BY DERIN DEREGO / Special to the Star-Advertiser
Lately I’ve been sounding like a broken record, continually announcing that summer is here. In addition to beach barbeques, pool parties and a plethora of concerts, it’s also summer movie season. The latest blockbuster and box office banter is a regular topic around nearly every office water cooler, but now is also a good time to catch a few movies that exist outside the mainstream.
One outlet for such films is the 2013 Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival. Tonight, June 6, the festival hosts a red carpet event at the Honolulu Museum of Art, with celebrity guests like “Glee” star Alex Newell and Cameron Stewart from “Pitch Perfect,” heavy appetizers by the likes of Chef Chai Chaowasaree and Soul De Cuba, plus cocktails from Rum Fire and Hula’s Bar & Lei Stand.
Mike Manning. (Courtesy photo)
While the annual soiree is always exciting, the festival is really about the films. This year’s collection of films is full of must-sees.
I got a chance to chat with Mike Manning, who co-stars in the highly anticipated film “I Do”. (You might also recognize Mike from “The Real World D.C.” a few years ago.) The movie tells the story of a British national living in the United States when his work visa extension gets denied. To stay in the country, he marries a female friend, but soon finds himself in love with an American-born male architect.
Here’s an excerpt of our conversation:
DERIN DEREGO: What attracted you this role?
MIKE MANNING: When I started reading the script, I couldn’t put it down. The story digs so deeply into the complex relationships of the main characters, all sort of shackled by the disgusting DOMA law while fighting to protect the ones they love. It has such a powerful message, which is what I think attracted everyone involved to the project.
DD: There’s been a lot of talk about the imigration benefits being extended to same-sex married couples under federal law. Do you think that’s something that should be pushed for right away, or should gay rights advocates be content with the steps they’re making in that direction by first tackling gay marriage domestically?
MM: Having experience with working in politics, I can tell you that I’m very pleased with the strides that have been made during the Obama administration in terms of LGBT equality. Hearts, minds, and policies are changing for the better every day, with record numbers of states passing marriage equality in just the past few months.
That being said, I think that not recognizing same-sex marriage on federal and state levels in this country is ridiculous and outright discrimination against a minority group — whether they’re bi-national couples or domestic couples.
DD: On a lighter note, I hear you’re a big surfing fan. How’d you pick that up? Will you be making a surf trip to the islands soon?
MM: Funny story, so my first time ever in Hawaii was in 2011 when I attended the HRFF for a film I was in called “eCupid.” The festival set me up with surf lessons with a guy named Spencer. I surfed Waikiki for a few hours and fell in love.
I came back to Hawaii to film a guest spot on “Hawaii Five-0″ last November. Spencer was on set that day as my stand-in, so after we wrapped what did we do? Spent the entire next day surfing.
I now surf in L.A. all the time. If you read this, thanks Spencer.
“I DO” SCREENS at 6 p.m. Saturday at Doris Duke Theatre at the Honolulu Museum of Art. Click here for more details.
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When he’s not out and about at the hottest parties and other events in Honolulu, Derin “Dare” Derego works as an account executive at a local radio station group. Reach him via email at derinderego@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter.