GIFF 2

The 2nd Guam International Film Festival is this weekend. Here's the films I'm looking forward to watching. You can find previews for each film on the website linked above. The information before each film is how much they cost and what time they are at:

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SCREENING INFORMATION:
Screens with “THE STUDENT WRESTLER“
Admission: $7.50 USD
Date: Saturday, September 29, 2012 | Time: 1:40pm
Venue: STADIUM TBD, Micronesia Mall Stadium Theatres | GIFF Guide: contains adult material

BIBA! ONE ISLAND, 879 VOTES!

Documentary Feature | Northern Mariana Islands | 75 min. | English, Chamorro w/English subtitles | PACIFIC ASIA PREMIERE
It’s the fall of 2007 and there’s a storm brewing on the tiny island of Tinian. BIBA! follows Trenton Conner and Henry San Nicolas in their battle for control over the island, documenting a unique mixture of traditional family clan culture and wester democracy that we know all too well here in the Mariana Islands. (GIFF Guide: contains adult material)
Executive Producer Alex Gibney is an Oscar, Emmy and Grammy winner and is well known for producing one of the top grossing documentaries of all time, “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room“. Director Benjamin Bloodwell has worked on notable documentaries such as “Casino Jack and the United States of Money“, “Freakonomics” and “Gonzo: The Life and Work Dr. Hunter S. Thompson“.
Director: Benjamin Bloodwell
Producer: Alex Gibney

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SCREENING INFORMATION:
Admission: $7.50 USD
Date: Saturday, September 29, 2012 | Time: 5:40pm
Venue: STADIUM TBD, Micronesia Mall Stadium Theatres

AINIKIEN JIDJID ILO BOÑ (THE SOUND OF CRICKETS AT NIGHT)

Narrative Feature | Marshall Islands | 80 min. | Drama | English, Marshallese w/English subtitles | GUAM PREMIERE
An elderly nuclear survivor from Bikini Atoll in the Pacific summons a mysterious ancient deity to help reunite his family.
WINNER – Moondance Atlantis Award for Foreign Films, 2012 Moondance Int’l.Film Festival, NY
Directors/Producers Jack Niedenthal and Suzanne Chutaro were recipients of the Best of Festival Award for their film, Lañinbwil’s Gift, at the 2011 GIFF.
Directors/Producers: Jack Niedenthal, Suzanne Chutaro
Cast: Banjo Salome Fakatou, Alson Kelen, Jack Niedenthal, Karen Earnshaw
Official Website: www.microwavefilms.org/Crickets.html


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SCREENING INFORMATION:
Admission: $7.50 USD
Date: Saturday, September 29, 2012 | Time: 7:55pm
Venue: STADIUM TBD, Micronesia Mall Stadium Theatres | GIFF Guide: contains adult material

SHADOW BILLIONAIRE

Documentary Feature | USA, Marianas Islands | 90 min.
This is the stuff that local legends are made of. From Emmy-winning Bunnim-Murray Productions (Project Runway, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, The Real World) and director Alexis Manya Spraic (Cat Dancers, Respect Yourself), comes SHADOW BILLIONAIRE – a gripping documentary that unravels the secretive life of enigmatic and reclusive tycoon, DHL Founder and billionaire, Larry Hillblom. After his disappearance from a plane crash over the Mariana Islands, the battle over his estate took on epic proportions, pitting impoverished, teenage prostitutes against Larry’s former business associates and several of the largest law firms in the world. In the end it is a David and Goliath story, as a surprising hero emerges to untangle the web and discover the startling truth. The film also features interviews and insight from Guam business and community leaders. (GIFF Guide: contains adult material)

Director Alexis Manya Spraic’s work includes Cat Dancers, (Winner of the Special Jury Prize at SXSW), and the Grammy-nominated Respect Yourself. Her work can be seen on Showtime, HBO, PBS, A&E, IFC as well as theatrically and internationally. Shadow Billionaire is her directorial debut and held its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. 
Producer Sasha Alpert is currently Vice President of BMP Films, producer of Autism: The Musical (Winner of two Emmys and premiered on HBO). Additionally, she produced Forever Hollywood, a film about the history of Hollywood – which has been playing continuously at the Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles for over seven years. She has also produced numerous documentaries for PBS, CBS, MTV, TBS and The Disney Channel. 
Director: Alexis Manya Spraic
Producer: Sasha Alpert
Official Website: www.shadowbillionaire.com

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SCREENING INFORMATION:
INT’L. SHORTS PROGRAM D
Admission: $7.50 USD
Date: Sunday, September 30, 2012 | Time: 10:00am
Venue: STADIUM TBD, Micronesia Mall Stadium Theatres

