June 14 – June 16, 2019: Maui Film Festival 2019

Maui Film Festival presents daily screenings of acclaimed films in Wailea and at MACC theaters. Enjoy celebrity tributes, filmmaker panels, and special events, as well as the film features!

Individual tickets and a variety of individual user passes are available. For more information, visit the Maui Film Festival website for pass options and the full schedule of films & events!

CASTLE THEATER SCHEDULE:

Friday, June 14

ONE (3:00 pm)

Addiction…incarceration…family trauma. We’ve become a culture that enshrines pain while at the same time offering it as entertainment. But how can we go beyond the seductive reality show narrative of shattered lives? How can we find the missing pieces that will allow us to heal and transcend? This powerful, visually arresting film explores the elusive bridge between the broken and the unbreakable. Using the words of the great Zen scholar, Alan Watts, the filmmakers link hardcore devastation to a powerful awareness of our deeper humanity. ONE is an emotionally visual journey that asks the questions: What do we want? What would satisfy us? What is it that we are really yearning after? Not rated/77 min. (not recommended for children; parental discretion advised)

CLICK HERE to view the trailer

GAY CHORUS DEEP SOUTH (5:00 pm)

To confront a resurgence of faith-based anti-LGBTQ laws brought about in the Trump era, conductor Tim Seelig leads 300 singers of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus on a bus tour of the deep south, showcasing fine music, confronting political and religious intolerance, and challenging his own troubled past with the church. Joined by the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, they bring a message of music, love, and acceptance to communities often on the frontlines against intolerance. Not rated/100 min. (not recommended for children; parental discretion advised)

CLICK HERE to view the trailer

BECOMING NOBODY (7:30 pm)

A celebration and deep exploration of Ram Dass, the father of the Western spiritual culture and self-help movement, that pays tribute to his unmissable authenticity and humor. Ram Dass has inspired generations of seekers to be visible and authentic in their fallibility, sacrificing the temptations of superiority and spiritual materialism as a path to true presence and compassion, all without taking themselves too seriously. Not rated. 91 min. (not recommended for children; parental discretion advised) Preceded by LADY HATER

CLICK HERE to view the trailer

Saturday, June 15

MOANANUIĀKEA: ONE OCEAN. ONE PEOPLE. ONE CANOE (12:00 pm)

This powerful documentary celebrates the historic Mālama Honua worldwide voyage that connected countless individuals and communities from around the globe. It was a voyage that also represented the fulfillment of the vision of Nainoa Thompson and his contemporaries—the passing of the mantle to the next generation of kānaka maoli who will retain the skills of their ancestors and perpetuate this tradition for generations to come.

Rated PG/96 min. This film is FREE for kids 12 and under.

CLICK HERE to view the trailer

CRACKED UP (3:00 pm)

With courage and, of course, humor, master impressionist, comedian and Saturday Night Live veteran Darrell Hammond reveals his dark history of child abuse. Brilliant in the spotlight, Darrell was misdiagnosed and wrongly medicated for decades, struggling with drugs, alcohol and nightmarish flashbacks. Michelle Esrick’s poignant film illuminates the devastating effects of childhood trauma and the importance of setting repressed memories free. She artfully balances humor and tragedy to craft a beautiful story of hope and resilience. Not rated. 96 min. (not recommended for children; parental discretion advised)

Preceded by SHIRIN-YOKU (Forest Bathing)

CLICK HERE to view the trailer

WELL GROOMED (5:00 pm)

Competitive creative dog grooming is the most colorful competition in America and “Well Groomed” captures the hearts, minds, and imaginations of the artists involved. Follow four champion groomers and their gorgeous, vibrant dogs through a year in the life on the Technicolor competition circuit, playfully exploring their creative process. From South Carolina to California and from New York to Arkansas, these women are revolutionizing the age-old question, ‘what is art?’ Director Rebecca Stern has captured an up-close and revealing look at pets, families, friendships, and the glory of dog grooming through a bright spectrum of color. Not rated. 88 min. Preceded by STUMPED.

CLICK HERE to view the trailer

CRSHD (7:30 pm)

End-of-the-year celebrations are underway at a small liberal arts college in Ohio. The night’s main event: a crush party. The rules? Submit your crush and they get an invite, or if you’re “crushed,” you also get an invite. Freshman Izzy Alden is still a virgin and the crush party is her last chance to do something about it before summer break.  She and her two best friends, Anuka and Fiona, chase their crushes both in real life and online, but Izzy’s moral compass skews as the night progresses and it seems her quest to have sex might cost Izzy her friends. Not rated. 81 min. (not recommended for children; parental discretion advised) Preceded by HOOK UP 2.0

CLICK HERE to view the trailer

Sunday, June 17

SHORT FILM SHOWCASE (1:00 pm)

CLICK HERE for descriptions and trailers. (not recommended for children; parental discretion advised)

ALICE (3:00 pm) 

Alice, a perfect wife and mother who lives happily with her husband and child until the day she discovers her husband is living a double life that has ruined her financially and left her a single mother. Alice fights back and dives into a world beyond anything she has ever known. In French with English subtitles. Rated PG. 103 min. (not recommended for children; parental discretion advised) Preceded by BEAUTY

CLICK HERE to view the trailer

BOTERO (5:30 pm)

Fernando Botero is probably the world’s most famous living artist. At 87, he still works in his studio every day, living in Monaco and Pietrasanta, Italy. The Colombian-born artist has lived and exhibited all over the world, including a seminal exhibit of his monumental sculptures along the Champs-Elysees in Paris. The exaggerated, round figures in his paintings and sculptures are instantly recognizable as his signature style. Rated PG. 82 min. Preceded by LA NORIA (Ferris Wheel)

CLICK HERE to view the trailer

WE RISE UP (7:30 pm)

WeRiseUP is a culture-shifting documentary to articulate new emergent models around the concepts of prosperity, success, and contribution. Our current model of success is destroying the planet & driving billions of people to unfulfilled lives. WeRiseUP and the accompanying movement is about giving rise to individuals and businesses that do good – and do well. People are RisingUP to radically fulfilled, purpose-driven lives. Not rated. 96 min. Preceded by REBOOT.
CLICK HERE to view the trailer
This film will be followed by the Maui Film Festival closing reception in the Yokouchi Pavilion & Courtyard. Enjoy live music by 7-piece band, Marimba Komborera from 7-10 pm.