2020 Speed-of-Light Virtual Cinema
Today thru Jan 03, 2021
Enjoy 21 Feature Film Programs and 10 Short Film Programs,
74 Films in all Available to Curate Your Experience.
Feature Films
Hawaii Feature Film
WAGON
Get "under the hood" with a Maui ohana of seven on their cross-country road trip in their 1982 Mercedes G-Wagon that runs on used cooking oil.
Hawaii Short Film Program #1 (total running time 89min)
Thirty Eight Minutes
A snapshot into a brief moment in time when paradise was lost - a diverse set of characters re-enact and reflect on the spur of the moment decisions they made during Hawaii’s false missile alert.
KAMA'AINA (CHILD OF THE LAND)
A queer sixteen-year-old girl, Mahina, must navigate life on the streets, until she eventually finds refuge at the Pu’uhonua o Wai’anae––Hawaiʻi’s largest organized homeless encampment.
THE MAINLAND
The Mainland follows aspiring actor, Ikaika, as he navigates the wave of Hollywood diversity when his small town cousin, Kekoa, unexpectedly shows up on his Holly-hood doorstep bringing a punch of much needed aloha.
100 YEARS AT THE BEACH
This short film shares the history and first person stories of Hawaii’s beach guardians for the first time. The men and women who have dedicated their lives to ensuring the safety of all who use Hawaii’s world renowned beaches and ocean waters.
Hawaii Short Film Program #2 (total running time 87min)
CHEF MAVRO'S ALOHA
Enter a journey led by the unique and remarkable Chef Mavro. And learn how George « Chef Mavro » Mavrothalassitis, a chef from Provence, became in 20 years a landmark in the food environment of Hawaii. From his first trip to Hawaii to the founding of the « Hawaii Regional Cuisine ».
HOME TOWN HERO
O'ahu west side local Sāmoan, Johann Tuiolosega, is given the opportunity to leave his struggles with the adversities of the Lu (Helelua St.) and his brother who's a drug addict. Paradise isn't always a location, and sometimes the best solution comes from the most tragic event.
IN SEARCH OF HAWAIIAN BIGFOOT
Get an epic look at the beautiful Maui scenery as marQ unfolds the unbelievable truth about the Hawaiian BigFoot. Watch out for the fake ending and probably the only fliQ where footwear was not allowed!
Hawaii Short Film Program #3 (total running time 81min)
HITIMAHANA
Hitimahana is the story of a young woman who embraces life to the fullest with the man she loves and her friends by her side. But an event turned her life upside down. What life is she going to choose?
HAWAIIAN SOUL
Against the backdrop of the 1970s native rights movement, George Helm, a young Hawaiian activist and
musician must gain the support of kūpuna (community elders) from Maui to aid in the fight of protecting the precious neighboring island of
Kahoʻolawe from military bombing.
musician must gain the support of kūpuna (community elders) from Maui to aid in the fight of protecting the precious neighboring island of
Kahoʻolawe from military bombing.
KOA TALKING TO ME
This National Park Service film follows a Hawaiian man's love for one of the rarest and most threatened trees in the world. Junior's connection with koa trees on his native island compels him to conserve and honor the spirt of fallen trees that would normally be wasted. His way of using the trees connects him to one of the oldest Hawaiian traditions.
BEYOND THE MAUNA
Mauna Kea, Hawai’i’s most sacred mountain, is venerated as the birthplace to the first Hawaiian gods. The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) is proposed to be built on the summit. Noe Noe Wong-Wilson, an elder Hawaiian leader, or kupuna, heads the peaceful movement blocking access to the proposed construction site.
PUA KA UAHI
Pua ka uahi is a wonder-filled Indigenous animation following Pele, a hot tempered fire goddess, who has been challenged by the shapeshifting trickster Kamapuaʻa in a race from Puna to Hilo. Pele traverses through the land and helps a few friends along the way. Will she win, or will she enjoy the journey even if it means losing the race?
LESSONS FROM JEJU
Free diving legend Kimi Werner explores the rich history and culture of the Haenyeo, an iconic and resilient group of free diving women on the Island of Jeju. For centuries the Haenyeo have shattered norms in Korea as working mothers, and Kimi, now eight months pregnant, seeks a deeper understanding of what it means to be both a professional free diver and mother.
Short Film Program #1 (total running time 86min)
DROWNING IN PARADISE
Evoking the glamour of Herb Ritts, mixed with a little Tarantino-esque drama, Drowning in Paradise personifies the invincible nature of love, as we see the pair not only as their supernatural personas, but also as their real selves, drowning in each other.
