Louis Vuitton Hawaii International FIlm Festival 2008

DIRTY HANDS captures the journey of troubled young American artist, David Choe, through a lifetime of risk taking, crime plotting, his ongoing dance with vandalizing public property, and struggle to have a successful art career. After a series of arrests, he finally gets caught and thrown into solitary confinement prison in Tokyo for assault, battery and theft for what he feels is penance for a lifetime of crimes. In prison, he has the opportunity to reflect on a past riddled with disappointments and heartache he caused friends, family and his long-term girlfriend. Upon homecoming, he is filled with an overzealous hope to change for the better. We witness David's battle with demons, old temptations and his ever-growing appetite for destruction until he realizes he just has to face his own shadows and make sense out of the chaos he chooses to befriend time and time again.

NOHO HEWA: THE WRONGFUL OCCUPATION OF HAWAI'I is an emotionally raw portrayal of issues that shape the political, economic and cultural world of Hawaiians. The film provides a contemporary look at the impact of militarism, tourism and real estate, making critical links between these seemingly unrelated industries via their collective power to force Hawaiians out of their homeland economically, politically and culturally. It frames desecration of Hawaiian burials and sacred sites as an intentional tool deployed by the American system and questions the role settlers play in the dispossession of the Hawaiian people and disruption of their inherent sovereignty.

In 1965, Patsy Takemoto Mink became the first woman of color in the U.S. Congress. Seven years later, she ran for the U.S. presidency and co-authored Title IX, the landmark legislation that opened up higher education and athletics to America's women. PATSY MINK: AHEAD OF THE MAJORITY is the story of this dynamic trailblazer who, battling racism and sexism, redefined American politics.

Nearly 30 years ago, an old Maori woman, Puhi opened her home to 21-year-old filmmaker, Vincent Ward. In RAIN OF THE CHILDREN Ward sets out to uncover the truth about who Puhi really was, the curse that she believed was upon her, the tragedy of her 10 lost children, and the extraordinary events of a lifetime lived against a tumultuous historic canvas. The result is a complex and ultimately moving work of cinema. It comprises elements that encapsulate both an historic and a present day time frame. Ward's personal journey is conveyed through his pieces to camera and his interviews with tribal elders and historians, spiked with dramatic footage that brings Puhi's story to life.

In October 2005, Thailand telecommunications giant Shin Corporation, owned by the family of former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, brings an $11-million defamation lawsuit against Supinya Klangnarong, a prominent Thai journalist, university lecturer and media rights activist. She had accused the corporation of colluding with the government. During the tumultuous months of her trial, director Pimpaka Towira, a leading figure of Thailand's independent film scene, accompanies the level-headed Klangnarong, capturing a portrait of idealism and integrity. The result is a beguiling mix of cinema vérité, personal profile, political exposé and national diary. Proving that freedom of speech and public activism can effect change, THE TRUTH BE TOLD seamlessly combines a fluid experimental style with an engaging narrative structure that comments on the legal, political and constitutional turmoil in contemporary Thai society.

Native Americans in Northern California fight for their salmon and the survival of their culture. An energy corporation has messed up their river with large hydroelectric dams, contributing to one of the worst fish die-offs in U.S. history. To confront their opponents, tribal members travel to Scotland and to the richest man in America. The dam owners praise hydropower as low-cost, climate-friendly electricity. Yet, the tribes on the Klamath River may trigger the largest dam removal project in the world. A long-term documentary following tribal members, utility managers, and farmers in the basin -- all fighting for water.