festival has moved! Check here for more updates!

promote!

2006-10-10T20:00:00.000-10:00

<a href="http://not-a-real-namespace/http://go.manja.org/1207/0/5"></a><br/><a href="http://not-a-real-namespace/http://manja.org/promote/me/1207">Add this to your blog or myspace</a><br/><br/>

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KFEST2 Starts this Friday!

2006-08-22T11:55:00.000-10:00

Seats are already selling fast for HIFF's mini-festival of contemporary Korean cinema. People can’t get enough of the hallyu and they’re taking this opportunity to catch up with their favorite idols and rising stars. And with seven films over three days, there’s something here for everyone.

Mark off this weekend on your calendar, buy your tickets on-line or by phone, and ride the wave!

BAREFOOT KI-BONG boasts a stellar cast of highly-respected perfomers such as Shin Hyun-jun, Kim Soo-mi and Tak Jae-hoon, all of whom appeared in the 2005 hit MARRYING THE MAFIA 2 – arguably the most successful comedy in the history of Korean film. Film critics are buzzing about Shin Hyun-jun’s touching portrayal of the title character in BAREFOOT. The role is a daring departure for the handsome actor who is well-known for playing romantic leads and hard-hitting gangsters. It's a heartwarming story that KFEST2 audiences will love.

Cinephiles in the mood for laughs will love the high school comedy SEE YOU AFTER SCHOOL. Critics credit much of the film’s success to actor Bong Tae-gyu, a rising star recently featured in this summer’s Family Ties as well as the 2005 comedy sensation (and HIFF 2005 film) WHEN ROMANCE MEETS DESIRE. Korean critics praise Bong for flawlessly balancing comedy and drama and are already calling him the spiritual successor to Song Kang-ho and Ryoo Seung-beom — the heavyweights of Korean comedy-drama. It’s said that a talent scout actually discovered Bong Tae-Gyu on the street. He first appeared in the movie TEARS (2000) starring a teenage troublemaker. He went on to star in the comedies NO MANNERS (2002) and A GOOD LAWYER'S WIFE (2003). Local K-drama fans will recognize Bong from CAT IN THE ROOFTOP ROOM and NON-STOP 4

YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE is directed by prolific director Park Jin-pyo. Known for a string of successful TV documentaries in Korea, Park also directed TOO YOUNG TO DIE, which was screened at the Cannes Film Festival and proclaimed an international hit. However, it was also a controversial because it featured a South Korean couple in their 70s having sex! After this uproar, Park moved on to romantic comedies and directed IF YOU WERE ME (Yeosutgaeui Sisun) in 2003 and SUNSHINE. He won the “Best Director” of 2005 at the 26th Blue Dragon Awards in Seoul.

--submitted by Programming Intern Jason Soeda

:: hu jintao, ziyi zhang, george bush

2006-04-19T23:58:00.000-10:00

In honor of Chinese President Hu Jintao's offical visit to the U.S., National Geographic and the MPAA are co-presenting a Chinese Film Festival in Washington, DC.

Sixth generation film director Lu Chuan will be there for a special screening of KEKEXILI: MOUNTAIN PATROL. HIFF screened the film in Fall 2005; it's like BLACK HAWK DOWN...except with armed antelope game wardens in Tibet.

Ziyi Zhang, en route to serve on the jury at Cannes with Wong Kar-wai, will be on hand in D.C. for a screening of HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS. Zhang will also be promoting Chinese cinema in our nation's capitol. She told Channel News Asia, "If I had a chance to see President Bush, I think I would ask him the question, how many Chinese films have you seen?"

I wonder what President Bush's answer might be. I wonder.

Tim Kelly, the festival's organizer, goes on to make a great point in the same article: "There are about 10,000 feature films made outside of the US each year, but only about 20 of those get broad distribution here inside the United States." So perhaps we can let the President slide on this one.

:: reviews redux ::

2006-04-10T03:03:00.000-10:00

Somewhat belatedly, I found Bob Greene's picks for the Spring Showcase on the Honolulu Weekly's website. My apologies for the delay.

Moon Yun and Albert Lanier wrote about the Opening Night of the Showcase for Aint-It-Cool News. Albert also has an AICN review for HARD CANDY here.

The Guardian (registration required) has an excellent article on TSOTSI, the Showcase's Opening Night Film. The article touches on the South African film industry, race, ticket prices and how comedies like There's a Zulu on My Stoep can drown out the new generation of directors.

Click here for a Chosun Ilbo article on the Korean indiefilm queen Bae Doo-na, who starred as the exchange student (and punk rock singer) in LINDA LINDA LINDA.

:: 1,200 pounds ::

2006-04-10T02:50:00.000-10:00

The Ninth Edition of the Hawaii International Film Festival's Spring Showcase came to a close Thursday night.

The screens are dark at Houses 9 and 10 of the Dole Cannery, the staff rested and we need merely ship 1,200 pounds of film to festivals around the globe. LINDA LINDA LINDA travels to Argentina, LADY VENGEANCE to Hungary, PARINEETA to exotic Encino and 20 CENTIMETERS to Philadelphia. And so it goes.

Save the date for K-FEST II! Exact date is TBD, but look for a late August bow for the sophomore edition of our weekend mini-fest of Korean cinema.

:: closing night rush line update ::

2006-04-06T10:45:00.000-10:00

It's closing night for HIFF's Spring Showcase No. 9! Here's the latest on tickets for today's shows!

3:00 PM Letter from an Unknown Woman -- more than 100 tickets
3:15 PM Moonlight in Tokyo -- more than 100 tickets

6:15 PM Love Is a Crazy Thing -- less than 100 tickets
6:30 PM Parineeta -- RUSH LINE
8:45 PM Friends with Money -- RUSH LINE
9:00 PM Rules of Dating -- less than 100 tickets

Unclaimed seats will be made available to the rush line on a “first come, first served” basis fifteen (15) minutes before screening time. The rush line starts one hour before showtime!

:: exclusive trailer for typhoon ::

2006-04-04T15:48:00.000-10:00

We'll have an exclusive presentation of the 35mm trailer for Kwak Kyung-Taek's latest blockbuster Typhoon (태풍) at Thursday's screening of Rules of Dating!

The plot? A North Korean pirate (JANG Dong-Gun) is trying to launch a nuclear attack on the ROK and a South Korean agent (LEE Jung-Jae) is hellbent on stopping him!

The 20 billion won film - the most expensive Korean production ever - was shot on location in Korea, Russia and Thailand. Typhoon will be released in the US by Dreamworks/Paramount this year, making it the first Korean film represented directly by a major US distributor!

:: dollar hot dog night ::

2006-04-04T15:33:00.000-10:00

OMG, I totally forgot to mention that today is dollar hot dog night at the Dole Cannery Stadium 18 Theatres! I think that there now serving Eisenberg Beef Hot Dogs: no phosphates, MSG, fillers or bi-products. All right!

:: cinematography ::

2006-04-03T15:51:00.000-10:00

If you loved the gorgeous cinematography of Mark Lee Pin-Bing in Spring Snow, then don't miss his work in another Spring Showcase film, Xu Jingle's Letter from an Unknown Woman.

