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SELECTED FILMS for 2012 (I - Z)
Congratulations to the following films for making the cut!


Kipuka Documentary
Kipuka Sistahs

KIPUKA
Director: Jo Danieli

Hawaii is often considered the epitome of “paradise.” This documentary deals in depth with the true historical past of the archipelago and the related cultural and spiritual concepts as well as practices that are today often featured in very distorted ways, making the Hawaiian islanders appear to be a people that could have only existed in fiction. 

In reality, Hawaii has always been a place of great diversity. A Kipuka is an untouched spot of land within a destructive lava-flow from where life grows back and spreads again. 

The film features 45 expert speakers from Hawaii and New England and is rich in historical images and film clips, as well as original Hawaiian cultural and natural footage and music.

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LA CITÉ MYSTÉRIEUSE
Director: King-Father His Excellency Norodom Sihanouk

This is a film about two Cambodian officials who go in search of a mysterious palace located in the jungles of Cambodia. The officials encounter adventure, love and murder. The film was made in 1988 and is a visit into the Cambodian Culture.

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MILKING THE RHINO
Director: David E. Simpson

A ferocious kill on the Serengeti . . . warnings about endangered species. These clichés of nature documentaries make the mistake of ignoring the villagers who live in Africa and navigate the dangers and costs of living with wildlife. Two of the world s oldest cattle-cultures the Masai and the Himba have suffered from the conservation efforts forced on them by whites. This hard-hitting documentary chronicles recent efforts by villagers to embrace eco-tourism, which focuses on community-based conservation that balances the needs of the people and the wildlife.

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READY MADE (Mao Impersonators)
Director: Bingjian Zhang

Mao Zedong, the major founder and leader of the People's Republic and Communist Party of China, died 32 years ago. This is a documentary about two ordinary individuals who have a physical likeness to Mao and choose to be his impersonators. As a result, their life and destiny have changed ever since.

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SILENCE
Director: Ava Lanche

Our present, too, is going to be history- to be remembered and 
examined by those who will come after us. And silence, as we all know, speaks louder than words.



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SOUL SURFER
Director: Sean McNamara

Soul Surfer is the inspiring true story of teen surfer Bethany Hamilton, who lost her arm in a shark attack and courageously overcame all odds to become a champion again, through her sheer determination and unwavering faith. The film features an all-star cast, including Anna Sophia Robb and Helen Hunt, with Carrie Underwood in her film debut, and Dennis Quaid. In the wake of this life-changing event that took her arm and nearly her life, Bethany’s feisty determination and steadfast beliefs spur her toward an adventurous comeback that gives her the grit to turn her loss into a gift for others.


Taylor Camp Poster
Taylor Camp Photo

TAYLOR CAMP
Director: Robert C. Stone

In 1969, thirteen young mainlanders – refugees from campus riots, Vietnam War protests and police brutality – fled to Kauai. Before long this little tribe of men, women and children were arrested and sentenced to ninety days hard labor for having no money and no home. Island resident Howard Taylor, brother of actress Elizabeth, bailed out the group and invited them to camp on his vacant ocean front land. Howard then left them on their own, without any restrictions, regulations or supervision. Soon waves of hippies, surfers and troubled Vietnam vets found their way to this clothing-optional, pot-friendly tree house village at the end of the road on the island's North Shore.

In 1977, the government condemned the village to make way for a State park.  Within a few years the jungle reclaimed Taylor Camp, leaving little but memories of "the best days of our lives".

TAYLOR CAMP reveals a community that created order without rules, rejecting materialism for the healing power of nature. We come to understand the significance Taylor Camp's eight-year existence through interviews made 30-years later after the film makers tracked down the campers, their neighbors and the government officials who finally got rid of them.

Kipuka Documentary

THAT FIRST GLIDE
Director: Mike Waltze

The sport of Stand Up Paddle seems to have popped up out of nowhere. The truth is, the sport has deep roots in both early Polynesian and Hawaiian History as it is truly a combination of outrigger paddling and surfing.
 
The first regular Stand Up Paddle enthusiasts were playing around in Waikiki as early as 1939, when Duke Kahnomoku used to stand up on an australian surf ski. Later, in the 60's and 70's guys like John Ah Choy and John Zapotocki used to do the sport regularly up into the late 90's until they finally were getting to old to keep surfing.

Around that Same time, Laird Hamilton and Dave Kalama played around with paddles on Maui and although at first no one seemed to take notice, it wasn't long before the sport was attracting all sorts of users from all over the world.

Filmed in Hawaii, Fiji, and Tahiti, That First Glide is a must-see movie for everyone and features most of the premier athletes that got the sport off the ground.

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THE BUTTERFLY CIRCUS
Director: Joshua Weigel

At the height of the Great Depression, the showman (Eduardo Verastegui) of a renowned circus leads his troupe through the devastated American landscape, lifting the spirits of audiences along the way. During their travels they discover Will (Nick Vujicic), a man without limbs at a carnival sideshow, but after an intriguing encounter with the showman he becomes driven to hope against everything he has ever believed.





