One by one, the Oscars went to other films Sunday night, all except the one that married the soul of "The Descendants" to the people who knew it best: the writers of the screenplay who took the work of local author Kaui Hart Hemmings and brought it to life on the silver screen.
Filmed entirely in Hawaii, the drama about a kamaaina family in crisis was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning only for best adapted screenplay. The award was shared by Alexander Payne, who also directed the film, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash.
It had been nominated for best picture, best actor (George Clooney), best director and film editing (Kevin Tent).
When he accepted the golden statuette, Payne thanked Hemmings, who was in the audience, and called her "our Hawaiian flower."
Everyone in their group was "super excited" by the award, which buoyed their hopes, said producer Jim Burke by telephone after the ceremony.
"We just kept hoping the whole time that we would win for other things, and unfortunately it didn’t go our way," he said. "There is a kind of a little bit of letdown. We had hoped we would win, and we didn’t. I hope the people of Hawaii aren’t disappointed in us."
Payne’s share of the Oscar touched many of those closest to the film because the director had worked hard to create an authentic portrait of Hawaii. He had spent months living here to better understand the islands before the cameras rolled, and his efforts inspired both cast and crew.
Even before the awards show began, Hawaii’s Lisa Lee Mitchell, who served as the assistant production coordinator, used Facebook to tell her colleagues the awards paled when compared with the experience of working on "The Descendants." She felt the same way after the night was finished.
"The experience of working on that film was very special," she said. "It was a really great atmosphere. It was the best experience I have ever had working on a show."
The film was made in the spring of 2010 and released in November by Fox Searchlight. The story was based on Hemmings’ first novel, which was optioned as a film before it was published in 2007.
"The Descendants" is the emotional story of Matt King, a detached Honolulu attorney suddenly forced to deal with a failed marriage, his wife’s coma and two rebellious daughters. King is the descendant of Native Hawaiian royalty and a haole banker. His status among the landed elite entitled him to wealth and standing long before he was born.
For those who have lived in Hawaii for any length of time, King was instantly recognizable, representing old-money values, private- school connections and exclusive club memberships.
The film put Hawaii front and center, but the Oscar nominations — as well as Golden Globe awards for best picture and best actor in a drama — pegged a spotlight on much more.
"I think tonight is a huge moment, especially because of the nomination for best adapted screenplay," said Georja Skinner, administrator for the state’s Creative Services Division, which oversees the Hawaii Film Office. "It is the first time that I know of that we have had a Hawaiian author’s work adapted and nominated for an Oscar."
Payne went to great lengths to embrace homegrown talent. "The Descendants" drew 80 percent of its production crew from Hawaii and 100 percent of the music from here as well, said Rene Confair Sensano, the film’s Hawaii-based production supervisor.
"They didn’t have to go that road. It could have been like a lot of other films where they bring in a significant amount of the crew. But they went out of their way to find local crew," she said.
Payne’s award took away some of the sting of not winning any others, she said.
"He was our leader and he deserved that Oscar," Sensano said.
The film featured several local actors in small parts, but the role of King’s comatose wife was played by Hawaii actress Patricia Hastie, whose dramatic realism for the nonspeaking role drew high praise from Payne.
"It was one big family that had the sense they were telling a really amazing, important story, and they were having a great time doing it," said Walea Constantinau, commissioner for the Honolulu Film Office. "It will be an experience they will take with them for the rest of their life."
