New movie ‘20 Minutes,’ based on Hawaii’s false missile alert, to hit select theaters

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - What if you had 20 minutes to live? That was the thought that crossed many Hawaii residents’ minds back in 2018, when they received a terrifying emergency alert warning of a ballistic missile threat.

This is the theme of the new movie “20 Minutes,” which will hit select theaters across Oahu starting Friday.

The film was directed and produced by part-time Hawaii resident Tim Chey.

It tells the story of the lives of 12 people when they realized they only had 20 minutes to live after learning of a real ballistic missile to Hawaii.

John Turkson, 14, is one of the actors in the movie. He’s based in Los Angeles, but lived in Hawaii and attended Kahala Elementary School when the missile alert scare happened.

“I was really excited since I lived through it,” he said. “I thought was gonna be … something good that I could have a chance to do, so right when I got it, I was like, let’s do it.”

Dean Testerman, who also stars in “20 Minutes,” urged people to go see the movie.

“I would say don’t be afraid of it, because it’s not exploitative, it’s not trauma-inducing, it’s not about bonds and explosions,” Testerman said. “It’s really about the relationships we have with each other than the relationships we have with ourselves.”

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