‘Ohina Short Film Showcase returns with annual film festival

Hawaii’s annual ‘Ohina Short Film Showcase returns with new lineup of local films for the Hawai‘i International Film Festival.

Five shorts produced as part of the 2018 ‘Ohina Filmmakers Lab will light up the screen at on Nov. 14 as part of a special HIFF Presents The ‘Ohina Shorts Showcase presentation.

The filmmakers will additionally be available for a discussion post-screening.

“We couldn’t be more excited for these incredible films, or more blown away by the work that our Filmmakers Lab fellows have put into bringing their scripts to the screen over the past year,” said Gerard Elmore, executive director of ‘Ohina. “With stories of loss, laughter and life-changing encounters, these films will make an impact on audiences in a powerful way, and further celebrate the amazing talent we have in Hawai‘i.”

The short films this year are:

• Fall Guy, by Bradley Crawford
• Other People, by Bryson Chun
• Mo‘o!, by Anela Ling
• Like Maddah, by Rena Shishido
• The Pit Where We Were Born, by Alexander Bocchieri

Selections from the Showcase will also be a part of the HIFF “Made in Hawai‘i” programming. Additional `Ohina Showcase screenings will be scheduled to come to the Big Island on Nov. 23 in Waimea at Waimea Theatre at 1:15 p.m. and Nov. 24 in Hilo at the Palace Theater at 10 a.m.

General Admission tickets are priced at $14 each (Military, Student and Senior admission priced at $12), with a link to purchase tickets available through HIFF.org and Ohina.org.

The ‘Ohina Short Film Showcase began in 1999 to support independent filmmakers by offering them a platform for their films. ‘Ohina has since grown to include a media pipeline, helping Hawai‘i’s storytellers bring their visions to the big screen.

In 2017, ‘Ohina launched its Filmmakers Lab, providing talented, local filmmakers an opportunity to submit their short screenplays to be mentored by some of the leading creative minds in the entertainment industry, including inaugural guest mentor Joe Robert Cole (co-screenwriter of Black Panther). The workshops have since become the foundation of the showcase selections—with participants receiving additional support from ‘Ohina throughout the journey to completing their films, and a chance for their work to be presented at the ‘Ohina Short Film Showcase.

The 2019 ‘Ohina Short Film Showcase features films from participants of the 2018 Filmmakers Lab that were guest mentored by Eric Pearson (screenwriter Marvel’s Thor: Rangnarok) and Dana Ledoux Miller (TV writer “Narcos,” “Newsroom”). Bryson Chun’s Other People also won the ‘Ohina “Greenlight Award” at the Filmmakers Lab, granting him full support to produce and finance his story.

To watch the trailer for the ‘Ohina Short Film Showcase 2019, visit https://vimeo.com/368091679.