‘Festival within festival’ loses tie to HIFF

The Hawaii International Film Festival has ended its partnership with EuroCinema Hawaii, the so-called "festival within a festival" that brought 59 films to the annual fall event since 2010.

Patrick Gey, who was named president of the Euro­Cinema Hawaii Film Festival on Monday, said the decision was a surprise because his organization spent more than $125,000 sponsoring HIFF’s selection of Euro­pean films during the partnership.

"We were on very good terms so we were very surprised, shocked," Gey said Wednesday. "We have had five fabulous years and a great relationship. We never at any time had any reason to believe that this relationship would end."

Gey said EuroCinema organizers were notified in an email Jan. 28 but he had no explanation from HIFF Executive Director Robert Lambeth.

"That was their decision, which we don’t really understand," Gey said. "We were able to bring some fabulous movies from Europe."

But, Lambeth, in a call from the Berlin International Film Festival on Wednesday, said HIFF had been negotiating with EuroCinema organizers since last fall and growth was a key discussion point.

"After four months of discussion, the decision was reached when we realized we could not logistically support what the EuroCinema Film Festival was going to need going forward," Lambeth said.

He said EuroCinema board member Princess Dialto Alliata di Montereale told him in September the partnership might not continue because EuroCinema wanted more support than HIFF could offer.

EuroCinema has grown from eight films in 2010 to a dozen last fall. More films were screened at HIFF’s spring showcase, he said.

HIFF curates the selections, books them and arranges for shipping and screening venues. Lambeth said EuroCinema wanted to add more films and have HIFF handle local ground transportation for its visiting delegates. He could not say how many additional films were discussed.

"It’s an enormous amount of human resources and money," Lambeth said.

EuroCinema hopes to have its own festival in mid-October and continue hosting a red carpet gala at the Moana Surfrider, Gey said.

HIFF is tentatively scheduled for mid-November.