KEEPERS OF THE ROCK
Keepers of the Rock is Zoe Abrigo's directorial debut. Based on her latest choreographic work, this short film explores our ancestral memory, how it is innate to our identity, and why it is worth protecting.
STAY WILD
Melissa Wilson moved to St. John. With over half of the island conserved as a national park, the beauty of the landscape inspired a solution for the climate change within the American West. After graduating from Harvard University in Sustainability her thesis continues to foster hope for wild places and wild people.
THE DISPENSABLE
As the world grapples with the novel coronavirus that caused a global pandemic, the clash of economic interests and the public health is brought into stark focus. A short film confronting the disparities of classism, capitalism, equality and human value in the era of COVID-19.
LIGO
Les Guthman’s documentary “LIGO” is the thrilling story of the discovery that topped NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC's list of “The top 20 Scientific Discoveries of the Decade” — the discovery of gravitational waves from deep space, which revolutionized our understanding of the universe.
ON THE MOUNTAIN
This is the story of two star-crossed lovers who meet and reminisce about their romance 10 years prior, “on the mountain”, when they fell in love over a Summer spent protesting hydraulic fracking on Native American land. She's now a CIA Analyst, he is an environmental activist and speaking at a Senate Committee Hearing on Climate Change...
Short Film Program #2 (total running time 70min)
THE KALEIDOSCOPE GUY AT THE MARKET
Artist Michael Shaw has been selling his unique stained-glass creations at Pikeʼs Place Market in Seattle for 25 years. This 20-minute documentary uses his personal narrative to delve into a deeper dialogue about these fascinating objects.
THE STRANGE STORY OF THE SHINING PEARL
This short film is the story of two young sisters trying to reach a magical and shining pearl, through the orders of their deceased grandmother, which will open a portal to parallel universes.
POPCORN BOY
Tom's unique ability is quickly discovered by a bankrupt businessman. Sure of success, he buys the boy from his parents to start mass production. The boy becomes world famous, but all resources must end one day.
TRACES
A horse logger and his horse take us deep into a forest in the Ardennes as the seasons go by, living his passion under the gaze of a strange young girl...
INNER CRITIC
A heart broken woman battles her inner critic as she works on a potion to bring her dead lover back to life.
TWINKLE TWINKLE LITTLE STAR
“Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” is the story of a boy’s pursuit to achieve his dreams of becoming a pianist but having to choose to give it up when reality sets in.
Short Film Program #3 (total running time 82min)
LOVING LENNA
Inspired by the simultaneous pain and beauty in life, Loving Lenna addresses loneliness, the need to connect, love lost and love found. Told through the unique combination of flashbacks, voicemails, and original poetry, Loving Lenna is the story of a woman’s journey through heartbreak to self-love.
JUST THE TWO OF US
After weeks of dating, Walton and Jess are back at his place and ready to have sex for the first time. But first, Jess has to share a secret about her anatomy that may just scare Walton away.
FEELING FLUSH
Vicki idolizes her new girlfriend Samantha, but draws the line when it comes to her time on the porcelain throne. Their small bathroom gets awkward when Samatha challenges Vicki’s definition of intimacy.
KEEPER OF THE FIRE
Through the life and work of author and poet-activist Alejandro Murguia, Keeper of the Fire, a half-hour documentary (nearing completion), explores the roles activist writers and poets play in the fight for a more just and equitable world.
AFRO
After multiple encounters with her bully and a little academic inspiration, an African-American teen girl finally stands up for herself against classmates that question her cultural identity.
SECOND TEAM FILM
A scorned stand-in actor for a hit TV show distorts the script to publicly undress her costar.
Short Film Program #4 (total running time 99min)
SINGLEHANDED
Singlehanded takes us through the waters of Antarctica with Dustin Reynolds who, with no sailing experience, set out to become the first double amputee to solo sail around the world.
GENERATION LOCKDOWN
A narrative short film, seen through the eyes of an eleven year old boy as he tries to save his friend’s life during an active shooter attack in his school. This film is based on a short story by Caleb, a 6th grader from a middle school in Teaneck, NJ.
THIS INK RUNS DEEP
This Ink Runs Deep features, Indigenous tattoo artists, from across Canada who are reviving their ancestral traditions that were taken away during colonization. We learn about the practices that were thought to be lost forever, and how this revival reflects a reawakening of pride, culture, and identity.
