Updated Sept. 17, 7:30 p.m.: As reported late last month, the Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF) is collaborating with the producers and creators of the hit television show "LOST" for a series of special events on Saturday, Oct. 17. There will be a series of "master classes" during the day, but the centerpiece will be “An Evening with Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse,” taking place at the Royal Hawaiian Theater.
Tickets for the evening event are priced at $50 ($35 for HIFF members), with "VIP" options available. The "master classes" will cost $10 each (or $8 for HIFF members). Tickets go on sale for HIFF members on Thursday, Oct. 1, and on Monday, Oct. 5 for the general public.
Hot off the presses, here's the official press release from HIFF and ABC:
2009 HAWAII INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL CELEBRATES ABC’S HIT TV SERIES LOST Special Evening With LOST Creators, Cast & Crew Creative Team to be Honored With Vision in Film Award
(Honolulu, HI – September 17, 2009) - The 29th annual Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF) is honored to present a special “Evening with Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse,” the creative team behind LOST, in an exclusive appearance in Hawaii prior to the final season of the multiple award-winning series in January 2010. This very special presentation is being held during the 2009 festival on Saturday, October 17th at the Royal Hawaiian Theater (located at the Royal Hawaiian Center and formerly known as Waikiki Nei) from 8:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Doors open at 7:00 p.m. Brian Lowry, Chief TV Critic for VARIETY and co-host of the popular weekly TV program “Square Off,” will act as emcee for the event.
This extraordinary evening is all part of HIFF’s one-day celebration of LOST, which will include select LOST “Master Class” seminars to be held at Regal Dole Cannery Stadium 18 Cinemas on Saturday, October 17th. Tickets are available for purchase: on line at www.hiff.org, in person from the HIFF Box Office, or by phone by calling (808) 548-5905. Tickets to an “Evening with Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse” are available for $50 general public or $35 HIFF Ohana members, plus special VIP preferred seating will be available. “Master Class” tickets are $10 general public, $9 for students, seniors, children and military or $8 for HIFF Ohana members. Tickets go on sale to HIFF Ohana members Thursday, October 1 and Monday, October 5th to the general public.
“The brilliance of LOST has forever raised the bar for future television projects. For the past five years LOST has kept TV viewers on the edge of their seats waiting for the next plot twist or turn and Hawaii has had the privilege of being the backdrop for this revolutionary show,” said Chuck Boller, Executive Director of HIFF. “We want to celebrate this partnership and what better way than to bring the show’s creators, producers, cast and crew together with their biggest fans. HIFF’s celebration of LOST will give the public a once-in-a-lifetime chance to interface with the incredible people behind this award-winning series.”
This all-day event truly befits Hawaii, since the show is filmed entirely on the island of Oahu. In the evening, fans will have the opportunity to pick the brains of the show’s creative masterminds, discuss the last 5 1/2 years of the show with special guest appearances from cast and crew members and perhaps find out a bit about the upcoming final season. Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse will receive the Hawaii International Film Festival’s “Vision in Film Award,” presented by Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann. The City and County of Honolulu sponsors the “Vision in Film Award” at HIFF. Previous recipients of the Vision in Film Award include famed Chinese directors Ang Lee and Zhang Yimou.
HIFF will also honor Hawaii-based executive producer and director Jack Bender and co-executive producer Jean Higgins with the Hawaii International Film Festival’s inaugural Mahalo Nui Loa Award, created especially for Bender and Higgins.
Earlier in the day, fans will have the opportunity to delve into the world of LOST through three distinct “Master Class” seminars entitled: Producing and Directing a Hit Show, Bringing the Design of Each Episode Together and Costume & Props.
LOST is one of the most seminal and groundbreaking dramatic series in television history. Premiering on September 24, 2004, the show has entered the global zeitgeist for its cross-textual and complex story structure of plane crash survivors on a mysterious and mystical island in the middle of the South Pacific. The epitome of post modernism, the fabric of LOST and its antecedents derive from action, science fiction, adventure, romance, comedy, fantasy and many other genres. Building fervor beyond the television screen, ranging from audience experiences online and beyond, the show has leapt into other platforms to create a unique experience for fans like no other television series before.
The masterminds behind LOST, Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, have steered the show from the very beginning, and like the "Wizard behind the curtain,” have created an elaborate world that has superseded any television experience. Ever since setting an end date in the middle of the third season, easing the anxieties of its rabid fan base and putting an end to the debate of them "making it up as they went along," LOST is, like other revered properties such as THE LORD OF THE RINGS and HARRY POTTER, a succinct and elegant world that is self contained and focused. Lindelof and Cuse, who are lovingly dubbed by the fans as "Team Darlton," expertly unravel the show like a novel, with each season representing a different feel and chapter to the overall story of the survivors of Oceanic 815. These masterminds, who have a unique bond with their fan base, are revered as much as the stars of the show.
LOST MASTER CLASS SEMINARS:
Noon-1:30pm PRODUCING AND DIRECTING A HIT SHOW
Co-Executive Producer Jean Higgins
Executive Producer/Director Jack Bender
2:00-3:30pm BRINGING THE DESIGN OF EACH EPISODE TOGETHER
Production Designer
DP
Construction Coordinator
Location Manger/Associate Producer Jim Triplett
4:00-5:30pm COSTUME & PROPS
Costume Designer
Propmaster
Over 170 films from 36 different countries will be featured at this year’s festival. HIFF’s 2009 program is being held at the Regal Dole Cannery Stadium 18 Cinemas from October 15–25. Tickets go on sale Friday, October 1st for HIFF Ohana members and Monday, October 5th to the public. General admission tickets are available for $10 or $9 for students, seniors, children and military. Tickets may be purchased in person at HIFF’s box office at 650 Iwilei Road #101 across from Regal Dole Cannery Stadium 18 Cinemas or by phone at (808) 548-5905.
For more information please visit our website at www.hiff.org. Media may download LOST related images and photos at www.abcmedianet.com.
Sponsors for the LOST event include Halekulani, Royal Hawaiian Theater, and TY KU.
Festival information
Established in 1981, the Hawaii International Film Festival 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. For the discovery and exhibition of Asian and Pacific features, documentaries and short films in the nation, it is a primary source. 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. Plus, DEPARTURES, a Japanese film, had its U.S. premiere at HIFF in 2008, won the HIFF Audience Award and then went on to win the 2009 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
HIFF’s major sponsors include: Regal Entertainment Group, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Hawaii, Halekulani, Hawaii Tourism Authority and The VILCEK Foundation.
The 2009 Hawaii International Film Festival will be held October 15-25 at the Regal Dole Cannery Stadium 18 Cinemas. For more information please visit our website at www.hiff.org.
Special thanks to Chris Hall and Anderson Le for keeping us in the loop!