Nick Robinson Speaks at Maui Film Festival

Nick Robinson first visited the Valley Isle with his family before he could remember it. In fact, Robinson says he took his very first steps on Maui! Now, his path has brought him back here, as he steps into the role of award-winner. The Maui Film Festival chose him as the 2018 Rising Star honoree.

“Again this year, the Maui Film Festival went on a treasure hunt to find a young film artist, in the ascendancy of their career, and who we believe is destined for greatness. Who did we find? We found Nick Robinson, the festival’s 2018 Rising Star,” says Barry Rivers, Maui Film Festival founder. “We’re willing to bet the farm on him. Just wait and see.”

Robinson received the award in front of huge crowds at the Celestial Cinema on Thursday night, before the screening of “Andy Irons: Kissed by God.” His honor was presented by former Maui Film Festival award-winner and acclaimed actor Colin Farrell.  You can see his remarks in our video above.

As a performer since childhood, Robinson was most recently seen starring as the title character in Fox 2000’s Love, Simon, directed by Greg Berlanti. Prior to this, Nick starred in the Warner Bros./MGM romantic drama Everything, Everything, opposite Amandla Stenberg and directed by Stella Meghie.

In 2016, Robinson starred opposite Chloe Grace Moretz and Liev Schreiber in Sony’s The 5th Wave, directed by J Blakeson. That same year, Nick starred as the title character opposite Common and Morgan Saylor in Rob Reiner’s Being Charlie. In 2015, Robinson starred opposite Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard in Universal’s Jurassic World.

In 2013, Nick was the talk of the Sundance Film Festival, garnering attention for his starring role in CBS Films’ The Kings of Summer, which was directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts.

Other select film credits include the upcoming Strange But True, opposite Amy Ryan, Brian Cox, Blythe Danner and Greg Kinnear, as well as starring opposite Rosario Dawson, Kathy Bates and Felicity Huffman in the independent feature Krystal, which was directed by William H. Macy. On the television side, Nick is best known for his scene-stealing role in the award-winning HBO drama series Boardwalk Empire.

Over the last 17 years the Maui Film Festival has honored such talents as Elizabeth Banks, Connie Britton, Pierce Brosnan, Jessica Chastain, Bryan Cranston, Claire Danes, Laura Dern, Zooey Deschanel, Viola Davis, Adam Driver, Clint Eastwood, Scott Eastwood, Zac Efron, Colin Farrell, Andrew Garfield, Karen Gillan, Jake Gyllenhaal, Woody Harrelson, Garrett Hedlund, Michael B. Jordan, Brie Larson, James Marsden, Mike Myers, Lupita Nyong’o, Freida Pinto, Emma Roberts, Owen Wilson, Olivia Wilde, and Evan Rachel Wood, among many others.

Since its inception, the Maui Film Festival has screened more than 750 narrative and documentary feature-length and short films from around the world to a diverse audience of industry luminaries, filmmakers, cineastes and movie lovers of all ages.  It was founded by Rivers in 2000 as a festival committed to the celebration and exploration of cinema at the intersection of smart and heart. The Festival’s mission is to share exceptional cinematic vision in the service of compassionate and transformative storytelling with a diverse audience who call Maui both their home and their home away from home.

Film screenings and dining events run through Sunday:  see the full schedule here.  Tickets and passes are available at the Maui Film Festival website.