We’re really excited about the upcoming Maui Film Festival! If you haven’t gotten tickets for the Celestial Cinema or any of the parties, there’s 50% savings going on for a little while longer. Order them now! If you’ve never been, take it from these recent honorees.
Bryan Cranston
“What this festival clearly shows is an appreciation for film as an art form as opposed to just a pastime. They fully embrace the filmmaker, not just in the feature film arena, but in the short films and the really important documentaries and the smaller films that may not find an audience on a commercial level. But that doesn’t mean they’re any less important and valuable from an artistic point of view.”
Zac Efron
“I’ve been to Toronto, I’ve been to Sundance. All these really cold places, and this is just way better.…This is the best thing in the world!”
“This is a huge honor for me. It’s so great to be here with you guys. This is already the coolest film festival I’ve ever been to. I would come back every year if I could. I hope I can.”
“It’s been the best time. I’ve been here for three days, and I’ve gotten into a lot of trouble already, just doing the most amazing stuff. I’ve been surfing, and we went and did something really cool yesterday. We went on this hike into the jungle, and it was unreal. It was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. We did this huge cliff jump.I’m here with my little brother Dylan. This is great for us. It’s like a dream come true.”
Joe Manganiello
“I love Maui, and I’m excited to be back. Last time I was here was five years ago. We brought a documentary that I directed and produced with my brother to the festival, but it wasn’t the first time we’d played the film. So this time, we came back five years later with our first scripted feature, and this will actually be the first time it’s played for a large audience.”
“Anyone should jump at the opportunity to come out to the Maui Film Festival. It’s gorgeous, It’s incredible! Seeing your film up on a giant screen on a golf course at night with the stars above you it a really unique experience.”
Connie Britton
“You’re all here in this incredibly beautiful place. This is the most amazing venue to see a film! So you’re gonna get every bit of this movie, and I just hope you love it because we really loved making it.”
“Anything that happens in Maui I think has a sort of mystique about it, and it feels almost holy a little bit. So this feels different to me than other film festivals because it really feels like it’s of this place and of the land, and I think the films here represent that.”
Andrew Garfield
“The way they select their films is always about positivity and I guess the spirit of aloha.”
“I feel like the film festival is the embodiment of the spirit of Aloha. It’s so inspiring to see this mass of people collected to watch moving pictures, it’s incredible in this setting!”
Olivia Wilde
“The Maui Film Festival is singular in its obvious beauty and the environment actually can’t be beat. But it’s also a festival that is about movies and people who love movies. And it’s one that has really embraced so many different types of performers, and directors. I’ve come here as a producer, an actress and now as a director, and it’s awesome! It feels like such a supportive environment. Like all the good, small festivals, it’s really about enthusiasm for the art form and not about shmoozing. It makes you kind of fall in love with the art form again, and obviously fall in love with Maui because I never ever want to leave.”
“It feels like coming home to a place that has always supported me. It’s been so nice to come back and see the same people and remember 8 years ago watching our movie screened under the stars in that beautiful setting. I’m so honored to be here, and it’s just the greatest time!”
“This festival is about celebrating what makes film fun and enjoying films in the most beautiful possible setting.”
“Previously my favorite film festival was the Telluride. That was until I came to Maui to the Maui Film Festival, which is an even more beautiful location and is even more low-key!”
Paul Rudd
“People that have always talked about the Maui Film Festival have always spoken about it with such enthusiasm and glowing reviews. I’ve seen pictures from the Maui Film Festival. I remember seeing everyone down at a beach watching a movie, and it looked like that seems like a really cool film festival. And so I’m very excited that I finally get to come to it.”
Maya Erskine
“I had heard about the Maui Film Festival because a friend had been awarded the rising star award before. And I remember seeing that and was just blown away that there was even a film festival in Maui. I thought that that was too good to be true. And the fact that I got to come, I feel like I won the lottery and I snuck myself in some how and I’m gonna get kicked out soon! It’s just too good.”
Pierce Brosnan
“For me, it’s deeply personal because of Hawaii and to be accepted into a community, to be a part of a community like Kauai is very meaningful to Keely and myself and the children. And then to get the Pathfinder Award from the Maui Film Festival is just the cherry on the cake really. I was here 9 years ago, and they celebrated my work then, and tonight we’re celebrating Keely’s work, the documentary Poisoning Paradise and also this award, the Pathfinder Award. SO I’m deeply honored, and very happy to be with everyone to celebrate movies, and celebrate movies that are meaningful to the planet right now, when it’s in desperate need of environmental consciousness and awareness more than ever.”
James Marsden
“It’s pretty unbelievable to me that I get to do what I love for a living. To me, it’s even more unbelievable that I get to come to the most beautiful place in the world to be celebrated for it…. Please continue to support this festival. They are phenomenal people and have been so good to me over the years. And it’s always great to come here and see you on this gorgeous island!”
For film buffs, there are also a variety of filmmaker events, such as filmmakers brunch and several panels. The Maui Film Festival offers a variety of festival packages to choose from, which are available at mauifilmfestival.com. Get your tickets now and don’t miss out on Maui’s event of the year!