Happy Movie Poster
Happy Movie Photo

THE HAPPY MOVIE
Director: Roko Belic

U.S. citizens have an "inalienable right" to be happy (says the Declaration of Independence), but they aren't exactly exercising that right. On the list of happy countries, the U.S. with all its gas barbecue grills and smartphone apps is only number 25. In this film we meet a Kolkata rickshaw driver who's happier than most residents of Beverly Hills. What's up with that?

In your heart you know the answer, but for clarity's sake you have this internationally searching and richly inspiring documentary. Created by the Academy Award-nominated director of Ghengis Blues with the enthusiastic backing of the director of Liar, Liar and Bruce Almighty, this film pursues every possible answer to mankind's number-one emotional question ("What is happiness?") by consulting everyone from happiness-studies scholars to the endemic "Bushmen" of the South African wilderness. Other experts include volunteers at Mother Theresa's home for the dying, 106-year-old Okinawan women, a fellow named Roy Blanchard who putts around the swamps of Louisiana, the Dalai Lama, and a single mom who lives in a co-housing community in the world's happiest country, Denmark. As it turns out, 40 percent of our ability to be happy depends entirely on our chosen and intentional behavior. Dopamine—use it or lose it. Here's how.

Kissinger Photo

The TRIALS of HENRY KISSINGER
Director: Eugene Jarecki

Is Henry Kissinger, Nobel Laureate and the most famous diplomat of his generation, also a war criminal? Provoked by the Christopher Hitchens book (The Trial of Henry Kissinger, Verso, 2001), filmmakers Eugene Jarecki and Alex Gibney construct a documentary that is both brilliant legal brief and chilling psycho-drama. Confronting the charges that Kissinger undermined LBJ’s Vietnam peace talks (in order that Nixon be elected), engineered the secret bombing of Cambodia, orchestrated the coup that toppled Chilean President Allende, and approved Indonesia’s use of U.S. arms to massacre 100,000 East Timorese, The Trials of Henry Kissinger explores how a young boy who fled Nazi Germany grew up to become one of the most powerful men in U.S. history.

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TOUCH THE TOP OF THE WORLD
Director: Peter Winther

Peter Facinelli (Can't Hardly Wait) stars in the exciting tale based upon the best-selling autobiography by Erik Weihenmayer, a rock and ice climber who overcame insurmountable odds to become the first blind man to reach the top of Mount Everest. This breathtaking story follows Erik's journey from the time he was a three-year-old boy diagnosed with a rare eye disease through his childhood when his parents challenged him to live a normal life despite his limiting handicap. It's a story of dreams, determination and heroism, and one man's passion to do the impossible while inspiring his community and an entire generation of vision-impaired athletes. The film also stars Bruce Campbell (Burn Notice), Kate Greenhouse, and Sarah Manninen.

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UN PAYSAN & UNE PAYSANNE EN DÉTRESSE
Director: King-Father His Excellency Norodom Sihanouk

This is a film that was shot and in Cambodia and is about war, love, jealousy, and murder. It was directed by His Excellency King Father Norodum Sihanouk in 1994.

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WHEN THE MOUNTAIN CALLS: Nepal • Tibet • Bhutan
Director: Tom Vendetti

“When The Mountain Calls: Nepal, Tibet & Bhutan,” directed by 
Emmy-Award winning Maui filmmaker Tom Vendetti which he 
produced with Robert C. Stone, explores the changes over the 
decades to the people, land, climate and culture.  Dr. Vendetti 
won the Emmy for his feature documentary “Bhutan: Taking the 
Middle Path to Happiness” that aired nation wide on PBS.
  
Rick Chatenever wrote the script and Kris Kristofferson 
presents the film’s on-camera prologue and epilogue. Sound-
track is by Grammy Award-winner Paul Horn and Emmy Award-
winner Christopher Hedge. Narration is by Ann Mortifee. 
 
Featured in the film are appearances by the Dalai Lama, Lama 
Tenzin, Paul Horn, Tenzing Norgay, Sir Edmund Hillary, the 
Prime Minister of Bhutan, Dorjee Sherpa and Green Peace China.

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YEARS OF DARKNESS – Filmed in Cambodia
Director: Tom Vendetti

Sam Khong grew up in Cambodia, and joined its Navy at age 14 to fight the Vietcong. In 1974, he came to the United States for additional military training. But in 1975 he was stranded in the States when the Khmer Rouge took over Cambodia and began its regime of death. Later, while living in the U.S., Khong suffered a head injury that led to the start of his battle with depression. 

Years passed, Khong moved to Hawai‘i and began getting mental health services at Maui’s community mental health center. In March 2003, Vendetti and three other health center staffers traveled with Khong to Cambodia. “Years of Darkness” documents Khong’s reunification with his family and his spiritual recovery.

Go To SELECTED FILMS for 2012 (A - H)


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