Film Fest First Day

We flew into Hawaii on the same plane as Kevin Smith. I was relieved to see he was dressed like a fanboy, and not wearing an Armani suit or something. He had three LV bags, which was fine since they were probably filled with action figures! A driver picked us regular guests up and let us in on the snacks which were being delivered. Is that aloha in action or what?


The Hawaii Film Fest doesn't mess around when it comes to hooking up guests. We're at the Sheraton Surfrider, which is right on Waikiki Beach. It's super nice, with rocking chairs facing the street and a pool facing the surf. It seems like Japanese couples are getting married left and right.


We went to the Hospitality Suite at a nearby Sheraton, and in addition to our passes, there were nice helpers, cookies, and a killer view. No, the gift bags weren't Luis Vuitton, but they had some nice Stella Artois mints in them.





Oh yeah, there were also movies... We went to two screenings tonight. Nia Dinata's smart and stylish study of polygamy, Love for Share, was packed, and the question-and-answer session was shockingly un-bad. The shorts program was well-represented but we split before directors including softball ringer Eric Byler because we were beat. Tomorrow will include features from Pen-Ek Ratanaruang and Ishii Katsuhito.


The place was packed with movie people from all over the place. Above are my new friends/journalists from Singapore and the Philippines, as well as HIFF's own Christian Razukas, who's been helping me set up interviews that you'll read in upcoming issues of GR.

More soon...