MEDIA RELEASE
Now in its 8th year, the Big Island Film Festival has announced 54 Official Selections for 2013, to be screened May 23-27 at The Fairmont Orchid and The Shops at Mauna Lani.
The “talk story†film festival is a celebration of narrative films and filmmaking, with free family films, nightly double features for grown-ups with gourmet food and no-host bar, and “meet-the-stars†celebrity social events.
Notable selections include the inter-cultural romance “Chasing Shakespeare†starring Danny Glover. Continuing the legend of their ancestral Lightning Clan, a Native American family sends a talented daughter to reach for her destiny on Broadway.
“Home,†with Gbenga Akinnagbe (“The Good Wifeâ€) follows a mentally-ill father on the slippery path to recovery and re-connection with his son. The film’s ensemble cast includes Emmy-winning actor James McDaniel (“NYPD Blueâ€).
The short film “Liberator†stars Lou Ferrigno as a washed-up super hero dealing with his past, and co-stars Ed Asner.
Top contenders from Hawaii state and island include “Strange Frame†by G.B. Hajim, Island Planet One Productions (East Hawaii). This animated sci-fi romance won Best Feature at the Dragon Con Independent Film Festival, with the famous voices of Claudia Black, Tara Strong, Ron Glass, Tim Curry, Alan Tudyk, Michael Dorn and George Takei, to name a few.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, a slice-of-life drama, “The Land of Eb,†directed by Andrew Williamson, tells a touching story of Marshallese coffee workers in today’s South Kona.
Another Big Island film, “Bullitt and the Mystery o the Devil’s Root†is an island adventure, produced, acted, and directed by Kona filmmakers Richard Gonzalez and Rockwood, with Shawn Lathrop, Darrin “DC†Carlson, Mary Croix, and a great ’68 Mustang.
In “Parts of the Same Circle,†the Honolulu team of Eric Nemoto and Denny Hironaga use intertwining stories and familiar local characters to create a kaleidoscopic (at times very funny) look at life and death in Hawaii.
And, from the Marshall Islands, Jack Niedenthal’s “The Sound of Crickets at Night†summons a mysterious ancient deity to reunite a Bikini Atoll elder with his family.
On Thursday, May 23 at 7:30 p.m., BIFF’s Grand Opening at The Shops at Mauna Lani will include a free sampler of movies with seven short films.
One of most unique, the animated film, “Searchlight Serenade: Big Bands in the Japanese American Incarceration Camps,â€shares stories from the WWII-era big band musicians and singers who made history with their music.
The entire community is invited to come and welcome filmmakers to the Island.
The Official Selections for BIFF 2013 are:
* A Perfect Day
* Balancing Emma
* Boys Are Us
* Broken
* Bullitt and the Mystery of the Devil’s Root
* Bumsicle
* Caterpillar’s Kimono
* Chasing Shakespeare
* Coffee, God and Gasoline
* Fight Scene
* Frame of Mind
* Gabby’s Wish
* Good Dog
* Hangdog
* Hatch
* Home
* Homecoming
* If I Were A Bell
* Last Call
* Liberator
* Lift
* Lipstick Lies
* Lost Dog
* Monster in Paris
* Offline
* Out of Focus
* Paper
* Parts of the Same Circle
* Pervertigo
* Searchlight Serenade: Big Bands in the Japanese American
* Incarceration Camps
* Shoot the Moon
* Sidewalk Wars
* Six Letter Word
* Spaghetti for Two
* Stenwyken
* Stigma
* Strange Frame
* Sway Away
* The Assistant
* The Equestrian
* The Future
* The Intruder
* The Invention
* The Land of Eb
* The Lion’s Den
* The Perfection of Anna
* The Regret of the Doubt
* The Sound of Crickets at Night
* The Spare
* The Visit
* Upside Down
* What if
* You Got This!
* Your Place or Mine
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 27.
The Big Island “Talk Story†Film Festival is a celebration of independent narrative films and filmmaking, taking place May 23-27, 2013.
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
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