Mark Lee worked with Wong Kar-wai to lens In the Mood for Love and shot Millenium Mambo for Hou Hsiao-hsien, the creative pulse of Taiwan's New Wave cinema movement.

There are still a few tickets left for Wednesday's screening of Spring Snow, and you have two chances to see Letters!

In other cinematography news, Turner Classic Movies will feature a 54 film tribute to James Wong Howe this month. JWH started his career for Cecil B. DeMille in 1919, was widely proclaimed as one of the best cameramen in the world in the 1930s and was a pioneer for Asian Americans in Hollywood.

:: citizen dog ::

2006-04-03T01:50:00.000-10:00

CITIZEN DOG premieres Tuesday night at Dole!

The story of the country bumpkin in the big city is age old and ubiquitous, it's so Joseph Campbell. Director Wisit Sasanatieng sets his hero in Bangkok as fairytale forest; where all men grow tails and his unrequited love interest is an eco-warrior trying to rid the world of plastic.

Sasantieng is the only Thai filmmaker to have his film invited to Cannes, the whimsical and mindblowing western Tears of the Black Tiger, which was never released in the U.S. (Miramax has been sitting on it for almost 5 years now).

Thankfully, we are able to screen his latest Grimm-like fable... We, the festival, pinky-swear that you will have a great time if you attend the film. It's a great date movie too!

:: pele awards ::

2006-04-02T11:45:00.000-10:00

Director James Sereno's trailer for the 2005 Louis Vuitton Hawaii International Film Festival won three Pele Awards last night. The awards are the Hawaii version of the Clio Awards, recognizing achievement in advertising.

Advertising for the Arts Campaign
"HIFF Campaign," Hawaii International Film festival, FlashLight and Kinetic Film LLC.

Advertising for the Arts Broadcast
"HIFF Trailer," Hawaii International Film Festival, Kinetic Film LLC.

Music Score - Music Only
"Hawaii International Film Festival Trailer," HIFF, DP Music.

Congratulations to Kinetic Media and DP Music!

Take a look at the trailer here!

:: spring films ::

2006-04-02T11:31:00.000-10:00

There was an incredible crowd at last night's premiere screening of the French action flick DISTRICT 13! Over 100 people showed up at the last minute and filled the theatre to capacity!

I forgot to mention to the audience that DISTRICT 13's subtitles are as entertaining as the high-energy stunts. The bad guys speak French with a Arabic-influenced street accent. Think hip-hop meets Tony Soprano, and yul get De idea, yo.

The film screens again Wednesday, March 5 at 9:00 p.m.

:: spy sorge ::

2006-04-02T09:43:00.000-10:00

SPY SORGE premieres Monday night.

Purported to be Masahiro Shinoda's last film, after a long and illustrious career, he is famous for being part of the New Wave of Japanese directors during the post-Anpo generation, a highly political time.

However, in his later years, Shinoda has increasingly turned to representing Japan’s wartime and immediate postwar experience. With such titles as MacArthur's Children, Setouchi Moonlight Serenade, and Spy Sorge, the director has left a lasting text on the lessons of war.

:: sunday rush update ::

2006-04-02T01:01:00.000-10:00

Sunday's screening of Always Sunset on Third Street just went rush line. If you're looking for an alternative, try The Gift or Letter from an Unknown Woman.

It looks like the shows below will go to the rush line in the next few days.

April 3, 6:15 PM Rules of Dating
April 5, 6:30 PM Spring Snow
April 6, 9:30 PM Parineeta

:: man in motion ::

2006-04-02T00:45:00.000-10:00

Friday's Man in Motion Award goes to the sharpest dress man in Oah'u, HIFF Gold Member Greg, who managed to see Always Sunset on Third Street at the Dole Cannery, Elvis Costello's live show at the Blaisdell Center and our sold-out screening of Lady Vengeance.

:: hard candy ::

2006-04-01T01:35:00.000-10:00

HARD CANDY premieres tomorrow night.

Our friends at Cinematical conducted a great interview with director David Slade and writer Brian Nelson at the just completed SXSW.

Also, for all you Ellen Page fans out there, this film was a launching pad for her soon-to-be Big Hollywood career! She's playing the role of Kitty Pryde in the new X-Men movie! Not bad for a young lass from Nova Scotia, the home of chanteuse Anne Murray. Hey, I'm a big fan!

:: look both ways ::

2006-03-31T12:59:00.000-10:00

LOOK BOTH WAYS premieres tomorrow.

The Australian Catholic Film Office proclaimed LOOK BOTH WAYS the 2005 Film of the Year. Interestingly, Sue Brooks' JAPANESE STORY, an LVHIFF Centerpiece Presentation, was also named Catholic Film of the Year in 2003. Who knew?

The film, a mix of animation and live action, is set over a hot weekend. Meryl imagines disaster coming from every direction - train crashes, man-eating sharks, baby-eating killer whales...and then there's Nick.

There are two good interviews with Sarah Watt here and here.

They've got a blog, too!

:: zozo ::

2006-03-31T12:38:00.000-10:00

ZOZO screens tomorrow afternoon at the Dole Cannery.

ZOZO is the official Swedish entry for the Academy Awards(R) Foreign Language Film category and is the third feature film from Josef Fares, director of the hilarious spoof and LVHIFF favorite KOPPS.

Together with Black African/Swedish hip hop star Timbuktu, Fares, who is half-Lebanese, half-Swede is pushing aside old concepts of what it means to be French or German or Swedish.

ZOZO's soundtrack is exquisite. The composer Adam Nordén was awarded, at the Swedish Film Gala Guldbaggen, a Golden Ram Award for his work with the music for the film. As Film Music notes, "Nordén carefully crafts his universe with a sad piano, a soft duduk, the occasional guitar, even a choir, and a toned down string ensemble. The resulting landscape is one of desolation but also of painful beauty."

:: the bow ::

2006-03-31T12:28:00.000-10:00

THE BOW screens tomorrow, Saturday, April 1 at 9:15PM.

Kim Ki-duk, the most popular and successful Korean film director in the U.S. has made 12 films...but THE BOW marked his first invitation the Cannes Festival, where it premiered in the Un Certain Regard section.

Here's a great interview with Kim, who discusses his five years in the Korean Marine Corps, and his upcoming projects: a movie whose main character is a gun, Buddhist religious war in Asia, and a movie ab out a woman who tries to abandon her beautiful look.

An here's an interesting review by Kirk Honeycutt, 2003 LVHIFF Golden Maile Juror and Hollywood reporter correspondent, on the twin pursuits of Kim Ki-Duk: allegorical storytelling and silent movie. techniques.

:: star bulletin write-up ::

2006-03-31T12:24:00.000-10:00

The Honolulu Star-Bulletin has new reviews of The Bow (***1/2), The Gift (***), Letter from an Unknown Woman (***), District 13 (***) and Rules of Dating (***1/2).

:: more film reviews ::

2006-03-30T13:22:00.000-10:00

The Star Bulletin has a glowing review of the Japanese punk rock/schoolgirl comedy Linda Linda Linda.

