Ko Olina Children's Film & Music Festival Features Selection of Hawai‘i-Inspired Films and Keiki Musicians

News provided by

Sheila Donnelly and Associates

Jan 09, 2014, 01:35 ET

Ko Olina, Oahu, Hawai‘i (PRWEB) January 08, 2014 -- The Children’s Film & Music Festival at Ko Olina, Saturday, January 18, will feature a collection of Hawai‘i’s newest, up-and-coming musical talents and a selection of Hawai‘i-inspired films. Paralleling the festival’s running theme of creativity and imagination, the live performance set list includes youthful artists who have wonderful, inspirational stories to share.

Performance highlights include:

  • Honolulu Theatre For Youth (HTY): Inspiring our local communities to dream and dare, HTY produces thoughtful, animated and entertaining professional theatre and drama programs, always with a positive message. HTY will be presenting their "Sort-It-Out" musical focusing on the importance of understanding recycling.
  • Performing Arts Center of Kapolei (PACK): uses the power of theater to unite and educate local communities. From musical favorites like School of Rock to educational productions like How To Succeed In High School, PACK will perform a selection of Disney tunes.
  • Samadhi Hawaii: Centered in mental concentration and self-collectedness, Samadhi's keiki performers of Samadhi aerial dance troupe will present a Cirque-style aerial program.
  • Sistah Robi Kahakalau: With musical experience that ranges from soft Hawaiian melodies to soulful blues renditions, Sistah Robi has been engaging Hawaii audiences for years. Thrilled to be a part of such a collection of creative artists, Sistah Robi will lead sing-a-longs for both children and parents to enjoy.
  • Awol A. Owen: Dynamic violinist Awol A. Owen’s musical journey was inspired interestingly enough by a television commercial he saw when he was 12. For the last ten years Owen — who resides on Kauai and founded Treehouse Melodies — has been expanding his ability while sharing his passion, story and natural gift of music.
  • Also featured at the festival, rising ukulele stars, the duo "Keiki Wahine" Honoka Katayama and Azita Ganjali, a dynamic duo with an amazing repertoire.

Selected film features include:

Documentaries:

  • Disney’s Oceans focuses on the vanishing living wonders from below our ocean’s surfaces.
  • Disney’s Morning Light takes viewers on an intense journey following fifteen young men and women training to become high-speed open ocean sailors.

Hawaiian Culture:

  • Pacific Resources for Education & Learning (PREL) presents locally produced animated Hawaiian short films How Maui Snared the Sun, The Menehune and The Birds and Pele Searches for a Home.
  • The Haumana depicts the resurrection of Jonny Kealoha, a once great Waikiki lounge performer as he and a group of young boys prepare for competition in the Royal Hula Festival.

Teen Flicks:

  • Race The Sun is a comedy/drama filmed on Oahu featuring a science teacher (Halle Berry) who pushes and inspires a group of misfits to follow through on their goal to create a solar powered car.
  • Soul Surfer highlights the true story of surfer Bethany Hamilton who, at 13, lost her arm in a shark attack. Through godly inspiration and faith, Hamilton adapts to her circumstances returning to the top of the professional surfing circuit.

Animated Kids:

  • Disney favorites include Finding Nemo, The Little Mermaid and the festival’s sunset film finale viewing of The Lion King on the beach.

Festivities will be held beachfront at the resort’s Kohola Lagoon and throughout the Aulani and JW Marriott Ihilani properties from 1:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Tickets are $20 for adults ($15 pre-sale through January 17); $10 for kids ages 4-12. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit http://www.koolinachildrensfestival.com. or call (808) 671-2752. (Entertainment, activities and schedule subject to change.)

Special room rates start at $229 per night at JW Marriott Ihilani, $269 per night at Aulani and $350 per night (seven-night minimum) at Ko Olina Beach Villas. Validated flat-rate parking is also available for Festival guests. Seating will be provided on a first-come, first-serve basis.

The Ko Olina Children’s Film & Music Festival is a benefit for Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women & Children (KMCWC), Hawaii’s leader in the care of women, infants and children. KMCWC is an affiliate of Hawai‘i Pacific Health, the state of Hawaii’s largest health care provider (http://www.kapiolani.org).

About Ko Olina

Ko Olina is a 642-acre master-planned resort community on the western shoreline of the Hawaiian island of Oahu. Resort partners include the iconic J.W. Marriott Ihilani Resort & Spa; Marriott’s Ko Olina Beach Club, Marriott’s most successful vacation club product in the world; Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa, Disney’s first family destination resort in HawaiiI; the Ko Olina Beach Villas luxury condominium residences; Ko Olina Golf Club and the state-of-the-art Ko Olina Marina. The resort, known as Oahu's most engaging visitor destination, also features four pristine oceanfront lagoons connected by 1.5 miles of shoreline pathways, access to a diverse selection of ocean and outdoor activities and the island’s best weather. For more information, visit http://www.koolina.com.

Jeong Ku Hwang, Sheila Donnelly and Associates, http://www.sheiladonnelly.com, +1 808-949-4131, [email protected]