WOW
Chance, Orphaned at a tender age, goes through a traumatic childhood where he faces abuse and unpleasant experiences while he travels from one foster home to another. Finally, one day, fate smiles at him and he meets Ms. Woods...
I STILL BREATHE (18 and over only)
"I Still Breathe” came about as a message of hope to the seemingly never ending violence on the streets of America that has reverberated around the world in reaction to George Floyd’s death and the rise of the BLM movement.
38 Minutes
Inspired by actual events, 38 Minutes focuses on ex-Navy Seal and his journey to save his wife and their family before an incoming ballistic missile strikes Hawaii. Together they brave the mayhem of a frenzied Honolulu, and must get off the island before the missile strikes.
Short Film Program #5 (total running time 99min)
YAH WAVE
The sweeping parallels found in the use of dance to elevate consciousness offers a concept of unity amongst diversity. YAH WAVE takes the form of a non-verbal, musical meditation to serve as a metaphysical reflection of its diverse audience.
NEW YORK RAPSODY
On the notes of George Gershwin's immortal "Rhapsody in Blue," New York City wakes up and and begins the daily cycle of life, dreams, and their inevitable intersections. We follow three creatives as they hustle and fight against and within the rhythm of the city to chase their artistic visions...
TAKE ME TO PROM
Featuring the high school prom stories of queer people aged 17 to 88, ‘Take Me To Prom’ captures 70 years of LGBTQ social progress through this adolescent milestone
WIVES OF THE SKIES
Wives of The Skies is a romantic dramedy, set in 1965, starring two stewardesses, Fran and Marcy from Fine Air, a well-appointed airline. One evening after work, at their stewardess’ hotel, they befriend Derrick, a British photojournalist who wants to interview them as “subjects” for his “documentary film”.
STORY OF YOU
When Jayne, a pregnant kindergarten teacher in the middle of an affair discovers the man who raised her isn't actually her father, the story of her life begins to quickly unravel.
THE ARMSTRONGS
A short film documenting a South African surfing family that lives a life not many would deem conventional. Ian (46), a provider, shaper, former Big Wave World Champion and above all else, a father, along with his wife Lee (45) and their 8 children and 1 grandson redefine ‘what is normal’ and challenge the perspective of modern family values.
Short Film Program #6 (total running time 97min)
VELVET
1960s America. Outlaw lovers, Eve and Austin, await their getaway driver in the Mojave Desert. Austin's racial prejudice threatens to tear them apart when he finds out Eve has a Black mother. Meanwhile, a famous Italian director watches their every move.
MO
MO is a film about a determined single mother who gives up on her dream of becoming a musician and desperately takes a job as an English as a Second Language teacher to pay the rent. This job ends up opening her eyes to a familiar language and that language is called music.
MUTINY!
A swashbuckling, action-adventure comedy that deals with gender inequality and the lack of self awareness of overt masculinity… but all seen through the eyes of 17th Century Pirates.
ONE WORLD SAWALMEM
The film invites us to consider how the healing of the planet could be facilitated by shifting our relationship with the Earth – from the current mainstream economic one based in exploitation and domination, to the type of relationship that human beings have held dear for tens of thousands of years - a sacred one that is based in respect and reciprocity.
COBY AND STEPHEN ARE IN LOVE
Coby Yee, a 92 year old retired nightclub dancer and icon from San Francisco Chinatown, and Stephen King, an experimental filmmaker 20 years her junior have found an unlikely love in each other through matching outfits, dance, and art.
THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS
To do today: Eat breakfast, go to work/school, get shot. Yawn.
Short Film Program #7 (total running time 45min)
UNSURFED AFGHANISTAN
Filmed in 3 continents, Unsurfed Afghanistan is a documentary film that follows Afridun’s journey back to his home country with the help of some river surfers to find surfable waves and bring a drop of joy to the people there. The group battles with continual challenges on their 10 day journey from raging whitewater to culture clash.
SPIRIT
A documentary film that follows chainsaw carver Marina Cole in a candid look at the process and creativity of turning driftwood and other recycled materials into beautiful works of art.
THE GOLDEN HOUR
On 17 January 2018 a surfer and his team manage to surf the biggest swell ever at Nazaré, Land of the biggest waves in the world. After waiting four hours on the water, studing the conditions, the swell picks at his full power and the team work to get Hugo Vau to surf the wave that for many is the biggest wave ever surfed.
THE CORAL GUARDIAN
When a drowned deep-sea diver is given another chance at life, he discovers a new home. A compelling story about the changing underwater world and the precarious connection between man and nature.