The S/B also ran a great review of Iron Island in today's print edition, not yet available on-line. Here's J. Hoberman's Village Voice review instead! My favorite quote:

"Part Pentateuch, part Animal Farm, Iron Island is closer to Makhmalbaf faux naïveté than Kiarostami modernism."

:: rush-line screenings as of thursday ::

2006-03-30T13:04:00.000-10:00

The following films have gone to the rush line!

March 31, 6:45 PM Tsotsi
March 31, 9:30 PM Lady Vengeance
April 1, 3:15 PM Soong Sisters

The rush line starts one hour before showtime! Unclaimed seats will be sold to the rush line on a “first come, first served” basis fifteen (15) minutes before screening time.

No tickets for Tsotsi? Try Zozo (Sweden's submission to the Oscars for Best Foreign Film) or Iron Island (from the Cannes Film Festival and winner of the Golden Peacock Award at the Goa International Film Festival).

Left out for Lady Vengeance? As we mentioned in an earlier post, try The Proposition or Hard Candy!

Can't see the Soong Sisters? Minsan Pa from the Philippines is a smart, critically-acclaimed melodrama...and the producer will be at both screenings. Letters from an Unknown Woman is Xu Jingle's gorgeous romantic period piece.

:: on the radio ::

2006-03-29T10:08:00.000-10:00

Catch Hawaii Public Radio's interview with Anderson Le, HIFF's Director of Programming, tomorrow, Thursday, March 3o!

KHPR, 88.1 FM at 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
KIPO, 89.3 FM between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. and at 1:30 p.m.

The interview will be posted on-line Friday at HPR or at Reporter Noe Tanigawa's site.

We'll also be on-the-air live, 8:00 a.m. Thursday morning on 90.3 FM KTUH! DJ Mano Lopez, from A Fistful of Ganas, will have ticket giveaways for 20 CENTIMETERS!

DJ Nocturna will have ticket giveaways for THE PROPOSITON on KTUH this Saturday night, 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., on a Feast of Friends.

:: spring showcase write-ups ::

2006-03-29T00:25:00.000-10:00

Check out these Spring Showcase overviews in our fine local newspapers:

Honolulu Advertiser, by Mike Tsai
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, by Gary Chun

:: rush for LADY VENGEANCE ::

2006-03-29T00:03:00.000-10:00

LADY VENGEANCE (March 31, 9:30 PM) is now a rush line only screening!

Ticket holders please arrive early: 15 minutes prior to screening time for rush line shows, unclaimed seats will be made available to the rush line on a “first come, first served” basis. The rush line will form one hour before showtime.

Interested in more stories of wrath, wild justice and revenge? Check out these films:

THE PROPOSITION (2005, Australia) An outback western set in the 1880s in Australia complete with bushrangers, Irish outlaws, aboriginals...and a score by Nick Cave. Straight from the Sundance Film Festival!

HARD CANDY (2005, USA) A teenager traps a would-be pedophile stalker in this thriller, also from Sundance!

:: soundtracks ::

2006-03-23T00:20:00.000-10:00

I love movie soundtracks...from Lawrence of Arabia and Pulp Fiction to Akira Ikufube and Ennio Morricone! So let me tell you about the best of the soundtracks for the films of HIFF's Spring Showcase. We've got new rhythms from South Africa, old school punk rock from Japan, show tunes from Bollywood and some Spanish glam-rock covers, too!

THE PROPOSITION's score was composed by Australian counter-culture musician Nick Cave, who also co-wrote the script. The movie is a rugged Australian western with the ingredients of the Outback, conflict with Aboriginals, bushranger and featuring David Wenham and Guy Pearce. But this is no BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN. "Let's get this straight," Nick says, "there's no gay sex in our western." Read a great interview with Nick or a review of the score. Preview the album on iTunes.
PARINEETA, based on the classic novel of the same name by legendary Bengali writer Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, thrilled audiences at this year's Berlin Film Festival. German audiences were humming the famous song Piyu Bole as they exited the theatres. The soundtrack is a fusion of Broadway and Bollwood. Yes, there are teems of kids singing in unison. But there are also songs like Kaisi Paheli Zindagani (listen), a brassy showtime belted out cabaret style. More streaming previews are available here.

LINDA LINDA LINDA's soundtrack features an all-schoolgirl cover of the eponymous hit song from the 80s Japanese punk band, THE BLUE HEARTS. Citypages reports that it's the best incessant use of a diabolically catchy tune since Wong Kar-wai put "California Dreamin'" on a loop for Chungking Express. Audiences proclaimed LINDA...the unofficial theme song of the Tornonto International Film Festival. But in the sic transit gloria mundi department, Nintendo snagged the song for the DS video game Ouendan in 2005. LINDA... also stars Shiori Sekine of the j-rock band Base Ball Bear! Finally, Punk News has a sweet story about a young gaijin's first encounter with LINDA LINDA LINDA on the streets of Shinjuku, along girl named X-ko.

ZOZO, Sweden's choice for Best Foreign Film for the 2005 Academy Awards, is the most traditional movie score of the titles mentioned herein. But the score is cinematic and sweeping in its scope, and is evocative even when separated from its images. The composer "has a sound all his own, but the subtlety and beauty of his melodies and his understanding of non-Western instruments certainly recall what both Mychael and his brother Jeff Danna have been doing for some years. Nordén carefully crafts his universe with a sad piano, a soft duduk, the occasional guitar, even a choir, and a toned down string ensemble."

TSOTSI screens on March 31 as part of our Opening Night! The film features several tracks by South African legend Zola (a.k.a., the king of kwaito) who also acts in the film as the gangster Fela. Kwaito music hasn't reached critical mass in pop culture consciousness, but it's an amazing post-apartheid fusion of American hip-hop with African political themes.

"Kwaito music is a distinctly homegrown style of popular dance music that is rooted in Johannesburg's urban culture. It features rhythmically recited vocals over an instrumental backing with strong bass lines. Like American hip-hop, it is an expression of urban South African youth; it is the voice of the township." Want to learn more?

And the Spanish covers of David Bowie? Go see 20 CENTIMETERS! I don't have any links to the previews!

:: spring showcase one line reviews ::

2006-03-22T14:57:00.000-10:00

Don't know where to start planning for the HIFF Spring Showcase? Check out the one-line summaries for the films of the Spring Showcase below!

