THE EuroCinema team and Moana Surfrider management and staff deserve an award for putting on such a great awards party under the stars on the hotel’s Diamond Head lawn Oct. 19. Thankfully, Guy Hagi got the weather gods to grace the party with a lovely, clear night for the crowd of 400. It was quite the place to people-watch, eat good food and enjoy beverages. Besides film stars and celebs, beautiful people were there in droves. Women wore gorgeous clothes and high heels that sank into the soft turf. "I’m here to see and be seen; even I can do that," said tux-clad Mayor Peter Carlisle. Then he got serious and added, "I’m here religiously promoting Hawaii’s film industry." EuroCinema Hawai‘i is a film festival within the Hawaii International Film Festival presented by Halekulani. This year’s festival was EuroCinema’s third.
Raeceen Woolford, a former Miss Hawaii who played volleyball for the University of Hawaii Wahine, was awards emcee. The Princess Dialta Alliata di Montereale Award for best picture went to the Italian film "Caesar Must Die." Richard Chamberlain received a Lifetime Achievement Award. HIFF Executive Director Chuck Boller took part in the awards. Festival jurors included Jim Burke, producer of "The Descendants," and actor Michael Ontkean. Tiffany designed the award trophies. Tiffany boss John Geppert attended. Also attending were "Twilight Saga" and "White Frog" actor Booboo Stewart. "Hawaii Five-0" was represented by Daniel Dae Kim with his wife, Mia Kim, and others on the staff. "Five-0" publicist Erika Kauffman escorted H.B. MacArthur, wife of the late James MacArthur, who portrayed Danno on the original "Five-0," to the event. Others in the crowd were Jimmy and Vicki Borges; Mary Gutzi; Nathan Osmond, son of Alan Osmond of the Osmond Brothers; Halekulani’s Diane Ako with her husband, honorary Danish Consul Claus Hansen; and John Michael White and fiancee Qi Marie. John shows up everywhere.
Members of the EuroCinema board of directors who played a heavy role in the festival and awards party are producer Chris Lee, Louis Vuitton’s Patrick Gey, Moana Surfrider GM Craig Anderson, Sheraton Waikiki GM Kelly Sanders and HILuxury magazine’s Molly Watanabe. Other board members are Princess Dialta, Silvia Bizio, Cliff Colvin, Carmen Di Amore, Jefferson Finney, Terry Hubbard, Liz Kawananakoa, Marchese Duccio Kaumuali‘i Marignoli, Guido Carlo Pigliasco, Alice Robinson and Wanda Watumull. Yana Alliata, Dialta’s daughter, produced and directed the festival trailer. …
FLYING ON: The original Hawaiian Airlines DC-3 hostesses and their family and friends plan to fly to the moon with pop-jazz artist Jimmy Borges at the Garden Lanai of the Ala Moana Hotel on Nov. 10. Doors open at 5 p.m. to sign in, mingle and get situated. Dinner will be served at 7. Backing Jimmy will be pianist Betty Loo Taylor, bassist Steve Jones and drummer Darryl Pellegrini. Greeting guests in song will be the Naluhoe trio, made up of Vicky Hollinger, Kawika McGuire and Joe Recca. Hale Rowland, the evening’semcee, said Naluhoe will play kanikapila Hawaiian music. She expects many in the audience to get up and hula as well as sing. The gals will honor retired HAL pilot Capt. Richard Barcheski, who gave them guidance in earlier years. The former hostesses call themselves Koa‘e Kea (High Flying Bird).If you’d like to join in on the fun, call one of the group’s co-founders, Abigail Chong, at 262-5252 for $50 tickets. …
HAWAII’S Bruno Mars lifted "Saturday Night Live" to its highest ratings of the season when he was host and musical performer last Saturday. … Today is my 81st birthday, who’da thought? …
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Ben Wood, who sold newspapers on Honolulu streets in World War II, writes of people, places and things. Email him at bwood@staradvertiser.com.
