Hawaii News Now - KGMB and KHNL HomeRecord number of UH Manoa students involved in film festival

Record number of UH Manoa students involved in film festival

By Roger Mari - bio | email

HONOLULU (KHNL) - It's the premiere international film event in the Pacific.

The 28th annual Hawaii International Film Festival runs throughout the month of October, featuring films produced by aspiring filmmakers from Asia, the Pacific and North America.

This year's event features a record number of works from University of Hawaii at Manoa students.

Robert Omura has been interested in film making since he was in the 6th grade. This past summer he had the opportunity to direct his film in Shanghai.

The story is titled With Me. It's about a father who lost his son.

"Just the idea or the the thought of the pain that someone must go through when they lose the one that they love, especially with the chance at only one child there," said Omura.

The spike in the number of UH student entries is due in part to the Academy for Creative Media which was introduced as a program at Manoa in 2004.

"We're the fastest growing department that UH has ever had so that just tells me a demand for this, there's a lot of students out there who are enthusiastic about expressing their stories," said Anne Misawa, a UH assistant professor and producer.

More interest leads to more exposure at the renowned Hawaii International Film Festival for local aspiring film makers.

"It allows us the rare opportunity to show our film to a large audience which is very rare for most of us," said Omura.  "I think the students at UH Manoa probably have a lot of stories to tell."

In an East meets West festival, showcasing different cultures, ideas, and creativity through film making.

The student films will be shown on October 14th at the Regal Dole Cannery theaters, along with films from students of Shanghai University.