THE ADVENTURES OF ORANGES

Narrative Short | USA | 7 min. | Comedy | PACIFIC ASIA PREMIERE
THE ADVENTURES OF ORANGES centers around a conversation between a Maui orange and a Florida orange in the produce section of a local grocery store. Through the telling of the Florida orange’s journey to Maui, the film reveals the comic absurdity of how far most of our food travels before we eat it.
Produced by students of the Maui Huliau Foundation and the Huliau Environmental Filmmaking Club in Haiku, Hawaii.
Directors/Cast: Celine Hopee, Keola Talaroc, Leimana Pu’u, Xander Robertson
Official Website: www.mauihuliaufoundation.org

WE ARE PÅGAT

Documentary Short | Guam | 8 min.
WE ARE PÅGAT is a short documentary about the history of the U.S. military on guam and the plans related to the proposed military buildup; specifically, the plans to build a firing range complex on and around the ancient indigenous village of Pågat.
Producer: Cara Flores Mays
Official Website: www.weareguahan.com

BREADFRUIT AND OPEN SPACES | Grand Jury Award Nominee – Best Documentary Short

Documentary Short | Guam | 30 min. | PACIFIC ASIA PREMIERE
BREADFRUIT AND OPEN SPACES features Pacific Island families who attempt to grow roots on Guam and make it their home. As recent migrants from Chuuk to Guam, they are met with the challenges of becoming landowners and belonging, though they experience many comforts from building homes in wide open spaces.
Director/Producer: Dr. Lola Quan Bautista

IMMIGRANTS AND CIGARETTES

Narrative Short | Australia | 17 min. | Drama/Comedy | GUAM PREMIERE
Klint is a jaded old counselor who is forced into retirement from a migrant resource centre after 30 years of hard work and service towards minority communities in Western Sydney. Branded a racist, he is forced to help in inter-racial couple caught in a disastrous relationship. (GIFF Guide: contains adult material)

WINNER: Best Short Film, 2012 Korean Film Festival (Australia)
Director/Writer: Mike Kang
Producer: Amin Palangi
Cast: Fellino Dolloso, Robin Queree

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SCREENING INFORMATION:
Headlining immediately after the ANIMATION SHOWCASE
Admission: $7.50 USD
Date: Sunday, September 30, 2012 | Time: 1:00pm
Venue: STADIUM TBD, Micronesia Mall Stadium Theatres

WITH GREAT POWER: THE STAN LEE STORY | Grand Jury Award Nominee – Best Documentary Feature

Documentary Feature | USA | 80 min. | GUAM PREMIERE
At 88 years old, Stan lee’s name appears on more than one billion comics in 75 nations in 25 languages! Arguably, the most recognized name in comics, Stan has co-created over 500 legendary pop culture characters including: Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, X-Men, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk and many more. WITH GREAT POWER explores the life of Stan from the early days of his Depression-era upbringing through the Marvel age of comics, featuring star-studded interviews, original illustrations and photographs.
WITH GREAT POWER: THE STAN LEE STORY has been nominated for 4 Primetime Emmys at the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards
Directors: Terry Dougas, Nikki Frakes, William Lawrence Hess
Producers: 1821 Entertainment, Emerging Entertainment, POW! Entertainment
Cast: Stan Lee, Kirsten Dunst, Jon favreau, James Franco, Tobey Maguire, Todd McFarlane, Eva Mendes, Frank Miller, Jeremy Piven, Seth Rogen and more
Official Website: www.withgreatpower.biz

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SCREENING INFORMATION:
Admission: $7.50 USD
Date: Sunday, September 30, 2012
Time: 3:55pm
Venue: STADIUM 5, Micronesia Mall Stadium Theatres | GIFF Guide: contains adult material

JESUS HOSPITAL | Grand Jury Award Nominee – Best Feature Narrative

Narrative Feature | Korea | 91 min. | Drama | Korean w/English subtitles | PACIFIC ASIA PREMIERE
Hyun-Soon has a secret which she finds difficult to tell others. Only her mother, who is comatose in the hospital, and Huyn-Soon’s pregnant daughter know about Hyun-Soon’s secret. As Hyun-Soon’s sister and brother talk about pulling the respirator from their mother, the situation becomes twisted. (GIFF Guide: contains adult material)
WINNER: Grand Prize, 37th Seoul Independent Film Festival
WINNER – Director’s Guild of Korea Award, Best Actress (Jung-Min Hwang & Song-He Han)
WINNER – Citizen Reviewer’s Award, 16th Busan International Film Festival 
Director: Sang-Cheol Lee, Ah-Ga Shin
Producer: Sang-Cheol Lee
Cast: Jeong-min Hwang, Mi-Hyang Kim, Song-He Han
Official Website: www.indiestory.com

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