Hawaii International Film Festival

This weekend...check out some great films at the

Hawaii International Film Festival
Oct 9-19 at the Dole Cannery Theaters

for movie schedule see: www.hiff.org


Sample movies from heavy to light...

CHILDREN OF THE DARK

Junji Sakamoto 2008
The theme in this case is the drastic fate of Thai children trapped in the machinations of child prostitution and the black market in human organs. This new work from established Japanese director Sakamoto Junji does not console audiences with the idea of events taking place in a far-off land, and points a finger at Japan's association with the problem, the key grounds for which are shown as apathetic dismissal, the unwillingness to acknowledge problems beyond the borders of one's own country and the burden of guilt upon those who create the demand for child prostitution and trade in children's organs.

THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS

Mark Herman 2008

Adapted from the John Boyne's best-selling novel, THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS is a fictionalized story told through the eyes of an eight-year-old boy largely shielded from the reality of World War II. This unforgettable tale follows a forbidden friendship that forms between Bruno, the son of a Nazi commandant, and Shmuel, a Jewish boy held captive in a concentration camp. Though the two are separated physically by a barbed-wire fence, their friendship grows and their lives become inescapably intertwined.

THE KILLING OF A CHINESE COOKIE

Derek Shimoda 2007

For nearly a century, people have turned to this prophetic dessert for advice, inspiration, and even winning lottery combinations. While the fortune cookie has been a source of fascination and a Chinese cuisine staple in North America, it remains nearly non-existent in China. This film will examine the heated debate over the true origin of the fortune cookie, the mixing of eastern and western cultures that produced it, and the cookie's rise from a simple pastry to a pop culture phenomenon.