One day only -- Saturday, June 25 at the Hawaii Theatre!

12:30 p.m. BEAT THAT MY HEART SKIPPED (France, 2005)
3:30 p.m. MUGHAL-E-AZAM (India, 1960)
7:30 p.m. MARATHON (Korea, 2005)

Tickets available at the door on June 25 or click here for more information.

Special Membership Offers!
Everyone who signs up for a HIFF membership on June 25 will be entered into a drawing for a magnificent souvenir color photo book of MUGHAL-E-AZAM and a copy of the film's soundtrack (named one of the best in the movies)! Sign up by August 31 and get a free coupon for a Starbucks tall coffee or tea, while supplies last. Call 808 528-3456 x11 or click for more information.

On to the movies!

THE BEAT THAT MY HEART SKIPPED, a loose remake of James Toback’s 1970’s noir classic FINGERS, is a French subtitled drama boasting a slightly hallucinatory flair – featuring quickly edited fuzzy shots, close-ups, and handheld camera scenes – and an angst-ful yet entertaining plot: A cocky, quickly-agitated yet sensitive urbanite, Tom (played by the talented and intense Romain Duris) follows his crook father in managing French real estate but dreams of stepping in his classical concert-pianist mother’s footsteps. It's cocky, gutsy take on the anguishing contradictions of polar opposite worlds.

The Gothamist swears on a box of Raisinets – its not like those boring French films (bursting with serious, intellectual characters who only smoke and do absolutely nothing, or possibly have a bitter fight in a kitchen) that your professors subjected you to in college.

The New York Times says "THRILLING! Stirs up a delicious mixture of Alfred Hitchcock-style suspense, hard-boiled action and exquisite musical reflection!"

Screen International calls THE BEAT THAT MY HEART SKIPPED "One of the rare European films that manage to mythologize the city, turning present-day Paris into a place as bursting with edgy atmosphere and menace as the New York of MEAN STREETS or the Los Angeles of CHINATOWN."

Official Site | Trailer | Another Trailer

Prince Salim, the only son of the great Indian emperor Akbar, falls in love with a courtesan named Anarkali; upset that Salim would choose a onetime slave girl as the future queen of India, Akbar wages war against his son -- and also tries to kill the beautiful Anarkali.

The story has been told many times on film and on paper, but this version by director K. Asif may be the most epic one of all. Its main set is fantastical, like stepping into a Mughal palace that's 30 times fancier than the Taj Mahal. Its costumes (thanks to colorization) glitter with stunning shades of gold, pearl, wine, chartreuse and other rich tones. Its battles are overwhelming, when armies ride into battle on 2000 real camels and 4000 real elephants. MUGHAL contains one of the most erotic scenes in Indian cinema when the prince caresses his lover with a feather as she gasps in ecstasy while the voice of classical singer Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan croons gently on the soundtrack.

-- San Francisco Chronicle

Bob Green named Mughal-E-Azam this week's Hot Pick!

Listen to MUGHAL-E-AZAM's soundtrack, named one of the best film scores by the BBC. Hear an essay on the film's history (Real Player).

Official Site | Trailer

"Every frame exudes the aroma of priceless nostalgia, every drop that flows into the narrative ocean secretes a rejuvenating life-force."

MARATHON is inspired by the true story of Bae Hyeong-Jin, an autistic man who completed the full course Chuncheon Marathon in 2001. Director Jeong Yoon-Chul joined a marathon club and ran with Bae for a year to write the script. Cho Seung-woo, who started his acting career in Master Director Im Kwon-taek's CHUNHYANG, took the role of 20 year old man "Cho-Won," whose intelligence is still that of a five-year-old boy.

The final scene was filmed during the Chuncheon International Marathon, held especially for the movie! It's not computer graphics: sixty thousand runners and spectators assembled in Incheon for the production, and cinematographer ran dozens of kilometers - with his camera - to film the race!

MARATHON, fresh from its International Premiere at the New York Asian Film Festival, is the winner Best Feature Film, Best Actor and Best Screenplay at the 2005 Baeksang Film Awards.

Official Website

Ticket Prices
$9 General Public | $8 Military | $7 HIFF Ohana, Seniors and Students (with ID)
$20 for tickets to all 3 films! Tickets availble at the door!

Location
All screenings are at the Pride of the Pacific, the HAWAII THEATRE CENTER, 1130 Bethel Street, $3 Parking at Mark's Center Garage (enter on Chaplain Lane)

Fine Print
Please arrive at least fifteen minutes prior to each screening, seating is not guaranteed for late arrivals. Theatres and lobbies must be vacated and personal property removed at the completion of each screening. Patrons holding tickets for the following screening must exit and join the line for that screening.

Purchasing Tickets
Phone | 528-0506, Tues - Sat, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
In Person | at the Hawaii Theatre Center,1130 Bethel Street, Tues - Sat, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., or at the door on Saturday.
Website | Hawaii Theatre Box Office 24 hours a day

In partnership with the Hawaii State Art Museum, the HIFF is pleased to showcase the artistic talents of Hawaii filmmakers in the museum's Summertime exhibition.

Celebrating the themes and images of summer, Summertime features nearly 100 artworks from the Art in Public Places Collection. A wide range of works – paintings, sculptures, ceramics, fiber works, mixed media pieces and works on paper – will be arranged thematically to evoke the feelings, experiences and memories of warm weather months.

As part of the exhibition, three outstanding short films screened by HIFF that relating to the summertime theme will be shown continuously in the exhibition’s media room. The films include I SCREAM, FLOATS & SUNDAYS (directed by Leah Kihara, winner of HIFF's 2002 Hawaii Film and Video Maker Award); KAMEA (directed by Jennifer Akana-Sturla, winner of HIFF's 2004 Blockbuster Audience Choice Award for Best Short Film); and SUMMER OF THE SERPENT (directed by Kimi Takasue; screened at HIFF in 2004 and Winner of the grand Jury Prize at the Brooklyn International Film Festival).

Through September 4 | Official Site and Directions

Become a member! As a HIFF Ohana Member, we want to give back to you . . .

As a contributing member to HIFF, we have 9 different levels of ticket package values that get you a guaranteed number of tickets and also include:

See a complete list of Membership Options and Benefits or call 528-3456 ext 11.