Hawaii stars including celebrity honorees Sarah Wayne Callies (The Walking Dead), and Kristina Anapau (Black Swan) will help celebrate independent narrative filmmaking at the 6th Annual Big Island Film Festival (BIFF) running May 11-15, 2011 event at The Fairmont Orchid, Hawai‘i and The Shops at Mauna Lani.

BIFF 2011 will showcase 63 independent narrative films from 7 countries, 10 of them filmed in Hawaii, including:
-All Collected Things, looking back at a love story. Michael Tanji producer, director, writer.
-Layover, on the Shore, a contemporary Honolulu filmmaker’s edgy story, A Christopher Makoto Yogi Film, Producers William Kwok, Yu Gu.
-Mute, a deaf high school junior wants to try out for football, by Jeremy Johnson Films.
-The Green Tie Affair, a puppet musical about identity and wardrobe

And these, from Big Island filmmakers:
-Hawaii’s Undersea Ohana, Hawaiian proverbs put to music, includes a segment filmed on Ni‘ihau, by Fasano Underwater Productions, Charles Fasano.
-Alison’s Adventures: Snaked, a surf adventure to Morocco, Alison Tea Productions.
-Sproot, Produced and directed by Loring Robbins, is a whimsical animation about telekinetic power and personal strength
-The Pick-Up Artist, two people meet in a bar, but are they who they seem to be?  Beckwood Entertainment, producer/director/writer: Rockwood.
-Waterfall, loss and grief, embraced by nature. Keyland Productions, Braide Keyland producer, director and writer.

From Maui, Get a Job written and directed by Brian Kohne, is an outrageous comedy with an all-star lineup of top Hawaii entertainers including Willie K, Eric Gilliom, Augie T, Jake Shimabukuro, Carolyn Omine, Slam Poet Kealoha, Ernie Cruz, Jr., Amy Hanaiali‘i, Mick Fleetwood, Pat Simmons, Charles Ka‘upu, Willie Nelson, and Henry Kapono (who headlines BIFF’s “Best of the Fest” concert May 15).