One Voice: This is No Ordinary High School Musical

I am lucky enough to have Director of One Voice Lisette Maire Flanary (Lehua Films) a writing mentor, so before writing this entry I met up with Lisette at IHOP in downtown LA (my suggestion) to ask "Would it offend you if I described your documentary as Spellbound meets Native Hawaiian soul?". Her eyebrow raised and she shot up straight in the booth "No way! That's exactly how we pitched it."

One Voice follows a group of teenage chorus directors as they compete for the honor of their young lifetime. To represent their class and compete to take home the grand prize trophy in the Kamehameha Schools song contest. The contest is a unique amalgam of Hawaiian language songs, intense vocal arrangements, with a healthy pinch of band geek. Which, is totally hot now thanks to Glee.

This is Lisette's third film destined for public television broadcast, and is her most emotionally gripping documentary to date. While watching One Voice at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival the audience in the Director's Guild Theater, completed absorbed in the action, applauded enthusiastically along with the proud onscreen parents after the song performances

One Voice will be airing next year on Public Television, until then the film will be screening at film festivals domestically and internationally. You can see the trailer at www.onevoicemovie.com

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Short Film: Lychee Thieves

ENCORE PRESENTATION TONIGHT THURSDAY MAY 6TH AT THE LA ASIAN PACIFIC FILM FEST: http://asianfilmfestla.org/2010/encore-screening-of-big-island-films-short-program-56/

I saw the Lychee Thieves as part of the "Big Island Films" program at the L.A. Asian Pacific Film Festival. This charming short film was shot last year on my home island of O'ahu. Beautiful cinematography by Anne Misawa (Treeless Mountain) helps the film stand apart from others in the program. But what I enjoyed most was the film's ability to distill complex cultural conflicts unique to the islands into a cohesive and moving film under 30 minutes.

I spoke with Executive Producer Stephen Gyllenhaal at the Q&A after the screening. He told me Lychee Thieves is one of three short films that will eventually become a larger feature film called called Cosmopolitan. I am excited to see it once it all comes together.

For more information on screenings of Lychee Thieves take a look at: http://lycheethieves.com/Home.html

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Win $3000 in the API Count PSA contest

Asian and Pacific Islander Communities are underrepresented by Census numbers, but you can help change that! Help get the word out by making a 30 – 60 second video about how the Census is safe, easy and important. Your video could screen at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific American Film Fest 2010, be seen nationally, and win you the grand prize of $3000! Fill out an entry form at www.apicount.com and get started now!!! Deadline for entries is March 26th, 2010.

Four $500 awards will be given in the categories of English language PSA for Asian Audiences, English language PSA for Pacific Islander Audiences, Pacific Islander language PSA, and Asian Language PSA. The grand prize winner will be selected from these four categories and awarded an additional $2500 and have the honor of having their PSA screen before every film shown at the Los Angeles Asian Film Festival.

The direct link to the PSA contest page is: www.apicount.org/contest

Also you can take a look at our no budget PSA promo video. Just one of the things I get to do with the other girls while I am at the office.

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