Maui Film Festival to honor director-musician-actor Robert Schwartzman
Director-musician-actor Robert Schwartzman will be honored with the Lights! Camera! Passion! Award during the Maui Film Festival, which will celebrate its 25th anniversary Aug. 29-Sept. 2 at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center in Kahului.
The festival will also show a line-up of 13 feature films and 27 short films from Hawaiʻi and around the world.
Schwartzman is being recognized “as a director for his heartfelt personal and professional commitment to the triumph of the human spirit in movies that matter,” according to an announcement.
Past award recipients include Rob Reiner and Olivia Wilde. Schwartzman’s latest film, “The Good Half,” starring Nick Jonas, Brittany Snow, Alexandra Shipp, Matt Walsh, David Arquette and Elisabeth Shue, is a coming-of-age story that explores themes of connection, grief and coming to terms with life’s challenges. “The Good Half” is being distributed by Universal Pictures and Utopia. The film will be released domestically on Aug. 16.
The festival includes live music, dance, festival tributes and more. Individual movie tickets include all events happening at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center’s Yokouchi Pavilion each evening.
To purchase tickets and view the film schedule, visit: MauiFilmFestival.com.
“Maui Film Festival is excited to celebrate its 25th Anniversary showcasing inspiring filmmaking in the service of compassionate and transformative storytelling,” said Barry Rivers, founder and director of the Maui Film Festival. “We are delighted to recognize our honoree, director Robert Schwartzman, who has made an exceptional contribution to cinema with his film, ‘The Good Half.’ Our slate is filled with compelling, entertaining and magical stories that will bring together and inspire our Maui community, which has endured so much this past year in the aftermath of the wildfires.”
Feature Films:
The Shape of Things: The Dick Brewer Story
The story of the colorful and controversial, legendary surfboard designer and builder, Dick Brewer.
Jaws Underground
The best big wave in the world is Pe’ahi (JAWS) Maui, but the untold history of this iconic “tow” wave and the stories of the people who accept her challenge will redefine what it means to be a Waterman.
Fungi: Web of Life
Much of life on Earth is connected by a vast, hidden network that we are only just beginning to understand. Out of sight, between the world of plants and animals, another world exists — the kingdom of fungi. Through the eyes of passionate biologist and writer Merlin Sheldrake, the documentary explores the brilliant round-the-world journey into the secret world of fungi. Through dazzling images of fungi under the microscope, and all around us in the forest, Sheldrake unravels the many secrets of these essential organisms in the web of life. So much more than mushrooms, not only do fungi shape the weather and support life on land, but they are also at the cutting edge of medical research and even have the power to break down plastic waste.
5oo Days in the Wild
Award-winning director and cinematographer Dianne Whelan is the only person to complete this epic journey of discovery — hiking, biking, paddling, snowshoeing, and skiing across the country.
Music For Mushrooms
Music for Mushrooms is a narrative documentary self-portrait highlighting the personal journey of shamanistic musician and filmmaker East Forest (Krishna-Trevor Oswalt), a collaborator of the late Ram Dass, whose bold experiments pair music with guided psychedelic experiences focused on creating a space of healing for a fractured world. The film captures East Forest as he discovers a practice of guided ceremonial concerts that offer participants an immersive environment to confront their pain and fears, fostering hope and moving them to re-engage with their own true north.
The Compatriots
Javi, a gay and undocumented immigrant facing imminent deportation, who unexpectedly reunites with his long-lost best friend, Hunter, a vivacious bachelor seeking deeper connections. The story is inspired by director Spencer Cohen’s best friend in high school.
My Old Ass (Amazon-MGM Studios)
An 18th-birthday mushroom trip brings Elliott face-to-face with her wisecracking 39-year-old self. When the older Elliott starts handing out warnings about what her younger self should and should not do, she realizes she must rethink everything about family, love and what is becoming a transformative summer. Written and directed by Megan Park, the film stars Maisy Stella, Percy Hynes White, Maddie Ziegler, Kerrice Brooks and Aubrey Plaza. Indian Paintbrush, LuckyChap Entertainment and Scythia Films are producers.
Sasquatch Sunset (Bleecker Street Media)
In the misty forests of North America, members of a family of Sasquatches find themselves on a collision course with the ever-changing world around them. Directed by Nathan Zellner and David Zellner, the film stars Jesse Eisenberg, Riley Keough and Christophe Zajac-Denek.
Giants Rising
Narrated by musician and activist Michael Franti and produced and directed by Lisa Landers, the feature documentary explores the stories of those on the front lines of efforts to understand and safeguard redwoods, the tallest and some of the oldest living beings on Earth. Giants Rising reveals the mysterious inner-workings of these majestic trees – celebrating the wonders of America’s most iconic forests and underscoring all that’s at stake.
A New Kind of Wilderness
In the vast Norwegian wilds, five family members navigate grief and what “home” means after the loss of the mother who had served as the family’s glue. Directed by Silje Evensmo Jacobsen, the documentary feature was the Winner of the World Cinema – Documentary Grand Jury Prize at Sundance 2024.
Diving Into The Darkness
Canadian explorer and storyteller Jill Heinerth is one of the world’s greatest living cave divers, fueled by an insatiable curiosity to explore the unknown “veins of mother earth.” Heinerth has been involved in the most legendary and demanding cave diving expeditions of all time, from surveying the world’s longest caves in Mexico to discovering giant iceberg caves in Antarctica.
The Good Half (Universal Pictures, Utopia)
Renn Wheeland returns home to Cleveland for his mother’s funeral. Once there, he forges new relationships while healing old ones, while confronting his problems and trying to face his grief. Written by Brett Ryland, directed by Robert Schwartzman, and starring Nick Jonas, the film also features wonderful performances by Brittany Snow, David Arquette, Elisabeth Shue, Alexandra Shipp and Matt Walsh. “The Good Half” premiered at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival. For more information, visit TheGoodHalfMovie.com.
The Kindness Within
Directed by Steven Steven Priovolos, the documentary explores the journey of a lifetime with Leon Logothetis aka The Kindness Guy – five-time bestselling author, host of The Kindness Diaries on Netflix and Discovery+ and a former broker. In the film, he finally faces his pain, surrenders to his calling, and embarks on an incredible, soul-stirring adventure to find the meaning of life.
In addition to the 13 feature film screenings, this year’s festival will also include a Short Films Showcase and special Hawaiʻi Short Films Showcase. View the complete screening schedule and film slate at mauifilmfestival.com.
Learn more at mauifilmfestival.com. Follow the festival on Instagram and Twitter: @mauifilmfest and Facebook: facebook.com/mauifilmfest.
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