All-Star Comedy “Aloha Surf Hotel” Releases to Video On Demand, Oct. 12

Following its world premiere at the Hawai‘i International Film Festival in November, and a five-month, statewide theatrical run in Consolidated and Regal Cinemas, family-friendly comedy “Aloha Surf Hotel” is coming to North American Video on Demand platforms as of Oct. 12.

Audiences can pre-order from iTunes/AppleTV now or rent as of the release date on platforms including Amazon Prime, Vudu, Google Play, YouTube, Microsoft, Vimeo, Comcast, Dish, Verizon/Fios, Frontier, Suddenlink, Mediacom, Armstrong, and Shaw.

The film stars comedian Augie T (Get A Job, and Kuleana), Taiana Tully (Water Like Fire, Hawaiʻi 5-0), Branscombe Richmond (Finding ʻOhana, Renegade), Daniella Monet (Victorious), Shawn Mokuahi Garnett (Hawaiʻi 5-0), Kealani Warner (Kuleana), Alex Farnham and Matt Corboy (The Descendants).

Written and directed by award-winning filmmaker and Maui resident Stefan Schaefer, the film was shot entirely in Hawai‘i.

“Aloha Surf Hotel” centers on ex pro surfer Tai “Gonzo” Alonzo (Tulba). When his scholarship at the local college is cut off, Tai is forced to take his first real job — teaching tourists how to surf at a struggling beachfront hotel. Soon he’s the tennis pro, the substitute yoga instructor, the handyman, the fire-knife dancer… he might even be key to saving the family-run hotel from a corrupt inspector and an unscrupulous developer. As he and his misfit colleagues struggle to save the hotel, Tai also works to support his teenage daughter, patch it up with his ex, and scrape together enough cash to get his beloved van out of impound.

The film got its start by winning a pitch contest and development funds at the GVS Accelerator on the Big Island. Producers include Jonathan Stern of Abominable Pictures (Wet Hot American Summer, Childrens Hospital) and Branscombe Richmond, as well as Executive Producers Brian Kohne, David L. Cunningham, Robert Marcus, Everett Dowling and J. Stephen Goodfellow.

Schaefer and Kohne have collaborated on numerous Hawaiʻi made productions, including the award-winning films Get A Job (2011) and Kuleana/Maui (2017).

Other local creatives include Nā Hōkū Hanohano award winner Halemanu Villiarimo as composer, and supporting roles played by Kai Lenny, Dave Kalama, Kathy Collins, and Frank B. Shaner.

The film runs 94 minutes.