Louis Vuitton Hawaii International FIlm Festival 2008

Lawrence and Hugh, who have just met, both have girlfriends and are both straight … 13 or so minutes later, however, things have changed.

There will be a seminar after this film is shown: THE EFFECTS OF THE GLOBAL ECONOMY ON MODERN CHINA. Documentary and fiction are sometimes uneasy bedfellows, but having made both back-to-back in many of his film projects (most recently, STILL LIFE and DONG), filmmaker Jia Zhangke finally marries the two media in 24 CITY. In his chronicle of the changing fortunes of a defunct but once glorious aeronautic factory and its workers through talking heads and wordless images exclusively, the documentary strain prevails to simple, yet emotionally reverberating effect. 24 CITY balances the human cost of change with a self-renewing future as witnessed by the re-development project on the demolished factory site. It's pure clarity and pristine cinematography will appeal to a more serious and aesthetically inclined audience. --Maggie Lee

Hisashi, a Japanese gambling addict, decides to escape to Hawaii to start anew. However, can he start fresh with a new girlfriend and his re-emerging gambling addiction?

Veit Helmer's inventive and allegorical comedy introduces us to Absurdistan, a once beautiful, now utterly desolate, land. In a water-starved village, two childhood sweethearts, Aya and Temelko, await the date (foretold by Aya's grandmother) that a perfect celestial alignment will bless their first night of love. An intrepid inventor, Temelko plans to repair the aging water pipe, but the apathetic older men scoff at his designs. The women, fed up with the men's inaction, take matters into their own hands and declare a strike. No water, no sex. The gender lines are drawn, reinforced with barbed wire, and our young lovers find themselves on opposite sides of a fast-escalating feud.

5 YEN COIN – Hisashi, a Japanese gambling addict, decides to escape to Hawaii to start anew. However, can he start fresh with a new girlfriend and his re-emerging gambling addiction? Director: Yayoi Ikezaki, USA, 2008, 12 min. BETTER CITY, BETTER LIFE – A compilation of 3 "short" shorts that were shot on location in Shanghai this past June by ACM and SHU students. Director(s): 'Bamboo Pole': Ark Mu, 'With Me': Robert Omura, 'Birthday Gift': Zhou Wei, China/USA, 2008, 13 min. BLOOD COLONY - When Kalia rebels against her father by sneaking out for a night-surf outing with a guy she just met, she realizes she should've heeded her father's advice as she exposes herself to a bloodlust encounter. Director: Jacob Holcomb, USA, 2008, 20 min. FRESH LENSES – A documentary chronicling the SMART Xchange between SHU and ACM students, from initial student film showcases at both Shanghai and Hawaii Film Fests, and the eventual collaboration on a film project in Hawaii. Director: Crystal Chen, USA, 2008, 11 min. THE HOLLOW – A short nightmare inspired by the imagery of T.S. Eliot's classic poem "The Hollow Men." Director: Dana Ledoux Miller, USA, 2008, 3 min. IT HAPPENED ONE AFTERNOON – The first of the SMART Xchange film projects, comes a sweet story of a smitten Chinese exchange student as he eagerly attempts to ask out the snack counter girl before the semester ends. Director: Russell Blanchard, USA, 2008, 8 min. JUST LIKE THAT – A self-exploration of the filmmaker's cultural and ethnic identity and how it is affected by living in the U.S. during a post-9/11 world. Director: Nasser Marghalani, USA, 2007, 10 min. RAIN – May, a young girl attending her mother's funeral, copes with her death by asking her reluctant relatives' questions, and eventually, finds the truth in her own, personal way. Director: Thomas Tai Takemoto-Chock, USA, 2008, 15 min. RED DIRT – 10-year old Kaipo has a secret - he's homeless. He hides this secret from his new friends Noa and Manu, until one day, they find out the truth. Director: Monet Sadural, USA, 2008, 8 min. YAMANOTE LINE – Tommy, a "local boy" from Hawaii, and Mike, a Texan, separately ride the busiest subway route in Tokyo, the Yamanote Line, in search of someone. Director: Ark Mu, USA, 2008, 15 min.

Raquela is a transsexual - or "ladyboy" - from the Philippines who dreams of escaping the streets of Cebu City for a fairy tale life in Paris. In order to make her dreams come true, she turns from prostitution toward the more lucrative business of Internet porn. Her success as a porn star brings new friends, including Valerie, a ladyboy in Iceland, and Michael, the owner of the website Raquela works for. Valerie helps Raquela get as far as Iceland. From there, Michael offers her a rendezvous in Paris. Will Paris be everything she dreamed of? And will Michael turn out to be her Prince Charming?

Lonely Anne, suffering from cancer, finds escape with The Aviatrix, a superhero alter ego.

Girls are always falling for the handsome Raj. He can't help that women are attracted to him like bees to honey, and that he possesses a charm and humor that make him the complete package, but Raj's life will be forever changed by three unforgettable women. Sweet and romantic Mahi lives a charmed life, though she’s spent her whole life in Amristar that doesn't stop all her wishes from coming true. Sexy and confident Radhika lives life on her own terms and is not afraid ignore societal conventions. Smart and ambitious Gayatri never cowers from any challenge she is determined to make it on her own. Each woman encounters Raj at different times in his life, and teach him a bit about love and life.

BEAUTIFUL LOSERS celebrates the spirit behind one of the most influential cultural moments of a generation. In the early 1990's a loose-knit group of like minded outsiders found common ground at a little NYC storefront gallery. Rooted in the DIY (do-it-yourself) subcultures of skateboarding, surf, punk, hip hop & graffiti, they made art that reflected the lifestyles they led. Developing their craft with almost no influence from the "establishment" art world, this group, and the subcultures they sprang from, have now become a movement that has been transforming pop culture. Starring a selection of artists who are considered leaders within this culture, Beautiful Losers focuses on the telling of personal stories. It speaks to themes of what happens when the outside becomes "in" as it explores the creative ethos connecting these artists and today's youth.