MOVIE FESTIVAL
The Hawaii International Film Festival, a celebration of film and filmmakers from Asia, the Pacific and North America, featuring 117 films from 41 countries, gets into high gear this week. The festival runs on Oahu until Nov. 13 and then moves to the neighbor islands from Nov. 17 through 20.
These daily highlights from this week are just a sampling. All screenings at Dole Cannery unless otherwise noted. Visit hiff.org for more details and a complete schedule.
FRIDAY
“A New Moon Over Tohoku (Tohoku no Shingetsu)”: Documentary about the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami in northern Japan in 2011. The film not only explores the effects of the disaster on local residents, but serves as a reminder of what binds people in need together. (1:38) 5:45 p.m. today, 12:15 Sunday, 5 p.m. Nov. 13 (Regal Kapolei) and 1 p.m. Nov. 19 (Hilo)
SATURDAY
“Finding Kukan”: It took years, painstaking effort and a little luck for local filmmaker Robin Lung to uncover “Kukan,” an Academy Award-winning 1942 feature documentary about the horrors of the Japanese invasion of China, and its producer, Hawaii-born Chinese American Li Ling-Ai. “Finding Kukan” delves not only into the discovery of the long-lost film, but also into the truth about the production of the film. (1:15) 5:45 p.m Saturday., also 3:45 p.m. Nov. 11
SUNDAY
“Rashoman”: Akira Kurosawa’s classic film gave rise to the “Rashomon effect,” a term used to describe a situation where multiple eyewitness give sharply differing accounts of the same event. Starring Toshiro Mifune. (1:28) 2 p.m. Sunday
TUESDAY
“Hearing Is Believing”: Former Hawaii resident Lorenzo DeStefano produced and directed this documentary about Rachel Flowers, born 15 weeks premature and blind at infancy, who became a music prodigy and composer who performs on several instruments. Stevie Wonder, Dweezil Zappa, Arturo Sandoval, rocker Keith Emerson and Hawaii ukulele legend Benny Chong are among the musicians who appear in this inspiring film. Flowers and DeStefano will be on hand for the screenings. Note: Flowers also performs at Blue Note Hawaii on Wednesday (bluenotehawaii.com) and at Medici’s at the Manoa Marketplace on Nov. 12 (honolulumusicatmedicis.com). (1:39) 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, also 1:30 p.m. Nov. 11
WEDNESDAY
“Lion”: Drama based on the life of Saroo Brierley, an Indian boy who was separated from his family and wound up living on the streets in Calcutta, nearly a thousand miles from his home. Adopted by an Australian couple and taken to live in Tasmania, Brierley eventually found his way home. (2:09) 8 p.m. Wednesday, also noon Nov. 13
THURSDAY
“Moonlight”: A critically praised coming-of-age film from director Barry Jenkins that defies many of the genre’s conventions and has been pegged as a potential Oscar contender, “Moonlight” traces a young African-American male from childhood to maturity on the mean streets of Miami, and illuminates how he faces up to his feelings for his best friend. (1:51) 8:45 p.m. Thursday, also 8 p.m. Nov. 13
