HONOLULU -- Indonesian helmer Nia Dinata's "Love for Share," a frankly stated drama on the touchy topic of polygamy, won feature honors at the 26th Hawaii Intl. Film Festival. Film is Indonesia's contender for foreign-language Oscar nomination.
Helmer received the Halekulani Golden Orchid before a bumper kudos night crowd in Waikiki on Thursday.
Documentary award was taken home by Julie Bayer and Josh Salzman's "Time and Tide," about the devastating effects of climate change and globalization on the tiny island nation of Tuvalu.
The Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema Award -- the only one that the pan-Asian org gives at a North American fest -- was handed to Singaporean helmer Royston Tan for his character study "4.30."
Marrying fest's long-standing aim of promoting Asia-Pacific cinema with festgoer feedback, Bong Joon-ho's South Korean satirical monster movie "The Host" carried off the audience vote for feature.
People's choice for documentary went to local production "Na Kamalei: Men of Hula" by Lisette Marie Flannery, a look at Hawaii's sole men-only hula dance academy.
Sans thesping awards per se, fest presented a special achievement to Japanese actor Ken Watanabe and honored Kevin Smith with its Maverick director award.
Living up to the kudo title and then some, Smith's riotous acceptance speech proved the talking point of the night. Attendees, including prominent business and government figures, weren't sure whether to laugh or run for the exit as Smith graphically described the daytime conjugal pleasures he and wife were enjoying while traveling without children.
Declared a success by exec director Chuck Boller, fest wraps in Honolulu on Saturday and plays other island venues through Nov. 5.
And the nominees are...
Halekulani Golden Orchid Award for film:
"Love for Share" (Indonesia), dir. Nia Dinata
Halekulani Golden Orchid Award for docu:
"Time and Tide" (U.S.), dir. Julie Bayer, Josh Salzman
NETPAC Award for Emerging Asian Filmmaker:
Royston Tan (Singapore) for "4.30"
Honolulu Magazine Award for Short Film:
"Majidee" (Malaysia), dir. Azharr Rudin
DHL Audience Choice Award for Film:
"The Host" (South Korea), dir. Bong Joon-ho
DHL Audience Choice Award for Docu:
"Na Kamalei: Men of Hula" (U.S.), dir. Lisette Marie Flannery
DHL Audience Choice Award for Short Film:
"Ruckus" (U.S.), dir. Dean Ishida
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Tuesday, November 7, 2006
Blitz Megaplex Opens
HOLLYWOOD -- The Indonesian exhibition market has entered the multiplex era.
Country may be the world's fourth-largest in terms of population and surface area, but it got its first modern multiplex only last month when a nine-screen, 2,200-seat complex opened in Bandung.
Country's exhibition landscape has historically been dominated by a single operator of smaller "cineplexes."
Designed and built by Blitz Megaplex, the theater had a slow opening session, with only 900 admissions on its first day Oct. 21. But by this past Monday it was attracting more than 3,000 a day.
The plex is playing a mix of Hollywood and local films that Blitz hopes will become a typical blend. Playing in the opening frame are "The Departed," "WTC," "The Devil Wears Prada" and "Grudge 2" plus local horror hit "Kuntilanak" and drama "Denias." Lineup is rounded off with Hong Kong action drama "House of Fury" and triad actioner "Election 2."
Bandung hardtop is the first of four that will open in the coming two years. Next up is an 11-screener in downtown Jakarta, which opens Dec. 8.
Blitz is owned and controlled by Indonesian businessmen Ananda Siregar and David Hilman, with further investment from U.S. private equity sources.
In order to secure enough fresh titles in a country that typically releases only 250 pics a year, company has also positioned itself as a distributor. In recent weeks it has bought a raft of Korean genre titles from suppliers including CJ Entertainment, MK Pictures, iHQ and Cineclick Asia.
In Cannes, acquisitions of international pictures included Oscar hopeful "The Queen" and "The Walker" from Pathe, "Before the Devil Knows You Are Dead" from Capitol and "Mutant Chronicles" from Voltage Pictures.
At AFM it has taken this process a step further and begun negotiations with the larger U.S. independent sales agents.
Country may be the world's fourth-largest in terms of population and surface area, but it got its first modern multiplex only last month when a nine-screen, 2,200-seat complex opened in Bandung.
Country's exhibition landscape has historically been dominated by a single operator of smaller "cineplexes."
Designed and built by Blitz Megaplex, the theater had a slow opening session, with only 900 admissions on its first day Oct. 21. But by this past Monday it was attracting more than 3,000 a day.
The plex is playing a mix of Hollywood and local films that Blitz hopes will become a typical blend. Playing in the opening frame are "The Departed," "WTC," "The Devil Wears Prada" and "Grudge 2" plus local horror hit "Kuntilanak" and drama "Denias." Lineup is rounded off with Hong Kong action drama "House of Fury" and triad actioner "Election 2."
Bandung hardtop is the first of four that will open in the coming two years. Next up is an 11-screener in downtown Jakarta, which opens Dec. 8.
Blitz is owned and controlled by Indonesian businessmen Ananda Siregar and David Hilman, with further investment from U.S. private equity sources.
In order to secure enough fresh titles in a country that typically releases only 250 pics a year, company has also positioned itself as a distributor. In recent weeks it has bought a raft of Korean genre titles from suppliers including CJ Entertainment, MK Pictures, iHQ and Cineclick Asia.
In Cannes, acquisitions of international pictures included Oscar hopeful "The Queen" and "The Walker" from Pathe, "Before the Devil Knows You Are Dead" from Capitol and "Mutant Chronicles" from Voltage Pictures.
At AFM it has taken this process a step further and begun negotiations with the larger U.S. independent sales agents.
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