In 1984, the Palace Theater was shuttered to the public and used as a storage facility for Consolidated Theatres after they bought the historic Palace Building.
Thanks to the efforts of the Downtown Improvement Association, community leaders and concerned public members who understood the value of the historic venue, the Palace reopened with the Hawaii International Film Festival in the fall of 1999. Attended by the many helpful people who worked to earthquake-stabilize the 1925 building, visiting Chicago film critic Robert Ebert kicked off the first film to show at the Palace in 15 years.
Twenty years later, beginning today and running through Sunday, Nov. 24, the Palace is again screening great films for the 20th anniversary of the Hawaii International Film Festival.
“What a run it has been,” said Palace Theater Executive Director Phillips Payson. “We are proud to host the Hawaii International Film Festival and have the opportunity to showcase so many great films from all over the world! This year, we have 10 feature length films and 11 shorts that come from New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Canada, Korea, the United States and Hawaii. From comedy and drama to enlivening documentaries and innovative genre treats, this year’s festival promises something special for movie-goers of all tastes.”
In addition to a weekend of exciting film programming, the Palace also will host HIFF’s Virtual Reality program, which will be free to enjoy for all HIFF attendees.
With a mixture of family-friendly animations, hilarious comedies and incredible works of interactive art, HIFF VR is an exciting way to experience the possibilities of emerging storytelling technologies. With a headset that completely covers your field of vision, VR puts viewers in exciting and immersive 360-degree environments — from on top of a frozen lake to the depths of space — and opens up wholly new ways of telling stories.
Get your tickets now for the opening night presentation of “Daffodils,” a music-infused love story from New Zealand, playing at 7 p.m. today. The festival continues all weekend leading up to the not-to-be-missed closing night film “Parasite,” the award-buzzing drama from Korea, playing at 7 p.m. Sunday.
Film fans are encouraged to purchase the HIFF Pass for only $35, which grants access to all films playing during the weekend.
For more information about each film, visit hilopalace.com.
See you at the movies!