HANALEI — Emulating ancient times when tales of epic voyages and culture were shared “around the circle of the campfire,” the Ocean Film Festival will continue the tradition of story-telling “under the stars” where you can smell the sea “in
HANALEI — Emulating ancient times when tales of epic voyages and culture were shared “around the circle of the campfire,” the Ocean Film Festival will continue the tradition of story-telling “under the stars” where you can smell the sea “in the breeze” this weekend, said the festival’s director, Melinda Sandler.
The annual event will feature short, authentic, independent films about marine resources, ocean recreation and cultural connection to the sea on Saturday at Waipa, just north of Hanalei, she said.
“Our objective is to nurture beginning storytellers and help them develop the craft,” Sandler said. “We are always looking for undiscovered, raw talent in Hawai‘i and from around the world.”
Filmmakers “find their own voice” and occasionally even do so by reflecting their messages in “their favorite songs,” like 17-year-old Kaua‘i resident Gabriel Abrams, who created an award-winning student film which will be presented on Saturday, she said.
“We use our venues to nurture the artistic development, and the big screen to expose new filmmakers and under-exposed ocean issues to an audience,” Sandler said.
And it’s hard to be anything but happy when a student filmmaker continues on to win a Hawai‘i Medical Service Association teen video contest, along with the Hawai‘i Leadership Academy filmmaking award, as Abrams did, she said.
“Or when a topic like shark-finning is exposed to the general public, and Hawai‘i leads the nation in banning its sale.”
Shark fins are considered a delicacy in several parts of Asia, which has caused a decline in shark populations in recent decades, according to the New York Times.
The fins are obtained by slicing them off a living fish and throwing the sharks “back into the water to die.”
The film festival will also recognize the “ocean volunteers on Kaua‘i,” who help spread awareness about the importance of the marine ecosystem, she said.
One organization committed to keeping the beaches and ocean clean is Surfrider Foundation, a regular sponsor of the event, said Surfrider’s Dr. Gordon LaBedz.
This year will actually feature a flick which showcases the Kaua‘i Chapter, he said.
“Surfrider Foundation is a coastal environmental group and, as such, we are concerned with our beaches, the surf, the reefs, the sand and the sea life,” LaBedz said.
“The greatest threats (to the ocean) are human impacts: coastal development built too close to the beach, beach-destroying coastal structures such as sea walls, reef destruction from urban and agricultural run off pollution and improper sewage disposal.”
Currently enduring the magnitude of human impact is the Gulf Coast which will also be represented Saturday in a film called “Gulf Islands” created by Robbie Fisher prior to the April gusher, Sandler said.
“Shortly after the April oil spill occurred, the festival refocused to include a tribute to the people of the Gulf Coast and the massive volunteer efforts that will likely be needed in that region for the next decade,” she said.
This is the first time since the festival debuted in 1999 that a short film from the Southern U.S. was submitted, Sandler said.
“And it wasn’t until the Gulf oil spill that we learned something about our festival and ourselves that we didn’t know before — that they had captured a moment in time for a place that will never be the same again,” she said.
The films will begin airing at sunset on Saturday at Waipa, one mile past Hanalei.
See sidebar and visit www.hawaiioceanfilmfestival.org for more information.
• Coco Zickos, business and environmental writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 251) or czickos@kauaipubco.com.
Sunset Saturday at Waipa, one mile past Hanalei
The following films will be showing:
• “Aikane o ke kai — Friends of the Sea” by Robert Zelkovsky.Profiles Surfrider Foundation, Malama Na Apapa, Sea Scouts, SierraClub and KORE.
• “Miss South Pacific” by Teri Tico. Sneak preview of the filmwhich focuses on climate change.
• “Mayumba — Equator Flavored Pointbreaks on the Edge of Africa.”A sneak preview of an adventure with longboard champ Sam Bleakley,Erwan Simon, filmmaker Emi Cataldi, photographer John Callahan andthe legendary Randy Rarick who explore the remote south coast ofGabon in West Africa.
• “Aloha Uruguaii” by Juan M. Bonner about the evolution of ayoung surf culture which spreads joy and respect for theocean.
• “Gum For My Boat — Surfing Bangladesh” by Kahana Kalama and theorganization Surfing the Nations. Introduces the audience to theboys and girls of the Bangladesh Surf Club who received the chanceto escape their humble lifestyle and enjoy and ocean that was oncedeemed off limits due to fear and a conservative Islamicculture.
• “SurfAid — Behind the Palms” by SurfAid International. TheMentawai and Nias islands suffer from malaria, malnutrition anddisasters. The organization improves the lives of people living inisolated areas connected to others through surfing. With cameos ofmany stars of the surf industry who have lent their voices to thecause; including Damian Hobgood, Luke Egan, Rasta, Malloy, SanoeLake, Keala Kennelly.
• “One Ocean Left to Save” by Kaua‘i student Gabriel Abrams. The17-year-old Abrams not only shot and directed this music video, healso rewrote words to one of his favorite songs, performed andmultitracked his own voice into the music.
• “Octopus Sucks” by Big Island student Chris Barel about atypical day of spearfishing on the Big Island with marine life thathates paparazzi.
• “Gulf Islands” by Robbie Fisher about the people who love 160miles of the Gulf Islands National Seashore Park — before thespill.
• Entrance fees are $5 or join Surfrider the night of the eventand get in free.
Visit www.hawaiioceanfilmfestival.org for more information.
