The Maui Film Festival is a

film festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending upo ...

held annually on the island of

Maui, Hawaii The island of Maui (; Hawaiian: ) is the second-largest of the islands of the state of Hawaii at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2) and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is the largest of Maui County's four islands, whic ...

. It was founded in 2000 by Barry Rivers. Past attendees include Bryan Cranston, Freida Pinto, Connie Britton, and Pierce Brosnan The Maui Film Festival is nicknamed “Cinema-Under-the-Stars” because of its location on Maui, one of the eight Hawaiian Islands. The festival takes place annually over five days in June. It is based at Grand Wailea Resort and includes film premieres, filmmaker panels, special screenings, tributes, award ceremonies, culinary arts celebrations, and private soirees.

History

The festival originated from a weekly screening series that director Barry Rivers began in 1997. Rivers had previously studied Film & Media Arts at University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Program

The festival consists of filmmakers submitting features and shorts and the programmers then choosing around 50 films to be screened over the five-day program. Certain filmmakers, actors, and actresses receive awards based on who the programmers think best fits the award criteria for that year. The Maui Film Festival has been reported to be inviting to the audience, filmmakers, and celebrities; as well as not involving many journalists. Attendees have been reported to intermingle, for example, Clint Eastwood and his family once brought lawn chairs and sat with the audience to view a feature that was being shown outside at Celestial Cinema

Venues

The Maui Film Festival screens many of its films outdoors and Celestial Cinema is the festival's main venue. Films are also projected onto a 50-foot screen set on the Gold & Emerald Golf Course Its outdoor location can hold 2,500+ people. Attendees bring lawn chairs and blankets to sit on the grass as they watch the film. In addition, the festival has two venues at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center. The first venue, Castle Theater, dubbed ‘Maui’s Movie Palace’, is the Center's principal performance space and seats 1,200 people in its multitiered configuration. The second venue at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center is the McCoy Studio Theater, dubbed 'black box' because of its smaller space seating no more than 250 people. There is also the Toes in the Sand Cinema on Wailea Beach in front of the Four Seasons Maui at Wailea. It holds a free community screening that usually features a program of short films

Events

The festival includes many events. It begins with an Opening Night Twilight Reception at Grand Wailea Resort.

Awards and honors

The Maui Film Festival honors film artists, actors, and actresses for achievements. Lights! Camera! Action! Award: Honors directors. Winners include

Olivia Wilde Olivia Jane Cockburn ( ; born March 10, 1984), known professionally as Olivia Wilde, is an American actress and filmmaker. She played Remy "Thirteen" Hadley on the medical-drama television series ''House'' (2007–2012), and has appeared in the ...

. Maverick Award: Honors actors and actresses who promote activism in protecting the Earth. Navigator Award: Honors film actors and actresses. Winners include

Gina Rodriguez Gina Alexis Rodriguez-LoCicero (born July 30, 1984) is an American actress. She is known for her leading role as Jane Villanueva in The CW satirical romantic dramedy series ''Jane the Virgin'' (2014–2019), for which she received a Golden Glo ...

. Nova Award: Honors film actors/actresses. Winners include Jessica Chastain and

Paul Rudd Paul Stephen Rudd (born April 6, 1969) is an American actor. He studied theater at the University of Kansas and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, before making his acting debut in 1991. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame i ...

. Pathfinder Award: Honors actors and actresses. Pierce Brosnan received this award, making him the first two-time honoree at the Maui Film Festival after also winning the Maverick Award 2 Rainmaker Award: Honors actors/actresses. In 2016,

Michael B. Jordan Michael Bakari Jordan (; born February 9, 1987) is an American actor. He is known for his film roles as shooting victim Oscar Grant in the drama ''Fruitvale Station'' (2013), boxer Adonis Creed in ''Creed'' (2015), and Erik Killmonger in ''Bl ...

was awarded the Rainmaker Award for his powerful and emotional lead roles in ‘Fruitvale Station’ and ‘Creed.’ Rising Star Award: Honors young actors and actresses. Winners include

Karen Gillan Karen Sheila Gillan (; born 28 November 1987) is a Scottish actress. She gained recognition for her work in British film and television, particularly for playing Amy Pond, a primary companion to the Eleventh Doctor in the science fiction ser ...

, Nick Robinson and Maya Erskine. Shining Star Award: Honors film actors and actresses. Past winners have been Zac Efron,

Andrew Garfield Andrew Russell Garfield (born 20 August 1983) is an English and American actor. He has received various accolades, including a Tony Award, a BAFTA TV Award and a Golden Globe Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards. ''Time' ...

Emma Roberts Emma Rose Roberts (born February 10, 1991 Additional on October 9, 2016) is an American actress. Known for her work in film and television projects of the horror and thriller genres, she has received various accolades, including a Young Arti ...

Amber Heard Amber Laura Heard (born April 22, 1986) is an American actress. She had her first leading role in the horror film ''All the Boys Love Mandy Lane'' (2006), and went on to star in films such as '' The Ward'' (2010) and '' Drive Angry'' (2011). S ...

and

Awkwafina Nora Lum (born June 2, 1988), known professionally as Awkwafina, is an American actress, rapper, and comedian who rose to prominence in 2012 when her rap song "My Vag" became popular on YouTube. She then released her debut album, ''Yellow Ra ...

. Shooting Star Award: Honors an actor in a Maui Film Festival Hawaii Premiere. Winners include

Joe Manganiello Joseph Michael Manganiello ( ; , ; born December 28, 1976) is an American actor. His professional film career began when he played Flash Thompson in Sam Raimi's ''Spider-Man''. His breakout role was as werewolf Alcide Herveaux in five seasons of ...

. Visionary Award: Honors actors and actresses. Winners include Louie Schwartzberg.

References

* “Schmooze.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/schmooze. * “Maui Now: 2018 Maui Film Festival ‘Toes in the Sand Cinema.’” Maui Now , Ask a Maui Doctor: How Much Poke Is Too Much?, mauinow.com/2018/06/14/2018-maui-film-festival-toes-in-the-sand-cinema-tonight/.

References

{{reflist Tourist attractions in Maui County, Hawaii 2000 establishments in Hawaii Film festivals established in 2000 Film festivals in Hawaii