CRITICS' CHOICES

Friends With Money (USA, 2006) - direct from the 2006 Sundance Film Festival

Tsotsi (South Africa, 2005) - winner of the 2006 Academy Award for Best Foreign Film

PREMIERES

The Gift (Japan, 2006) - a tale of tragic love, based on the best selling Japanese novel

Always Sunset on Third Street (Japan, 2005) - winner of 13 Japanese Academy Awards

Minsan Pa (Philippines, 2005) - a gorgeous and smart melodrama, filmed in the Visayas

KOREA

Rules of Dating (South Korea, 2005) - a smart, sexy and adult comedy on relationships

Love Is a Crazy Thing (South Korea, 2005) - gritty tale of the Busan underground

The Bow (South Korea, 2005) - the 12th film from Kim Ki-duk, director of 3-IRON

WORLD CINEMA

20 Centimeters (Spain, 2005) - hit musical comedy about a narcoleptic transsexual

Iron Island (Iran, 2005) - black comedy set on a beached oil tanker

Parineeta (India, 2005) - song, dance and romance in 1960s Calcutta

Spring Snow (Japan, 2005) - based on the famous novel by Mishima Yukio

Zozo (Sweden, 2005) - a young boy goes on the road from Beirut to Sweden

COMEDIES

Citizen Dog (Thailand, 2004) - romance and magical realism in Bangkok, a la AMELIE

Linda Linda Linda (Japan, 2005) - Japanese schoolgirls, a talent contest and punk rock

Moonlight in Tokyo (Hong Kong, 2005) - Leon Lai and Chapman To are Rainman gigolos

Shopaholics (Hong Kong, 2006) - a psychiatrist and a millionaire chase Cecilia Cheung

AUSTRALIA

Little Fish (Australia, 2005) - a junkie's struggle, with Cate Blanchett and Hugo Weaving

Look Both Ways (Australia, 2005) - Australia's most award winning film of 2005

ACTION AND THRILLERS

Lady Vengeance (South Korea, 2005) - the sequel to OLDBOY

District 13 (France, 2005) - hip French action pic, with stunts that rival ONG BAK

Hard Candy (USA, 2005) - psychological thriller, wherein the hunter becomes the hunted

The Proposition (Australia, 2005) - outback western with Guy Pearce and David Wenham

LESSONS OF WAR - sponsored by the USS Missouri

Soong Sisters (Hong Kong, 1997) - Michelle Yeoh, Maggie Cheung in the HIFF favorite

Spy Sorge (Japan, 2003) - an espionage thriller set in 1930s Tokyo

Letter from an Unknown Woman (HK, 2004) - lush romance set against war and invasion

Podcasts, Will Smith, Spring Showcase

2006-03-13T02:04:00.000-10:00

P.O.V., television's longest-running showcase for independent non-fiction films, has a podcast interview with filmmaker Jessica Yu on her film IN THE REALMS OF THE UNREAL, nominated for HIFF's Golden Maile in 2004.

The BBC reports Will Smith gushing over Aishwarya Rai, calling for closer Bollywood/Hollywood links in a recent visit to India.

Blog coverage of the twenty-six films of HIFF's Spring Showcase starts this week.

RED DOORS TO BECOME CBS PRIMETIME SHOW

2005-12-29T15:15:00.000-10:00

The festival hit RED DOORS, which recently played at the 2005 LVHIFF to packed audiences has just been optioned by CBS to be developed into a prime-time soap. Read the full story at Yahoo! Congrats go to Georgia, Jane and Mia for their incredible work!

2005-12-16T20:49:00.000-10:00

2005: The Year of the Film Blog
Indiewire, the premiere indie film news source online, has a great report on the proliferation and influence of film and film industry blogs. Their role, many pop culture gadflys agree, have assisted in getting smaller films like THE SQUID AND THE WHALE and BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN more recognition during this awards season. Us film programmers subscribe to a lot of film blogs and websites, like Aintitcoolnews that help us in our formulation of the festival program. Some recommendations:

Reverse Shot: edited by key individuals working in Indiewood (the term commonly used for the indie film companies based in NYC like Miramax, New Yorker, Kino, Wellspring, Magnolia, etc).
GreenCine: The blog for the DVD online rental service, there are some great insight on a wide range of films, from the biggest blockbuster to the most obscure film titles.
Kaiju Shakedown: one of the best Asian cinema blogs maintained by Grady Hendrix, one of the founders of Subway Cinema.
Cinematical: An often hilarious look at cinema, from quirky film reviews, to insightful industry observations, to their own sense of justice, calling for the return of Remington Steele.
Midnight Eye: The definitive site on Japanese cinema, edited and maintained by two gaijins, Tom Mes and Jasper Sharp. Go buy their book The Midnight Eye Guide to New Japanese Film.
TwitchFilm.net: cool resource on international cinema, with a strong focus on Asian cinema.
Koreanfilm.org: Maintained by Darcy Paquet, this is the best resource for new Korean cinema. Highly recommended!
Monkey Peaches: The premiere website for new HK and Chinese cinema!
Hawaii Film Office blog: And if you're interested in the film industry in Hawaii, check out this highly informative blog maintained by the film office's Mynette Louie. She's organized, she's from Harvard, she can build this film industry!

2005-11-29T12:33:00.000-10:00

Independent Spirit Award Noms Announced

The Independent Spirit Awards presented by Film Independent, formerly IFP LA. LVHIFF is proud to have presented a bunch of films that have gone off to be Spirit Award nominees. THE SQUID AND THE WHALE leads this year's noms with six noms including Best Film, Best Director and actor noms for Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney. BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, with noms for Best Picture, Director and noms for Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams (real life couple who just had a baby). Other notables are truly indie films like CONVENTIONEERS from director Mora Stephens, garnering a nom for the John Cassavetes Award, ROMANTICO for Best Documentary and PARADISE NOW for Best Foreign Film.

Here's a full list of this year's nominees.

2005-11-28T16:59:00.000-10:00

Chinese and Japanese bloggers outraged by Geisha film

A day before the world premiere of Steven Spielberg backed MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA in Japan, blogs in China and Japan have been buzzing with intense criticism, according to Reuters. The main issue: Chinese actresses hired to play Japanese geishas and the liberal historical use of geisha imagery and practices.
Cinematical, a great blog, also talks about this issue and Rob Marshall argues in favor of his decision.

2005-11-28T10:35:00.000-10:00

Yet another article chronicling Hallyu

Gary Chun from the Honolulu Star Bulletin wrote a feature article on Hallyu or the Korean Wave, spotlighting YA Entertainment, a subsidiary of YesAsia . Christmas shopping ideas, anyone?

2005-11-14T14:37:00.000-10:00

Homegrown films update

Mike Tsai's great article in the Honolulu Advertiser about James Sereno and Ryan Kawamoto of Kinetic Films is out today.If you don't know already, James is the director of this year's LVHIFF trailer. Kinetic's upcoming project sounds great, especially with the beautiful Kelly Hu attached to star.

Both James and Ryan have won awards at LVHIFF. James' SILENT YEARS won the Hawaii Film & Videomaker Award at LVHIFF 04 and Ryan's SAND ISLAND DRIVE-INN ANTHEM won the Hawaiian Airlines Audience Award for Favorite Short at this year's festival. These guys are on the forefront of Hawaii's indie film scene!

2005-11-14T11:35:00.000-10:00

Martin Scorsese to shoot period drama in Japan

Martin Scorsese announced that he wants to make a Japan-set period drama called SILENCE as his next project. He declared this on Sunday at the 5th Marrakech Film Festival in Morocco, where he received a lifetime achievement award.

An adaptation of a Japanese novel by Shusaku Endo, SILENCE is the martyrdom-themed tale of two 17th century Portuguese missionaries who return to Japan to minister to Christians, who've been outlawed. "I hope it comes together. I've been trying to make the movie for 10 years," Scorsese said at a press conference.

