A lens on locale

Stories set in their own backyard have long been popular with audiences attending the Hawaii International Film Festival, but organizers say movie fans are in for a special treat this year.

The festival’s Made in Hawaii selection, which typically showcases short films and documentaries, will offer three feature-length narratives.

"Rarely do we have a full-length narrative feature," said Anderson Le, HIFF’s programming director. "This year we have three. I don’t think we’ve had a year before when we had that many."

"Pali Road," "Midori in Hawaii" and "Throuple" are "stellar" entries for the festival, Le said.

For the festival’s 35th annual edition, which opened its 11-day run Thursday, HIFF will host each film’s world premiere.

Made in Hawaii also includes three documentaries: "Black & White: The Early Years of Dan Inouye," a compilation of 16 mm footage from the politician’s career; "A Candle Lights the Heart," which follows families honoring loved ones at the Memorial Day floating lantern ceremony; and "Dear Thalia," a timely story of a homeless family in Kakaako given a GoPro camera to document their life.

"Pali Road," a $6 million film shot in Hawaii earlier this year for audiences in China, is the biggest production. The romantic thriller stars Michelle Chen, a popular Taiwanese actress known for the romantic comedy "You Are the Apple of My Eye," and Jackson Rathbone, who was Jasper in the "Twilight" films.

"We shot the film in Hawaii, and it felt like the right place to have a world premiere," said "Pali Road" director Jonathan Lim. "It’s a story that takes place in Hawaii, and Hawaii is such a big character in the movie as well."

"Midori in Hawaii," the story of a struggling wedding photographer, and "Throuple," a black comedy about the sexual dynamics of three neighbors, were both shot on the Big Island.

"Throuple" had no budget and was literally made by a bunch of friends, Le said.

"It’s ‘The Big Chill’ set in Puna," he said. "It’s kind of quirky, iffy, which is really charming."

HIFF organizers worked with the director of "Dear Thalia," Rex Moribe, to create a better film rather than simply accept it because homeless camps had reached a visible crisis point.

"I asked him to cut it down and focus more on the family, and Rex came out with a good piece," Le said. "The crisis was on our minds, but I thought the story had a unique take.

"It wasn’t a civics lesson about a problem. It was a humanizing thing."

The film follows the daily life of the Martin family, whose 3-year-old daughter, Thalia, already knows what the word "sweep" means.

"It’s their everyday life," Le said. "How do they take a shower? How they entertain themselves. It’s Thalia playing with kids in the camp."

The infamous story of Tyke, a circus elephant who rampaged through the streets of Kakaako in 1994, will likely resonate with audiences of "Tyke: Elephant Outlaw."

Tyke charged into the Blaisdell Arena during the circus and killed her trainer in front of a horrified audience before charging out into Kakaako. She was ultimately gunned down by police.

The film from Australia filmmakers Susan Lambert and Stefan Moore goes beyond the events of the day to see what caused Tyke to snap. It uses never-before-seen footage from the Hawaii News Now archives and interviews with those who worked with Tyke to inform the story, Moore said in a call from Sydney.

"In addition to the brutal aspect of the film, there is the redemptive aspect of the film, and that is what people walk away with — the feeling of either being inspired to act or understanding, on a human level, what Tyke experienced and why she did what she did," he said.

"For people in Honolulu who have this in their living memory, it will be very interesting to see how they respond. What I think will be interesting for them will be seeing the story behind the story."

The news footage, with its close-ups of Tyke when the circus arrived, is especially moving, Moore said.

"That was really important footage for us," he said. "It allows us to make Tyke the central character in the film. Those recurring images of her enable audiences to identify with her."