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Exclusive: Actor and producer Daniel Dae Kim has come on board to executive produce Makawalu, a feature film initiated by Hawaii International Film Festival (Hiff), entirely created and to be co-directed by eight Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) filmmakers.

The project, the largest budgeted indie feature entirely created by Kanaka Maoli talent, is fully funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (Rwjf), the Asian American Foundation (Taaf), and Pacific Islanders in Communication (Pic). More than 90% of the project’s financing comes from organisations invested in change that are based outside Hawaii.

Currently in pre-production, the feature starts shooting in spring 2025 for an early 2026 release. The eight filmmakers are Justyn Ah Chong, Taylour Chang, Ty Sanga, Ciara Lacy, Āina Paikai, Erin Lau, Scott W. Kekama Amona and Katherine Wong.

First presented in 2021, the Makawalu project involved an extensive selection process after which the eight filmmakers participated in a five-day filmmaker lab and...

Destin Daniel Cretton, the filmmaker who co-wrote and directed the Marvel Studios movie Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and who executive produced American Born Chinese for Disney+, has launched Hisako, a new multimedia production company.

Cretton will run the banner with Jeyun Munford, formerly an executive at Universal and Lionsgate, who will act as the company’s president, running both film and television arms.

With a focus on empowering filmmakers and creatives, one of Hisako’s mission statements is a commitment to transforming the film and television landscape by highlighting marginalized stories and pushing them into the mainstream. The company is founded on the underlying conviction that storytelling has the power to unite audiences worldwide through shared emotions and experiences.

One of the first projects out of the gate for Hisako will be the big-screen live-action take on Naruto, one of the most popular mangas of all time.

No Maori Allowed, directed by Corinna Hunziger was named the winner of the Pasifika Award and recipient of a $5,000 cash prize at the Hawaii International Film Festival.

It recounts the story of a teacher who unearths a secret past in the town of Pukekohe. That causes Maori community figures to come forward to share personal stories that shaped their lives.

The festival’s Kau Ka Hōkū or shooting star award for an international emerging filmmaker making their first or second feature film, was awarded to “Asog,” by Sean Devlin. It is a tragicomic road film that follows a non-binary Filipino comedian pursuing their dream of becoming a pageant queen.

The jury also provided honorable mentions for performance to “Mustache,” directed by Imran Khan and to “Tiger Stripes,” directed by Amanda Nell Eu.

This year’s Best Made In Hawai‘i Feature winner was Hōkūle‘a: Finding The Language of the Navigator,...

The Sundance Film Festival 2011 has a great line-up of movies this year, and I'm really excited about what we are going to get to see this year. The festival has just released their short film line-up, which is always cool to check out. Some of these movies are underated, but I've seen some pretty incredible live-action and animated short films at the festival.

Here's the official press release and list of films for you to check out:

Park City, Ut— Sundance Institute announced today the program of short films selected to screen at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. This year the Festival's Short Film Program comprises 81 short films from U.S. and international filmmakers selected from 6,467 submissions up 6% over 2010. The 2011 Sundance Film Festival runs January 20-30 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah. The complete list of films is available at www.sundance.org/festival. ”It’s a...

The 2011 Sundance Film Festival is shaping up quite nicely. The films in competition [1], and out of competition [2], have already been announced and each has some incredibly exciting entries. Monday brought the announcement of the 81 short films, chosen out of 6,467 entries, that will play in Park City, Utah this January. And while the majority of them are by currently unknown filmmakers, there are a few that jump out featuring names like Elijah Wood, Danny McBride, Seth Rogen, Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly and Jack Black. Actually, those guys are all in the same short. Other notables include Neil Labute, Tim & Eric and Isabella Rossellini. After the jump, we'll highlight those films and show you the full list. Scanning the list, here are the films that stick out as particularly exciting. Fight For Your Right Revisited (Director and Screenwriter: Adam Yauch) - After the boys leave the party... Cast: Elijah Wood, Danny McBride,...

HollywoodNews.com: Sundance Institute announced today the program of short films selected to screen at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. This year the Festival’s Short Film Program comprises 81 short films from U.S. and international filmmakers selected from 6,467 submissions up 6% over 2010. The 2011 Sundance Film Festival runs January 20-30 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah.

“It’s a marvel to discover the creativity in this year’s shorts program. These filmmakers are charged with telling compelling stories, nurturing breakout performances and engaging the audience, all in a fraction of the time allocated to features, and each one delivers,” said Trevor Groth, Sundance Film Festival Director of Programming. “For 2011, we are pleased to be able to shine a light on indigenous filmmakers working around the world in the short-form medium, and to provide festival goers with a window into native storytelling.”

“These directors have once again raised the...

Well, we’ve see the list of feature-length films that are in the 2011 lineup of the Sundance Film Festival. Just moments ago, the festival revealed the full list of short films that will accompany those features – 44 in total, from a record 3,453 submissions! Wow! Glad I’m not on that judging committee.

But of note in the below list are 2 filmmakers who are followers of this blog, both I’ve communicated with in the past – one actually was mentioned on Black Filmmakers To Watch thread, so we may as well add the other.

I’m referring to Moon Molson and Tahir Jetter.

Moon’s short film is titled Crazy Beats Strong Every Time. Some may recall that, in September, I posted an entry for Moon, to help raise money to complete the short film. He was trying to raise $8,000, and actually ended up raising $10,250! So, congrats to Moon! The synopsis for...