His latest film, the docu NO DIRECTION HOME: BOB DYLAN recently aired on PBS's American Masters and is available on DVD. He is currently in post on THE DEPARTED, a remake of the HK crime caper INFERNAL AFFAIRS.

2005-11-13T13:07:00.000-10:00

Kung Fu Hustle sweeps Golden Horse Awards

The Taiwanese Golden Horse Awards, purportedly the Chinese-speaking world's premiere film awards were presented over the weekend with Stephen Chow's KUNG FU HUSTLE taking all the major awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, the BBC reports. Here is a full listing of award winners.

2005-11-13T12:09:00.000-10:00

American Fusion to screen at SFIAAFF!

Sylvia Chang and director Frank Lin share a laugh on set of AMERICAN FUSION. Collin Chou is in the background.

AMERICAN FUSION, winner of the Hawaiian Airlines Audience Award for Favorite Feature at tbe LVHIFF 2005, and a world premiere at our festhas just been accepted to the San Francisco Int'l Asian American Film Festival presented by the Center for Asian American Media (formerly NAATA). AF just had its world premiere at the LVHIFF this year. Wishing director Frank Lin great success, especially since 4 sold-out screenings in Hawaii alone is not too shabby!

2005-11-13T11:57:00.000-10:00

Brokeback Mountain, Oscar contender

LVHIFF was honored to screen BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN as the Centerpiece presentation this year. The film has been garnering rave reviews and there's one posted on aintitcoolnews from the screening in Hawaii a couple of weeks ago.

On a side note, I recently ran into director Ang Lee in Koreatown in Los Angeles of all places! I thanked him for making the film and allowing the festival to screen it. Looking very tired, Ang was taking a short break from his whirlwind of promotions for the film, which opens commercially Dec. 9th!

2005-11-12T01:06:00.000-10:00

Homemade music video -- Best festival trailer ever?

Even though the LVHIFF 2005 festival trailer has received universal accolades, so much that Roger Ebert will screen the trailer at his Overlooked film festival next year, I would have to eventually fend off the naysayers and vote for the Northwest Asian American Film Festival's trailer as the best ever! Taken from an amateur webcam video made by 2 Beijing college students lip-synching to the ubiquitous Backstreet Boys song "I Want It That Way", wearing Houston Rockets jerseys (in honor of Yao Ming, most likely). Aside from this webcam video, there are also other great homemade music videos over at EW's popwatch blog.

Even if the NWAAFF trailer most likely violates every copyright and intellectual property law, it's a really small community-based film festival in Seattle, so I think they can get away with it, just because it is so hilarious! Better yet, they didn't have to even pay anything for a budget or props. Now, that's what I call in-kind services!

2005-11-10T09:59:00.000-10:00

Bushido gets respect!

Well, it took a scientologist to make the samurai cool again. Today, the Honolulu Advertiser carried a USA Today article on the recent popularity of samurai movies in America. There's a brief mention of films like THE HIDDEN BLADE, which was shown at this year's festival, as well as Sam Jackson's Afrosamurai project. For all you Christmas shoppers, get your cinephile friends and family the kick-ass and definitive REBEL SAMURAI: Sixties Swordplay Classics DVD box set, available now through Criterion. Remastered 35mm prints were struck from this particular series and there have been small runs at various museums and cinematheques across the country. I think Konrad at the Doris Duke should book this series soon!

2005-11-10T09:37:00.000-10:00

R.I.P. Shannon

I guess Maggie Grace didn't buy a house after all. I thought it was a solid episode, and the twist at the end was so bone-chilling. Sayid's immediate anguish then the complete 180 to Super Soldier with a vengeance and "I can snap your neck in 6 seconds" was pure acting brilliance from Naveen Andrews.

I'm a big fan of Entertainment Weekly, especially their weekly online LOST recap. Much insight from the EW peanut gallery.

We'll miss you Shannon, even though you were pretty annoying. Who knew you had an evil stepmother? It explains everything! Let's just hope Ms. Grace doesn't make THE FOG 2.

2005-11-10T01:52:00.000-10:00

CAVITE, Golden Maile Winner, picked up for U.S. distribution

Tim Ryan's column in the Honolulu Star Bulletin reports that LVHIFF 05 Golden Maile Best Feature Winner CAVITE was just picked up by Unitel Films, an indie film distributor owned by Dallas Mavericks maven and billionaire Mark Cuban, who also has an exclusive HD deal with Steven Soderbergh, a movie theater chain, and very recent media spat with NBA commentators Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley, among other things. What a media gadfly!

Let's wish Neill Gamazon and Ian Dela Llana (the directors of CAVITE) a successful run this coming spring!

2005-11-05T14:27:00.001-10:00

Korean stars surprised by American fandom

"A force to be reckon with."

There's a great article by Shelly Smith that encapsulates the recent Hallyu or Korean wave at this year's LVHIFF. LEE Byung-hun, the star of A BITTERSWEET LIFE was literally mobbed by throngs of screaming fans, mostly older women! There was strong representation across the board with our largest Korean contingent ever:

- KANG Je-gyu, director of SHIRI and TAEGUKGI, served on our Jury

- SAD MOVIE: Actor LEE Kiwoo and Director KWON Jang-kwon (The film sold out 4 times!)

- WELCOME TO DONGMAKGOL: Director PARK Kwang-hyun

- SA-KWA: Director KANG Yi-kwan

Viva Korea!

2005-11-05T14:03:00.000-10:00

Do You Think Daniel Dae Kim is Hot? Vote Now!

Daniel Dae Kim, or DDK to his beloved and screaming fans, plays the character Jin on LOST and is a ubiquitous TV and film actor who has appeared in 24, ER, ANGEL, BABYLON 5: CRUSADES (a personal fave) and SPIDERMAN 2 among others.

Anyway, Jin has become one of my favorite characters on LOST and his story arc of redemption is what makes the show so damn great. Plus, DDK is one of the hardest working actors in Hollywood and a positive portrayal of Asian-American masculinity in mainstream media. He also is a big fan of LVHIFF, so he get's a gold star in my book!

Well, he's up for the annual PEOPLE Magazine SEXIEST MAN ALIVE and there's an online poll. If you're a DDK fan or want to see an Asian guy rubbing elbows with Brad, Tom, Mel and Orlando, then by all means, let's make it happen! DDK! DDK! DDK!

2005-11-05T13:24:00.000-10:00

Jordan Catalano to Play John Lennon Assassin

Mynette's kick-ass Hawaii Film Office blog reports that there's going to be a second project in the works about Mark David Chapman, who also served in the army here in Hawaii in the 1970s, while plotting away Lennon's assassination.

First off, Leto looks nothing like Chapman. And yes, he does have indie cred (REQUIEM FOR A DREAM, FIGHT CLUB), but he will forever be Angela Chase's dreamboat slacker in MY SO-CALLED LIFE. What a damn good show that was!

Anyhoo, like Mynette, I find it also disheartening that this project will forgo the portrayal of Chapman's Asian wife for a composite character to be played by the gaunt-by-the-minute Lindsay Lohan (you had promise in MEAN GIRLS!).

