The 2011 Honolulu Film Awards Ceremony Dinner was held last month at the Sarento’s Top of the “I” restaurant located on the top floor of the beautiful Ilikai Hotel & Suites with breathtaking views of Diamond Head and Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Honolulu Film Awards honor the best from around the world in several competition categories including Feature Films, Documentaries, Short Films, Foreign Films, Hawaiian Films, Action Sports Films, Music Videos, Experimental Films, Television Pilots, Environmental Films, Screenplays and more.
Annie Perkins’ “Mila’s Journey” was awarded the Grand Jury Prize and was in attendance to pick up the prize. Mila’s Journey follows Mila & her decision to return to India after more than 30 years. The film juxtaposes modern images with the old 8mm footage & pays homage to romance, adventure, spirituality, freedom and female independence. The film shows one Dutch woman’s attempt to answer the question ‘what would happen if I went back?’
Other winning filmmakers in attendance included Dana Neves, Director, “The Green Tie Affair” – Best of Hawaii; Bret Malley, Director, “Greenwashers” – Best Documentary Short; Mary Piller, Director, “Greenwashers” – Best Environmental Film; and Yurij Luhovy, Director, “Genocide Revealed” – Best Historical Film.
Additional Best of Category Winners include:
Special Jury Award: Minnie Loves Junior – Directed By Andy Mullins
Special Jury Award: Lychee Thieves – Directed By Kathleen Kwai Ching Man
Special Jury Award: Little Gobie – Directed By Tony Tang
Jury Prize: OnAir – Directed By Carsten Vauth & Marco J. Riedl
Jury Prize: Down This Road – Directed By Vinz Feller
Jury Prize: The Buck Johnson Story – Directed By Blake McCray
Best Feature Film: 5th & Alameda – Directed By Richard Friedman
Best Actor: Dryerthèque – Lead Actor Trevor Wissink-Adams
Best Actress: An Affair with Dolls – Lead Actress Alexandra Chalupa
Best Animation: For a Fistful of Snow – Directed By: Julien Ezri
Best Cinematography: The Two Escobars – Directed By Jeff Zimbalist & Michael Zimbalist
Best Coming of Age: Fast Times and Fast Food – Directed By Kyle Niemier
Best Director: Das Tub – Directed By James Cunningham
Best Documentary Feature: Hollywood, 90038 – Directed By Jennifer Kes Remington
Best Documentary Short: Greenwashers – Directed By Bret Malley
Best Drama: Mental – Directed By Joy Gohring
Best Educational Film: Out of the Darkness – Directed By Stefano Levi
Best Family Film: My Father, Joe – Directed By Nikila Cole
Best Foreign Film: Suburbs of Downtown – Directed By Sergio García Locatelli
Best Human Rights Film: Via Gori – Directed By George Barbakadze
Best Independent Short: Apocalypse Story – Directed By Jeffrey P. Nesker
Best Music Video: To The Death – Directed By Danielle French
Best Screenplay: Not Worth A Bullet – Directed By Markus F. Adrian
Best Short Film: Bathing and the Single Girl – Directed By Christine Elise McCarthy
Best Student Film: Falling Apart – Directed By Christopher Valori
Screenplay Competition Winners
1st Place: Finding Thomas written by Jaimee Campbell
2nd Place: Molokai written by Tuesday Rose
3rd Place: Hogwild written by Dayan Paul
Short Screenplay Competition Winners
1st Place: The Wedding Bet written by Vicki Bartholomew
2nd Place: Sunset Fire written by A. Wayne Carter
3rd Place: Assassins written by JimmyLee Smith
Screenplay Official Finalists
180 Proof written by Adam Sumner
Are You Lonesome Tonight? written by Robert Factor
Blink of an Eye written by Anthony Williams
Courting Death written by Heather Silvio
DAM 999 Script written by Sohan Roy
Kill Haole Day written by Shelley Krawchuk
Nisei Warrior written by Sandie Vea
Olohana written by Daniel Fan
On Any Other Day written by Lee Vehe
Pot Shop written by Judah Ray Neiditch
Sedah High written by Mpaki Molapo
The Hickory Horse written by Vicki Bartholomew
The Last Mermaid written by Shanon Culiner
Walking In The Sand written by Curt Lambert
Wrigley & King written by Cornelius Murphy