Fast Kine Maui 4-Day Film Challenge debuts with full house premiere in Lahaina

Hisako Film Lab, in collaboration with Fuzz Box Productions, successfully launched its inaugural Fast Kine Maui 4-Day Film Challenge, culminating in a premiere party on March 29 at The Fuzz Box in Lahaina. The event brought together filmmakers, friends, and community members to celebrate the four days of fast-paced creativity and original storytelling.

Held from March 25–29, the Fast Kine Maui 4-Day Film Challenge invited high school, college, and adult creatives from across Maui to write, shoot, and edit original short films in just four days. Participants, working individually or in teams of up to five, were given a prompt at the start of the challenge and were tasked with bringing their ideas to life under a tight deadline. The inaugural challenge welcomed 17 entrants, showcasing a wide range of voices and creative approaches to the required prompts.

“Fast Kine is a high-energy, full-throttle, weird, wacky, and delirious film challenge, it’s the most fun you’ll ever have making a movie,” said Hisako Film Lab Co-Director Brad Kester. “It was incredible to see how many people jumped into the challenge and turned out at the premiere party. The atmosphere was electric. I think people were eager for something like this— just an excuse to have fun and make something.”

The event showcased a diverse lineup of short films that reflected the creativity, humor, and unique perspectives of Maui’s filmmaking community. Attendees also enjoyed complimentary dinner, red carpet photos, and prizes throughout the evening. The grand prize of $500, selected by a panel of judges that included Maui film critic Barry Wurst, was awarded to Joe Abella for his film “Is That My Plate Lunch?” created with actress Alohi Vega Alvarado.

Attendees also played an active role by voting for their favorite films to win the Audience Choice award which went to Manuel Dukelow and actor Kaiku Ferreira for their film “The Mattverse”. All participating filmmakers also received a waiver code to submit their films to the upcoming Wailuku Film Festival this June.

Maui Film Commissioner Brian Kohne was enthusiastic about the event. “Hisako Film Lab provides vital infrastructure for our nascent motion picture industry by finding the high school students motivated to tell story, and empowering their voices with mentorship and opportunity,” Kohne said. “With the film challenge they also opened their influence to adults, and as demonstrated by the number of participants, Maui’s hunger to collaborate and originate regional work is far more profound than one might imagine.

The upcoming Wailuku Film Festival June 17-21 promises to showcase these same creatives alongside the work of others, and together our community can grow forward a meaningful and productive culture of independent filmmaking on Maui.

Fast Kine Maui 4-Day Film Challenge was made possible with the support of the County of Maui and the Maui Film Office. The event was open to filmmakers of all experience levels and provided an accessible, free opportunity for the community to collaborate, experiment, and share their voices through film.

Hisako Film Lab is now accepting applications for its annual Summer Lab program, an in-depth immersion for motivated high school students eager to elevate their filmmaking skills in an exciting, project-based environment. The program runs June 9 – July 3. Applications are available at hisakofilmlab.org. In the upcoming Wailuku Film Festival, Hisako will be curating a collection of student films created in its lab experiences at a special showcase event. 

In May, Fuzz Box Productions will be launching Game-On Maui, the first ever island-wide Super Mario Kart tournament, hosting a series of “hometown” competitions in Lahaina, Wailuku, Hana, Kihei, Makawao, and Paia before culminating in a grand finale in Kahului to crown an overall champion. Registration available at fuzzboxproductions.com. Fuzz Box will also be adding to the festivities at Wailuku Film Festival, programming an event dubbed Fuzz Flix Fringe Fest, which will present a block of underground and avant-garde films. 

Hisako Film Lab is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating and supporting the next generation of Hawai‘i’s storytellers and filmmakers. Founded in 2023 by Maui-raised filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton—known for directing Marvel Studios’ “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” and the upcoming “Spider-Man: Brand New Day”—the organization creates opportunities for local creatives to develop their craft and bring their stories to life. Through workshops, mentorship, and creative programming, Hisako Film Lab aims to cultivate local talent and expand opportunities for aspiring filmmakers across the island.