Ecila at HIFF

The 30th Annual Hawaii International Film Festival begins this Thursday, October 14 and runs through October 24. Here we've listed all of the locally-made films, visit hiff.org for the full schedule. And, we talked to three of the filmmakers to find out what it was like to film in Hawaii.

Ecila

Director, writer: Darieus Legg
Producer: Robert Campbell
Cast: Britney Sussman, Garison Berg, Kaveh Karden, Enayat Ghalamfarsa, Aaron Leroux, Cyrus Legg, Alexandra Tabas, Nick Maciangelo, Sandy Putt, Darieus Legg, Sonny Kamiz, Kevin Carter, Mikey Pooley, Rachel Pooley, Ronald Greene, Fabio Cardosa, Ali Ghalamfarsa, Zac Heileson.

Ecila premieres this Saturday night at the Hawaii International Film Festival and is the first full feature film by local director, writer and editor, Darieus Legg. “It’s an adventure story about a young writer, Ecila. She’s my Alice, but instead of Wonderland, she’s going into Boceno, a city full of larger than life characters,” describes Legg. Though Legg does not call Ecila an adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, he does use elements from the book in parts of his film—a man on a pink moped as the white rabbit and pornographers resembling Tweedledee and Tweedledum.

A regular at Showdown in Chinatown, Legg had help from a number of local filmmakers, beginning with Robert Campbell, Ecila’s producer. “He really had my back through the whole process and really believed my vision,” says Legg. “He’s worked on Lost and Hawaii 5-0, so he was able to get access to a lot of industry professionals that know how to get the shots that I wanted that we would’ve never be able to do.”

For Legg, making Ecila has been its own form of film school, requiring 45 days of principal photography and two years of editing and special effects work. “I really hope that people see what we’ve done in this film as inspiration to do their own projects. And, if someone likes making movies, like I do, they should just throw themselves into the fire pit.”

Ecila will be showing at Dole Cannery on Saturday, Oct. 16 and on Sunday, Oct. 24. For tickets and more information, visit hiff.org.
 

Here we've listed all of the locally-made films, visit hiff.org for the full schedule:

ACM Night short films Oct. 22 Watch six short films from students of UH Manoa’s Academy for Creative Media. The stories depict life in Hawaii, the Pacific and Asia.   Chasing Rainbows Oct. 16 & 21 This documentary made in Hawaii focuses on the gay rights movements and provides a forum for both sides of the issue.   Ecila Oct. 16 & 24 Ecila is a reporter who is caught in a “wonderland” with villains and anti-heroes.  Get A Job Oct. 16 & 23 A comedy based in Maui starring Willie K. & Eric Gilliom, this film follows an employment agent who is trying to employ the most unemployable man on the island.  Holding Fast the Dream Oct. 23 This film uncovers the history of African Americans in Hawaii. One Kine Day Oct. 18 & 23 Set in Windward Oahu, slacker-skater Ralsto trudges through on of the most da kine days of his life. A dramatic comedy of young adulthood.

One Voice Oct. 15 & 23 This film follows Kamehameha Schools’ unique cultural tradition—its song contest. Mana I Ka Leo: Power of the Voice Oct. 16 & 23 Documentary that examines oli, the Hawaiian tradition of chant, through the eyes of three contemporary practitioners. Papa Mau: The Wayfinder Oct. 16 & 23 Director Maalehu Anthony shares the story of Papa Mau, a master navigator and teacher. Out of Infamy Oct. 23 A documentary about the incarceration of Japanese-Americans during World War II. Pacific Panorama short films Oct. 23 Includes eight short films from New Zealand, Samoa and Hawaii. Student Showcase Oct. 23 A free screening of the best videos produced in Hawaii by students in grades K-12. Those Who Came Before Oct. 16 A story of 83-year-old Eddie Kamae’s musical journey from bandleader to oral historian. Under a Jarvis Moon Oct. 17 & 22 Documentary about a secret 1935 U.S. Navy project to send Native Hawaiians as colonists to remote Pacific islands.

 

 

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