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Here Comes the Neighborhood

by Christa Wittmier | Oct 19, 2011

Oh, Kakaako. It’s already happening I can feel it. The new R&D space on Auahi Street erected by Interisland Terminal is just about ready to have Morning Glass coffee included in its thinkspace slash coffee shop with magnificently curated books and a stripped down working environment that makes me feel smarter just by being inside. They have already been scheduling book talks utilizing their extensive network of artists and prominent individuals like venture capitalist and movie producer Gary Chou all the way from New York. This week they have Surfer magazine’s former editor-at-large Steve Barilotti in to discuss his film Minds in the Water, a documentary he wrote and produced, which is screening at HIFF (yay, HIFF!) on Saturday, and other topics such as what it’s like to work with surf photographer LeRoy Grannis. The mastermind group behind the Interisland Terminal working together to develop this programming is what makes it so special. Collectively, they have 12 degrees, an MBA and almost 50 years of experience in the areas of art, design and film. There’s going to be some fantastic innovation coming.

Now, the folks at Nonstop Honolulu will be bringing their website to life in the industrial back roads of the neighborhood this weekend. Specifically on Auahi street between Coral and Keawe. They have the entire block for a real block party that is already looking good with confirmed performances by the Lost at Sea hotties, Yoza and Anuhea. The event is free for entry but plan to spend some money on the pop-up boutiques, rock climbing wall, virtual stand-up paddling and, of course, the food trucks and beer garden. They will also be announcing their awards for Best of Nonstop, which hopefully you voted on through their website. A lot of the categories were write-in, which I think is the best way to do it.

If you don’t have your Halloween costume yet, don’t even worry, with an abnormally large amount of Saturdays and Sundays in October this year, there’s still plenty of time to procrastinate. We still got a Shake & Pop weekend to go before we even really need to get it squared away. Saturday was good costume practice at the annual Diamond Head Hui’s Crazy Sexy Ghoul, a favorite among the grown-ups. I saw pretty much everyone that has ever been on TV in Hawaii at the thing, along with a few thousand others. It was a stretch trying to do both that party at the glittering star-studded, fancy, fancy gala that EuroCinema Hawaii put on at the Moana Surfrider, but where there is a David Hiyakawa, there is a way. In between all the events and sparkle that’s been going on since HIFF started, I’ve been seeing many people supporting the films at Regal Dole Cinemas, which is usually my favorite part of the festival. The new lounge they built right in the theater lobby is becoming the hub of who’s who in the industry, and the best place to meet some of the more notable participants. This is the last weekend of the festival, so I would encourage you to take in a film or two. We have Doris Duke Theatre and Kahala 8 all year round, but this is the time when we get to engage with the people who made or acted in the films in Q&A sessions–the best part!

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