‘Descendants’ film to screen at HIFF

Director Alexander Payne’s much-anticipated new film "The Descendants," which shot in the islands last year, will have its Hawaii premiere on the final night of the Hawaii International Film Festival.

The film, which stars George Clooney as a kamaaina land baron, will be shown simultaneously on two screens Oct. 23 at Regal Theaters at Dole Cannery, said Chuck Boller, executive director of the festival.

Adapted from the best-seller by Hawaii author Kaui Hart Hemmings, "The Descendants" will have its world premiere in September at the Toronto Film Festival and was chosen as the closing-night selection at the New York Film Festival a week before the Hawaii screening. It opens theatrically on Nov. 23.

While other movies have shot in Hawaii, the isles served more as a backdrop to stories that could have taken place anywhere, Boller said.

"Alexander’s goal was to present the true Honolulu on screen," Boller said. "This is a story about people who live in Hawaii, who work in Hawaii, who have roots in Hawaii. I am thinking it will accurately reflect what life is like here. I don’t think that’s been done before."

Tickets will go on sale Oct. 3. For more information, visit the festival online at www.hiff.org. The festival runs Oct. 13 to 23.

Cast a vote for Maui photographer

Lahaina photographer Kathy Coombs, a finalist in the 2011 Energizer Ultimate Photo Contest with National Geographic, needs the support of the community to advance to the next level.

Through Sept. 15, the public can vote at www.nationalgeographic.com/lithium in each of six categories. Coombs’ work was among those selected from some 6,000 entries in the family/community category.

If she earn the most votes in the category, Coombs will win $1,000 worth of products. If she takes the grand prize, announced in November, Coombs’ photo will be in an Energizer ad in National Geographic magazine. She will also win a trip to one of three sites: an Alaskan cruise, Moroccan odyssey from the ocean to the Sahara, or a journey to Bhutan.

Reichel lends talent for Aulani launch

Award-winning singer and songwriter Keali‘i Reichel has composed and recorded special songs to entertain the first guests at Aulani, a new Disney Resort & Spa opening Monday at Ko Olina.

"We were honored to have Keali‘i create original mele to greet our guests at Aulani," said Djuan Rivers, Aulani vice president, in a news release. "At Aulani we are sharing the story of the rich native Hawaiian culture, and we believe working with Keali‘i is a natural fit."

Reichel worked with Grammy Award-winning composer Mark Mancina to create four songs.

"We’re telling several stories," Reichel said in the release. "First and foremost, we’re telling a story of the place where Aulani is located because, to me, that’s the epicenter of the poetry. Then we expanded, like when you drop a pebble in a pond. The island of Oahu is the next ripple out. It was important to extol the beauty and the natural elements that we know intimately. From that point, we didn’t want to leave anybody out so we expanded further from one end of the archipelago to the other. When you listen to the music and the poetry, it starts from the center, and it moves out."

See a video about the recording of Reichel’s music for Aulani at honolulupulse.com.

Palace to celebrate by honoring queen

The Hawaii Pono‘i Coalition will present the fifth annual Onipa‘a Celebration honoring Queen Liliuokalani’s birthday Sept. 4 at the Iolani Palace lawn.

Besides live music, there will be "living history" walking tours that retrace the overthrow of the Hawaiian kingdom. Entertainment begins at 10 a.m. with the Royal Hawaiian Band and the children of Ka Waihona o ka Na‘auao Public Charter School, followed by a church service at noon. Musician-singer Walter Kawaiae‘a will share stories of the queen’s mele at 1 p.m.

Other music slated for the afternoon include Ku‘uipo Kumukahi and Olomana. Cultural demonstrations will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and admission to the palace is free.

At 4:30 p.m. chanters will perform mele written during this historic time in Hawaii history.

From 5 to 6 p.m. the Mai Poina (Don’t Forget) walking tours will be offered, followed by a discussion with Native Hawaiian scholars. The guided tours feature costumed role-players who will interpret the significant sites and events surrounding the overthrow of the Hawaiian kingdom through a dramatic narrative.

Space is limited for the walking tours; for reservations call 534-8880. For more information visit www.hawaiiponoi.info.