Maui Film Festival Celestial Cinema 2018 Schedule

Celestial Cinema. File image credit: Randy Jay Braun via Maui Film Festival.

The 19th annual Maui Film Festival will take place from June 13 to 17, 2018 at the Wailea Resort. A full schedule of events and screenings was released, including the lineup for the popular Celestial Cinema (listed below), which will be set up at the Wailea Gold and Emerald Golf Course.

CELESTIAL Cinema PASS: ($88) through June 12, 2018. ($92) thereafter. | SINGLE TICKETS ($24). ($25 at the door).

WEDNESDAY JUNE 13, 8 p.m.
FIND YOUR VOICE: If you were at the Celestial Cinema as a full moon rose over its 50’ wide Big Screen when Academy Award-nominee Keisha Castle-Hughes chicken-skinned the crowd in WHALE RIDER, you will never forget it. In 2018, Keisha, co-starring with Adam Saunders who co-wrote the film with director Chris Herd, returns to Maui in a tale set in stunningly spectacular New Zealand about an aspiring Maori rapper who wins the lottery, literally, and returns to his ‘ohana for support to help him create the life he dreams about. (NR / 96 min.)

WEDNESDAY JUNE 13, 10 p.m.
STAY HUMAN: During these turbulent times, the feeling of hopelessness is an epidemic. In a quest to hold on to humanity in the craziness of the world we live in today, musician and activist Michael Franti’s new documentary takes us on an experiential journey through music and stories of some of the most incredible people on the planet who have chosen to overcome cynicism with optimism and hope — and remind us all what it means to STAY HUMAN. (NR / 94 min.)

THURSDAY JUNE 14, 8 p.m.
ANDY IRONS: KISSED BY GOD: Surfer Magazine nailed it when they made clear that this deeply moving and wise one-of-a-kind documentary, that also has incredible footage of a life lived to surf, honestly reveals the triumphs and tragedies of Andy Irons life. Moreover, because its filmmakers had the wisdom to allow those closest to Andy to bring his true story to life, its power lies in its transparency. It will thrill you, drill you and absolutely move you to tears of joy and sorrow. It is simply a complex and complete, perfect surfer yet imperfect icon’s hero’s journey. It is brilliant and not to be missed. (R / 122 min.)

THURSDAY JUNE 14, 10 p.m.
VAGUE À L’ÂME: Chasing giant swells is every surfer’s dream that can quickly turn into nightmare. We are stoked to announce an underground look into the blood, sweat and tears that goes into big wave conquest, via surfing documentary, Vague à l’âme. The film tells the full story of what it takes to chase down and ride the heaviest waves on the planet through the lens of director, Vincent Kardasik, & starring iconic chargers, Shane Dorian & Benjamin Sanchis.

FRIDAY JUNE 15, 8 p.m.
IDEAL HOME: A touching and humorous story starring Paul Rudd and Steve Coogan as a couple not ready to give up their extravagant lifestyles to become guardians of a ten-year-old boy who is the son of Coogan’s character’s one and only one-night-stand. Funny, thoughtful, touching and a great life lesson in how an unexpected event can result in enough love to bring about the understanding of the value of family, and then cause you to choose to re-build your life around it. This is a quirky, wonderful film that will light up the night at Celestial Cinema. (NR / 91 min.)

FRIDAY JUNE 15, 10 p.m.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOBY SIMPSON: Need a laugh? Who doesn’t? Winner of the Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Music awards, and nominated for the Best Actress and Director awards as well, at the recent British Independent Film Festival, this delightful-slash-beautiful story is about a thirty-something ‘suit’ who sneaks into a music festival to retrieve his stolen belongings, only to end up finding love and freedom instead. (R / 96 min.)

SATURDAY JUNE 16, 8 p.m.
BACK TO BURGUNDY: If there’s ever been a more perfect film to enjoy after the Taste of Wailea than BOTTLE SHOCK, which rocked the Celestial Cinema in 2008, the story-telling power of wine and the challenges to creating a wine for the ages is beautifully and passionately explored in this story of a fictional French wine-making family. Directed by Cédric Klapisch and critically acclaimed as “A moving, profound and funny film.” If you relate to the deep wisdom of the importance of wine to civilization — as reflected in the deep wisdom of Michelangelo himself who wrote: “Wine is sunlight suspended in water” — this film was made for you. (NR / 113 min.)

SATURDAY JUNE 16, 10 p.m.
OFF THE MENU: An unlikely heir to a Mexican fast-food franchise goes ‘cuisine’ hunting for the next culinary big thing, and finds himself in a small, dusty New Mexican town where foodies come from all over to salivate over the culinary treats of a local, authentic and feisty female chef. This is a charming romantic comedy about life, love and the transformative power of food. It is funny, unashamedly sweet and mouthwateringly delicious to watch. (NR/ 96 min.)

SUNDAY JUNE 17, 8 p.m.
SHE IS THE OCEAN: You will be enthralled by this magical film. 9 Women. 9 Spirits. 9 Heroes. These six words are director’s Inna Blokhina’s shorthand for the essence of her full-length documentary about great women from all four corners of the globe and who share one love — their deep love for the ocean. They include Big Wave Surfers Keala Kennelly and Andrea Moller, Pro Surfer Coco Ho, Surfing Prodigy Cinta Hansel, Marine Biologist Ocean Ramsey, High Diver Anna Bader, Free Diver Rose Molina, Soul Surfer Jeannie Chesser and Oceanographer Sylvia Earle. A perfect film for anyone to enjoy — especially Dads and their daughters on Father’s Day! ( / 101 min.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPYI7Wvf-VM

SUNDAY JUNE 17, 10 p.m.
THE SERENGETI RULES: Beginning in the 1960s, a small band of young scientists head out into the wilderness, driven by an insatiable curiosity about how nature works. Over more than 40 years, they travelled from the majestic Serengeti to the Amazon jungle, from the Arctic Ocean to Pacific tide pools, and immersed themselves in some of the most remote and spectacular places on Earth. What they discovered flips our view of nature on its head, and gives us a chance to reimagine the world as it could and should be. From the Academy Award-winning Passion Pictures and HHMI Tangled Bank Studios. (NR / 84 min.)

https://vimeo.com/259185187