Leon Sheen plays a foreign exchange student who knows how to fight in "Menstrual Fury." (Courtesy 'Ohina Short Film Showcase)
HONOLULU PULSE STAFF / honolulupulse@staradvertiser.com
Hawaii’s up-and-coming filmmakers will be featured once again during this year’s ‘Ohina Short Film Showcase.
A package of 13 films will shown starting Friday, Sept. 7, at 7:30 p.m., with an opening reception starting at 6 p.m. Showtimes continue at 1, 4 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 8, and Sunday, Sept. 9.
It opens with David Crans & Jess T. Johnston’s”Space Oddity,” which pays tribute to the David Bowie song of the same name, and last year’s favorite Dane Neves is back with more puppetry fun in “Giant Monsters Attack Hawai‘i.”
This year’s showcase includes for the first time four female writer/directors. Alexis Kaneshiro and Sherrie Robinson show their comedic skills in, respectively, “Telefono,” about a girl and an unidentified cell phone, and “Byte Sized,” which tells the tale of two child prodigies who hack into the U.S. Department of Defense and World Bank computer systems.
A girl trying to fit in with her school’s cool clique is the subject of Jamie Peak’s poetic drama “Mask,” and “Kae” by Lana Dang is about a stern father who drags his kids fishing and ends up capturing something more important than fish.
Hawaiian culture and history is the focus of three films this year. “Piko,” created by the Pacific Islanders in Communications Hawai‘i Filmmakers’ Workshop, presents the story of a pregnant woman afraid of facing childbirth who turns to the goddesses to give her guidance and reassurance. “Until the Sun Sets” by Kenji Doughty tells the story of how a young chief and his beloved must defend their valley on the eve of Makahiki. “E Ho‘omau: Pele Searches for a Home” is an animated film by Michael Q. Ceballos about the goddess Pele leaving her ancient home in search of a new home for herself and her family.
Newcomer Josh Almario has two films in the showcase: “Menstrual Fury,” about two college students who combat each other as if they were in a Hong Kong martial arts film, and the spooky “McKinley Horror Story,” based on the true story of a girl who was raped and murdered on the high school campus during the 1970s.
The showcase ends on an emotional note with Chadwick Shimomura’s “The Reason,” about a soldier who redeems himself by sacrificing his life for the lives of his men, and Keo Woolford’s “Lunchtime” that shows the bond between a bullied 5th grade boy and his former kindergarten teacher.
Admission is $10 general admission and $8 for museum members, with Friday’s opening night $15 and $10. Tickets are available at the door and online at www.honolulumuseum.org. For more about the showcase, visit www.ohina.org.