Keep in mind, there is another project done by Brit filmmakers and Gloria Abe (Chapman's wife) is being played by Mie Omori, the lead actress in FISHBOWL, the winner of the Best Hawaii Film & Videomaker Award at this year's LVHIFF. Mie is only a junior at Iolani but she's got a bright future ahead of her! We'll keep you posted if we hear of further developments on this "other" project.

2005-11-05T13:07:00.000-10:00

Who is T. Chang?

Ms. Taylor Chang was our roving reporter at this year's LVHIFF. A high school student from Punahou, program coordinator Christian asked her to post some entries. She is also a budding filmmaker, with an impressive documentary called BON DANCE that played in our student showcase this year. It's not only impressive because it is a well planned and researched piece, but it was a film she did on her own and not as a class assignment. Taylor just felt compelled to make a documentary about this hallowed tradition in Hawaii and the Japanese-American community!

I think Harvard and Yale is sniffing around....

2005-11-05T12:53:00.000-10:00

All the Leaves are Brown and the Sky is Gray at AFM....

Well everybody, the festival is finally over. The Sam Jackson tribute went off without a hitch and he was such a crack-up on stage! Thanks for the 400 ppl who attended last night at the Monarch Room. It was truly a capstone to our 25th. Anyway, once the event concluded, Trevor, my co-worker and festival "mailboy" (which in HIFF terms means he runs the entire show), rushed me to the airport to catch my red eye to LA. Barely made it.

Anyway, here in Santa Monica, all registered for the American Film Market... but I'm deathly ill. My throat is on fire, burning up and my sinuses are mimicing scenes from every bad alien birth scene. Secretion of mucuous is not pretty for the throngs of pretty ppl here. So, off to bed, bought some Nyquil and hopefully, I'll be up for AFM tomorrow morning.

2005-10-30T22:38:00.000-10:00

One Night in Mongkok Response

This movie was gritty, and by the end, it was disturbing. I felt there was a definite message against violence, and the movie definitely showed the reality and potential consequences of living a life that revolves around violence and negative ideals.
The film successfully portrayed Mongkok as a heavily populated, dirty, and polluted city full of crime. I don’t think I’d want to go there if I were a tourist.
I think the editing, along with other creative decisions, was done very artistically and added to the movie’s unique style. In many ways, although the movie was very graphic, the editing barely saved the movie from being way too graphic. Still, I think some people would say the movie was too graphic anyway. I would go as far as to say that the editing was beautiful while the content was not.
Decisions, such as using black and white or using an unsteady camera versus a steady camera, also added to the movie’s style. What I appreciated most as the music and the sounds. The director’s use of sound and music, along with the editing, was impressive. The fast-beat drums in the music were appropriate and definitely created increasing tension in various places throughout the movie. I noticed two kinds of music. One style had the fast-beat drums, and the other style had a softer, sort of lullaby-like ring to it. The music coincided with the action-intense scenes and the more emotional, intimate scenes. There was a contrast between the intense, physical scenes and the emotional scenes, which were used interchangeably. In the end, the emotion and the action-intense, physical aspects of the movie finally came together in one big blow.

2005-10-29T21:31:00.000-10:00

Kodak Cinematography Seminar With Russell Boyd

I really appreciated listening to Russell Boyd, similarly to how I appreciated listening to Roger Ebert. Of course, both are at the top of their field, but they were still open to fully answering any question, even questions that might have been considered obvious questions from their point of view. The fact that they were willing to give up their time for both local cinematographers and aspiring cinematographers was impressive in itself.
This seminar gave me a better idea of how a cinematographer deals with light. Russell Boyd always explained how he used or manipulated light in the scenes he showed. In The Last Wave, Boyd pointed out that he used a lot of blue lighting during the cave scenes in the movie. During his explanation of The Last Wave, he mentioned how he likes to use blue light in many of his scenes in general. In Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, his use of blue lighting is obvious, especially during the storm scenes in the ocean. So, I learned that blue lighting is a good way to create an interesting look in dark or ominous settings.
On the other hand, in Picnic at Hanging Rock, he showed how he used light in bright settings. Boyd noted how he wanted each shot to look like an impressionist painting. Of course, he succeeded in doing so, and he mentioned that he got the soft, dreamlike lighting by using fine netting over the camera or on set. I thought that was an interesting technique that I’ve never heard of before. This seminar, like Roger Ebert’s seminar, further emphasized how each shot can look like a painting depending on how you frame or light the shot.
It was neat how the audience consisted of both professionals and non-professionals, like myself. Because of this, there were both professional questions and non-professional questions. I think because Russell Boyd was very nice and approachable, the non-professional people were willing to ask questions that were probably considered obvious and simple questions by the professionals in the audience. It was refreshing how some young students asked questions: there weren’t only adults in the audience. In contrast, there were more complicated questions, which dealt with things I’ve never heard of before. So, it was nice to listen to Boyd answering such a variety of questions.
I liked Boyd’s brief remarks about being resourceful as a cinematographer. He linked the discussion to Australia, where he is from. He mentioned that he thinks a lot of Australian cinematographers are successful in the field because, in Australia, budget was always tight, so they were forced to be resourceful when shooting movies.
I learned, basically, more about a cinematographer’s role on a movie. Boyd talked about how he’s involved heavily in pre-production and filming, but when post-productions starts his job ends. He mentioned that he works very closely with the actors. It was funny how he said he handles the actresses more carefully than the actors, especially between shooting. He mentioned that he is more particular with light on the actresses rather than on light on the actors.
Overall, I have a much better understanding of what a cinematographer’s job is, what it requires, and what it involves.

From T. Chang

2005-10-28T22:30:00.000-10:00

These are my 3 earlier reports: (1) Paradise Now: (2) Evening with Zhang Yimou; and (3) Lost Seminar. I'll be sending my blog on the Ebert seminar tonight on another post.
1. PARADISE NOW:
Big Theme:
subject of the Middle East and suicide bombers has been mentioned frequently in class discussions. The subject brings up nearly all of the themes that are integrated the course. Paradise Now tells a story about two suicide bombers in Palestine. These men, Said and Khaled, are expected to set off their bombs together in Israel, but they are separated during their mission, and during the course of two days, both men are faced with a problematic situation and wrestle with what is good and bad and what is the right thing to do. The theme of "doing the right thing" was evident. The movie also centers around the theme of a martyr. The movie reminded me of some questions mentioned in class: What is a martyr? Is a suicide bomber a martyr? Are suicide bombers only perpetuating existing problems? Does it really bring you closer to God? The audience sees the two main characters wrestling with these questions when their mission fails. The movie shows what a psychological journey of a suicide bomber may be like. The movie brings up the individual vs. the system theme. Will the two suicide bombers submit to the system and finish what the system set out for them--will they still carry out the mission even though it had nearly failed? By the end, someone (not going to mention who) defies the system, and someone doesn't. The audience sees the psychological journey each bomber took in deciding whether to submit or to defy the system. Is it right to defy the system, or is it right to submit to the system? The movie represents both sides of the question.
In dealing with the issues between Palestine and Israel, the movie, of course, dealt with political and religious issues. Paradise Now, however, went beyond the issues seen in the media. There were other, more human issues dealt with. The director mentioned that the movie shows human issues behind the violence. Indeed, the theme of "doing the right thing" is a very universal, human issue. Basically, is it right to commit suicide and kill others along with you for your country? This is the first movie I've seen that gets into the head of a suicide bomber. It suggests what a suicide bomber psychologically goes through during a mission. One of the purposes of the movie was to accurately show the audience the lives of suicide bombers. It shines light on why people become suicide bombers in the first place. As a viewer, you grow to sympathize with the characters, you become scared for the characters, but most importantly, you grow sad for the characters. Sadness, loneliness, isolation, and confusion are constant themes in the movie. When the characters are separated, they become very confused about not only the purpose of their mission, but also the purpose of their life, and they feel very alone and lost.
The movie also successfully represents many views of suicide bombers. Some Palestinians sees suicide bombers as a loss cause. Some believe that Palestinians have no other option but to protest in such drastic ways. Others see suicide bombing as an act of revenge or as an act of religion. Many Palestinians have a combination of these beliefs. Overall, the movie gives a fresh look at suicide bombers during a time when, I think, America needs it. I think Americans have very biased views on how a suicide bomber thinks. We assume that it's an easy decision for the people in the Middle East to blow themselves up and others up for their country. Paradise Now clearly shows that it is not the case. In this sense, the timing of the movie release is perfect.

Crafting Decision:

The director made two very important crafting decisions. First, he decided to have no music during the movie. There even wasn’t music during the ending credits. The only music heard was from a radio in the background. This was an effective decision because music would've altered the direction, the meaning, and the feel of the movie. The director wanted his movie to represent reality as much as possible. He said that music is too "artificial" for the issues dealt with in his movie. It would’ve taken attention away from the rawness of the movie. The absence of music highlighted the tension, the raw emotion of the characters, and the issues dealt with in the movie.
Secondly, the director chose not to depict any kind of violence, even though the movie revolved around a risky, violent subject. This was a good idea because the issues behind the violence were emphasized—the things behind the violence that we don’t see. For example, we see enough violent and disturbing images in the media, and we see little of the conflicts behind the violence. We don’t see, for example, the personal lives of the suicide bombers, and we don’t see how suicide bombers prepare to die. We don’t see the men’s reactions when they’re told that they are commissioned to be a suicide bomber, and we don’t see the bombers’ family life or personal relationships. We also don’t see the inner conflict bombers have as they face death in an instant. The director said that the purpose of a movie is to take the audience somewhere they would never have been able to go. In the movie, he took us into the lives of a suicide bomber, which is definitely someplace an American audience has never gone before. He added that the purpose of a movie is to have the audience experience something they would have never been able to experience. Again, the American audience has never experienced the suicide bomber’s conflict. Paradise Now succeeds in doing this by taking the audience deep into a suicide bomber’s personal life. So, why show violence, something that is seen all the time, when you can give insight on the things that is behind the violence—things that are hidden from the world? In many ways, not showing violence was a message in itself: violence is unnecessary. Hardly any blood was shown, except for a nosebleed. The ending, especially, was great because, technically, it was expected to be really realistic and graphic. But the director treated it in a way that made it painless, which is a relief and was a surprise. I won’t mention the ending because it would spoil it. (the movie’s coming out everywhere soon).
Both the absence of music and violence made the picture much, much more powerful because it was unexpected and because it highlighted the main issues and messages of the picture and gave the movie a certain kind of rawness, something that movies today tend to lack.

Significant Scene:
The Ending! But I don’t want to talk about it because it would spoil it! Besides the ending, there was one shot before the big ending, which was appropriately suspenseful. Said was missing after the failed mission, and when he was found, he had to speak to the head of his resistance. The head believed that Said had betrayed them, but Said convinced the head to give him a chance to redeem himself. Khaled is in the hallway outside the door in which the conversation is taking place. Khaled doesn’t know what’s going to happen to Said. The significant shot is the longest shot in the movie. It starts with Khaled walking down the hallway, and he washes his face, he hears the door open, he turns suddenly, walks around the corner and sees Said standing in front of the door. Said is standing with his legs spread apart and his hands in his pockets. The audience and Khaled don’t know what Said is going to do to redeem himself. Both men stare at each other. It’s an awkward moment because only Said and the Head know what’s going to happen. The length of the shot was appropriate because it established the anxiety of the moment. Also the shot establishes the first time Said is confident in what he’s about to do. It starts the beginning of the end.

Interesting Fact:
The director got nearly all his information about the psychology of suicide bombers from lawyers who defended bombers, whose bombs failed to explode during a mission.
2. EVENING WITH ZHANG YIMOU
Quick Summary of What Happened: 6:45 pm – 10: 15 pm
There was a brief introduction and description of ceremony. There was a short movie reel, which Zhang Yimou cut himself, consisting of clips from all of his past movies. Zhang Yimou came on stage and talked briefly about the movie he had chosen to show for the night. The movie, Not One Less, which was made six years ago, was played. Audience went upstairs to reception hall to eat and take pictures. Founder of HIFF gave a speech about the history of HIFF and the history of HIFF’s relationship with Zhang Yimou. Award was presented to him, he gave a short speech of thanks, and there was a short time for Q&A.

Response:
The event didn’t focus on Zhang’s crafting approach as much as I had expected. It was mostly an event to simply to “be in the presence of a master filmmaker.” However, Zhang Yimou did say some things, which were thought provoking, especially to a student. I almost wish there were more students present at the event because Zhang Yimou’s message really felt directed to younger students. Of course, the whole audience was made up of adults.
Before the screening of Not One Less, Zhang Yimou said that the movie is about children. He said the reason he chose to screen this film was because “it has been my lifelong wish that children will have a good childhood and that they’ll grow up to be excellent contributors in society.” The film Not One Less definitely is about this wish, and it concerned the inner strength and the coming of age of kids. It also emphasized that kids’ have great potential influence in the world. The movie is about a poor school in a rural country town in China. A 13-year old girl, Teacher Wei, comes to the town to be a substitute teacher for a class of little kids. All the kids are poor, and they tend to run away from school. Teacher Wei was instructed by the teacher that if he came back and all the kids were still at school, “not one less,” he would pay the girl 15 yuan. The meat of the story involves Wei going to the city to find a student, a naughty boy, who went to the city to work. It’s an emotionally driven story with an innocent child-like humor. The movie ultimately shows how kids, if they keep on pursing their goals with hard work, can influence society on a large scale. Teacher Wei finds the boy by going on national television, and from the show, she gains sympathy from people all over China. Then, her rural village gets tons of monetary donations and school supplies.
The other thing that Zhang Yimou said was that, in his storytelling, he goes for the most visually stunning images—the images that will stay with you even when the story does not. Zhang Yimou values images that are stunning and tell the audience a lot about the story. He gave an example that when he watches foreign films, he cannot understand the lines; however, he understands the story by paying attention to the images. To Zhang Yimou, lines are less important than images because the images tell the story rather than the lines. Zhang Yimou’s use of stunning images is seen in his two most recent movies, Hero and House of Flying Daggers. In Hero, the images that stick out in my mind are the images with the vibrant colors. I have an image of two men fighting on a pristine, blue lake and two women in red fighting under yellow trees. In House of Flying Daggers, I have an image of the girl doing something in the middle of a circle of drums with pink silk fabric with flying rocks everywhere. Zhang Yimou uses a lot of color to make images memorable. In Not One Less, the ending shot showed kids drawing Chinese characters on the chalkboard with colored chalk, which was rare in rural villages. The entire board was filled with colored markings, and Zhang Yimou used this shot to show the credits over.

