Honolulu Weekly

Nextdoor / Showdown in Chinatown, a platform for local independent filmmakers to showcase short films seven minutes or less, is neither for prudes or the faint of heart. Boobs, shown in May, featured a topless woman jumping on a bed, getting doused with champagne. In Disassociative, showcased last February, shrill screams are used to Alfred Hitchcock-esque effect. Each showdown features a theme. This month, filmmakers are presented with a 48-hour challenge.

Don’t miss out: the event is one of the few in Chinatown that actually lives up to the district’s often advertised “arts renaissance”–beyond the distinction of having the largest congregation of skinny jeans in one area. And yes, you can still get drunk–just wait ’til after the Showdown when an Industry mixer brings together cinemaphiles of all trades to revel in the glow of the night’s horrific and sexy–or horrifically sexy–cinema. Let the showdown begin.