HIFF Proudly Congratulates Oscar Nominees Featured at 2009 Festival

HONOLULU, HI (February 11, 2010) – The Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF) is pleased to announce that six films featured at the 2009 fall festival have been nominated for Academy Awards garnering a total of 12 Oscar nominations.

“Every year we strive to bring the best films to share with our audiences in Hawaii and we are so pleased that several of the films from HIFF 2009 are being recognized by the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences,” says HIFF executive director Chuck Boller.  “We were thrilled at last year’s HIFF Oscar Night® America party to experience DEPARTURES’ win as Best Foreign Language Film, since the only place one could have seen the film in the entire United States prior to its Oscar win was at HIFF 2008, which presented DEPARTURES’ US Premiere.  We hope a HIFF film wins again this year.”

The 2009 Oscar nominated films include THE YOUNG VICTORIA, which received 3 nominations for art direction, costume design and makeup; PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL 'PUSH' BY SAPPHIRE, which received 6 nominations for best actress in a leading role for Gabourey Sidibe, best actress in a supporting role for Mo'Nique, director, film editing, best picture and adapted screenplay; MIRACLE FISH, which received a nomination for best live action short; and FOOD INC. and BURMA VJ, each of which received a nomination for best documentary feature.

Oscar Night® America benefits the Hawaii International Film Festival. HIFF’s celebration in Honolulu is one of only 50 official Oscar viewing parties in cities across the country and is the only official Oscar Night® America party in Hawaii.

The benefit event will be held in the Monarch Ballroom at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. Arrivals, cocktails and the Red Carpet walk all begin at 4:00 p.m.  The advanced telecast of the award ceremony begins at 5:00 p.m. Tickets are now available for purchase at $400.00 per person for prime table seating. HIFF Ohana Members are being offered a discounted rate of $350.00 per person. Tickets are also available at $300.00 per person for table seating ($250.00 for HIFF Ohana Members).

Tables for ten are available for purchase at various levels: $8,000/table – VIP Table Seating; $5,000/table – Preferred Table Seating; and $4,000 – Prime Table Seating ($3,500 for HIFF Ohana Members).

To purchase tickets, please call HIFF at 697-2463 ext. #1 and for more information please visit us online at www.hiff.org.

ABC Television and the Academy are cooperating for the 17th year with local charities throughout the United States to support official Oscar Night® viewing parties. Last year, Oscar Night® America parties raised more than $3 million for charities across America, all of it remaining in local communities.

The 82nd Academy Awards honoring the best in film will be held on Sunday, March 7, 2010 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood and will be broadcast here in Hawaii on the ABC affiliate KITV.

Hawaii International Film Festival, Established in 1981, HIFF is dedicated to the advancement of understanding and cultural exchange among the peoples of Asia, the Pacific and North America through the medium of film. HIFF is the premier international film event in the Pacific and has won the praise of governments, filmmakers, scholars, educators, programmers and film industry leaders throughout the world. It is also the primary source for the discovery and exhibition of Asian and Pacific feature films, documentaries and videos in the nation. The festival has premiered such movies as ONCE WERE WARRIORS, THE PIANO, SHINE, SHALL WE DANCE, Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN and CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON.

The 2010 Hawaii International Film Spring Festival will be held April 16-22, 2010 at the Regal Dole Cannery Stadium 18 Theaters and the 30th Annual Hawaii International Film Fall Festival will be held in October 2010. For more information please visit our website at www.hiff.org.

ABOUT THE ACADEMY
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world’s preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema. In addition to the annual Academy Awards—in which the members vote to select the nominees and winners-—the Academy presents a diverse year-round slate of public programs, exhibitions and events; provides financial support to a wide range of other movie-related organizations and endeavors; acts as a neutral advocate in the advancement of motion picture technology; and, through its Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive, collects, preserves, restores and provides access to movies and items related to their history. Through these and other activities the Academy serves students, historians, the entertainment industry and people everywhere who love movies.

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