3. LOST SEMINAR

I don’t watch the series, but I thought it might be interesting to hear them speak about how they develop and craft Lost, which has gotten so much success. I mean, they must be doing something right. Overall, I gained a lot from the seminar, even though I’m not a fan of the series.

#1: Producers of Lost approached casting in a totally unique way. Usually, in the casting process, characters are already set up in detail, and casting directors look for the actors to best suit the role. However, in Lost, the characters weren’t developed by the time casting started. There was only a very vague description of some of the characters—some of the characters weren’t even created yet. There were no racial distinctions between characters in the beginning. So, instead of casting in the traditional way, the makers of Lost cast actors who simply caught their attention and were interesting and diverse, and then created the characters based on the actors who were cast. Therefore, the characters were molded to the actors, not really the other way around. During casting, there was no solid script—there were only short generic lines. So, the personality of the actor really had to stand out. The casting process was kind of like a puzzle: they shifted people around to different parts until the combination fit. It can be said that the casting was successful, for millions of people have grown to care of these characters. So, although this wasn’t the traditional way of casting, one could argue that it isn’t a wrong way to approach casting.
#2: Getting the right people in the right roles is essential in order to audiences to fall in love with the characters. This, of course, involves consideration for chemistry and personality clashes from producers. For Lost, the crew would be living in Hawaii for a while, which is a whole new environment, so producers definitely had to make sure the cast and crew got along.
#3: Many times, the writers start with a general, brilliant idea, and then they fill in the blanks later. The creators of Lost started with a general idea: plane will crash on a island that the passengers will have to survive…blah,blah. They sold that idea first. Then, they filled in the detailed story line. The co-executive producer said that the writers, when they write the script, first, come up with certain destinations that will occur in the script. For example, the writers, from the beginning, knew that a hatchet will be opened and the characters will eventually take a raft into the ocean; however, they had no idea how they were going to get there in the script. The writers filled in the blanks later on. How the writers are able to do it? It wasn’t mentioned. The producer described the “destinations” as “peaks” of mountains. The writers establish the peaks, then they climb up the mountain to get there.
#4: Timing of when the series or movie is released is important. They believe Lost came out during a time where co-existing races work together, conflict with each other, and interact with each other in the world. Lost has very cultural diverse characters that deals with everyone working together, conflicting with each other—interacting with each other. Producers believe that Lost came out during a time when that kind of cultural unity is needed. They mentioned how the cultural diversity of the cast and the unity between them is part of what attracts audiences to the show.
#5: Successful crews are like families, and the bases of good relationships on set really trickle from the top-down. The people at the top including, the producers, the directors, the main creators, set the tone of the production.
#6: “If you have something good, kill it before it dies.” Steven King wrote an article in Newsweek that claimed that Lost was the best series on television since twilight zone. But he warned Lost creators not to put the series at the mercy of the corporations. If a series is a hit, corporations tend to force the show to continue on and on and on. Basically, Steven King told Lost creators to let the series tell its story, then kill it before the corporations force the show to stay on air and force the writers to stretch the story out too much. Producers said that once Lost’s story is told, it will be over forever. Today, there are too many unsuccessful sequels that tend to ruin the successful, original versions for audiences. I think a lot of movies and television series should take this advice as well.

Funny fact:
During the middle of the seminar, two people fell off of weak chairs. One person was the main cinematographer, and the other person was the discussion moderator.

2005-10-28T20:05:00.000-10:00

Robert Ebert’s DARK CITY Seminar Response:
Note: The seminar lasted three days. I didn’t get to see the film in its entirety, but I was able to watch half of the movie during discussions and absorbed a lot of information.

Throughout the movie, Dark City, Ebert continuously pointed out the overlooked details, which weren’t especially necessary but added more substance and authenticity to the film. Many times, he mentioned how the movie was “generous” or “gratuitous” in its visuals. Details in Dark City consisted of extra actors in dark alleys, detailed furniture, unique architectural designs, household objects in a corner of a shot, and visual symbolism. From this seminar, I learned how to look for the details that add substance to a picture.
After the seminar, I better understand the amount of thinking and planning that goes into framing a shot. I better understand how certain shots connote different feelings, how the environment can be used as symbolism, and how certain angles accentuate certain aspects of the characters. Ebert mentioned how Alex Proyas, the director of Dark City, likes to have objects framing both sides of the screen in the movie. Also, he also likes to have a deep-reaching perspective into the background. You could see these instances in many scenes in the movie when Ebert froze the scenes for the audience. Also, Ebert reminded the audience about motifs. In Dark City, the motifs were spirals and circles. I better understand how to locate the source of light, and perhaps, how to set up the lighting in a scene. The use of lighting was mentioned often. Light and darkness were constant motifs in the film, and the director played with the opposites creatively and appropriately. Ebert noted how darkness hides many things. In one shot, the camera falls down past the city surface and into the underground lair of the aliens. As it passes the sides of buildings, there’s an interchange between a layer of concrete and a layer of shadow. Ebert explained how the shadow, which is used to look like the shadows of the building, are actually there to hide the fact that the image of the building is simply being repeated over and over again.

I appreciate how Ebert invited the audience to think about the scenes for themselves. I think Ebert did a great job allowing the audience to be so involved. Ebert is such a sweet, approachable guy that no one was intimidated to speak their mind. Ebert created a great atmosphere for discussion. Overall, I enjoyed listening to Ebert's insight and the insight of others.

2005-10-23T22:22:00.000-10:00

Hey LVHIFFers,

Thanks so much for bearing with us this first weekend. Although we are bringing in hordes of attendees into theaters to enjoy tons of films, there have been some kinks operation-wise. I assure you, we're ironing them out. Anyway, what a weekend! The silver anniversary is going very well. We've got record sold out screenings, Bai Ling partying hard and a large Korean contingent creating a craze among many Korean film fans. SAD MOVIE, our Opening Night film, was a great success! And with Lee Byung-hun, star of A BITTERSWEET LIFE (its U.S. premiere is 10/24, 9:00pm at Hawaii Theatre), attending the festival, the countless screams of Japanese women are heard everywhere around town.

Anyway, sorry for the delay in posting, but we'll get to regularly posting by tomorrow. Thanks to Mynette Louie from the Hawaii Film Office, and Harvard-brainiac, for her awesome and informative blog, reporting on the festival. She's a hoot and knows the industry like the back of her hand!

Blog you tomorrow!!!