Steven Yeun, Awkwafina and Wong Kar-wai Head to Hawaii Festival (EXCLUSIVE)
By Patrick Frater
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – “The Walking Dead” star Steven Yeun, “Crazy Rich Asians” breakout Awkwafina and legendary director Wong Kar-wai will be among the VIP guests at the 38th edition of the Hawaii International Film Festival next month. The festival runs Nov. 8-18, 2018.
Zhang Yimou’s “Shadow,” is named as the opening film. And Peter Farrelly’s “The Green Book,” which earned the audience award in Toronto, is set as the festival’s centerpiece screening.
Other highlights include “Roma,” directed Alfonso Cuaron; “If Beale Street Could Talk,” directed by Barry Jenkins; Iranian director Asghar Farhadi’s Spain-set thriller “Everybody Knows,” starring Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz; and Natalie Portman’s “Vox Lux,” directed by Brady Corbet.
The closing night presentation is the world premiere of Hawaiian feature documentary “Moananuiakea: One Ocean. One People. One Canoe,” directed by Na’alehu Anthony. This film looks at the latest worldwide voyage of Hpkule?a, four decades after its maiden voyage sparked the Hawaiian Renaissance and inspired a new generation of navigators and voyagers to sail beyond the horizon of the Pacific.
Wong is the director in focus this year. The festival has set three of the Hong Kong maestro’s most iconic titles for screening: “In The Mood For Love,” “Happy Together,” and “Chungking Express.
“This year’s festival continues the success of our Made in Hawaii competition, shining a spotlight on Hawaii’s creative entrepreneurs, and includes an incredible line up of groundbreaking work from across Asia and the Pacific Rim, festival favorites from Sundance, Cannes, and Toronto, and a strong focus on indigenous Hawaii and Pacific filmmakers,” said Beckie Stocchetti, HIFF executive director. “Evolving with new programs supporting student voices, civic engagement, and a brand new Virtual Reality exhibit, HIFF continues to grow and celebrate the achievements in cinema with breakout stars such as , and legendary filmmakers such as Wong Kar Wai.”
