Maui Film Festival is a Star-Spangled Celebration

Anyone who’s witnessed Hawaii’s night sky can tell you it’s a singular and sensational experience. The same could be said about the cosmos-themed Maui Film Festival to be held June 16 through June 20 at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center, where A-list stars gather and 40-plus films play for thousands under a starlit sky.

The Films

Though there are a number of exciting experiences, such as the “toes-in-the-sand” SandDance Theater on Wailea Beach, just below Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, the highlight of the festival is the Celestial Cinema. Lit by the moon and powered by the sun using photovoltaic technology, this is a must-see. Screen legend Clint Eastwood, one of the festival’s Silversword honorees, apparently agrees. Barry Rivers, the festival director, says the Academy Award winner insisted on purchasing his own tickets to the Celestial Cinema and carrying his own beach chairs and blankets up the hill, so he and his wife, Dina, could enjoy that night’s double feature.

A number of the films screening at the festival are Sundance Award winners. Here are a few that are on tap for 2010.

Sympathy for Delicious (Sundance U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Prize)
happythankyoumoreplease (Sundance U.S. Dramatic Audience Award)
Waste Land (2010 Sundance World Cinema Documentary Audience Award)
Rocksteady: The Roots of Reggae
Cyrus
Last Paradise

A full list of films will be revealed by June 3 at mauifilmfestival.com.

The Stars

Within walking distance of Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, the festival is hopping day and night; however, in true Hawaiian style, it maintains a laid back atmosphere—one that the actors and filmmakers can enjoy.

“The Maui Film Festival has a reputation for making great effort to allow each year’s honorees, industry guests and other attendees to enjoy the magnificently beautiful location that is Maui,” says Rivers. “And they, in turn, do just that—by attending the festival’s premieres and culinary arts celebrations, hanging out in the pool and enjoying Wailea-side restaurants, taking private surf lessons and simply spending quality time with family and friends.”

The Food

Dubbed a “feastival” by Rivers, the event is equal parts food and film. For Taste of Wailea on June 19, chefs from top restaurants such as Spago at Four Seasons are among the purveyors of mouthwatering cuisine served on a promontory overlooking the Pacific. On June 18, Four Seasons hosts the Taste of Chocolate, where Oscar-nominated Patricia Clarkson and Joan Allen have been known to cut a rug. For tickets to the extremely popular Taste of Chocolate sponsored by Guittard, call the Concierge at 1-808-874-8000.

Festival + Four Seasons = Fun

Book four nights or more in a partial ocean view accommodations or higher during the festival dates and receive two tickets to all 40-plus film screenings.