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The Buzz

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Surf Two Movies

Avid surfer and participant of the 17th Annual Aloha Wave Classic Competition Sheena Liu. Photo by Fiona Ma.

By Fiona Ma

Windsurfing Heaven: Windsurfers from all over the world came together in Maui on Nov. 7 to compete in one of the most eagerly anticipated sporting events of the year: The 17th Annual Aloha Classic — the final climax event of the Professional Windsurfers Association’s World Tour. One-hundred-thirty competitors from over 20 countries competed in near-perfect conditions on the windy Northshore at Ho’okipa Beach Park, showcasing their wave sailing acrobatics and technical racing abilities. Key factors in the “wave” category include the height of the jump, the quality of the landings and the proximity in take offs to that same critical breaking point. The Aloha Wave Classic competition is dubbed the ‘Formula One’ of watersports with boards reaching the speed of over 40 mph. This year’s field of 26 women entrants were stronger than ever, making up a large contingent from Japan and many local residents, including Sheena Liu who is of Taiwanese descent. “The conditions were pretty good with winds up to 15 knots and 10-to-15-foot waves,” reported Liu, who finished 18 out of 26 in the womens’ combined overall results. Liu, 39, started windsurfing about 10 years ago in Boracai, Philippines and initially competed in the slalom (racing) competition. About 5 years ago, Liu tried wave riding and fell in love with it and has been doing it ever since. In fact, she recently moved to Maui in order to pursue her passion. When asked what the hardest part of windsurfing is, Liu responded: “Waiting for the wind!”

Chow is Coming: Kicking off this year’s 20th Anniversary of the Hawaii International Film Festival (Nov. 3-19) is one of the most lauded films of the year, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon by Sony Music Classics. This ambitious historical epic marks director Ang Lee’s return to Chinese language feature films in a new genre. Lee is best known for The Wedding Banquet, Eat Drink Man Woman and 1995’s Sense and Sensibility based on Jane Austen’s classic novel. One of Asia’s biggest stars, Chow Yun Fat (A Better Tomorrow, The Corrupter, The Replacement Killer, Anna and the King) stars as Li Mu Bai, an honorable Wudan warrior who is unconditionally in love with Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh of Tomorrow Never Dies) yet bound by code and honor. Singer Coco Lee sings the end title song with cello solos by Yo Yo Ma. Look for the U.S. film debut this December.

Girl Power: Girlfight, Karyn Kusama’s feature film debut, has been getting rave reviews since its national release on Sept. 29. Winner of the Best Directing Award and a shared Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance 2000 Film Festival, the powerful Girlfight stars newcomer Michelle Rodriguez as a quick-tempered young woman who finds discipline, focus and love in the most unlikely place — a boxing ring. “The energy of the movie is watching a character’s physical self come into being, seeing something as simple as her skin, or how her body changes, seeing that development of skill in her as an athlete. And at this point it’s sad, because it seems that because it’s a woman we’re seeing go through this transformation, it almost feels radical. To me it’s a very old-fashioned story,” comments Kusama in an interview with Cynthia Fuchs for Pop Matters. Old fashioned perhaps, but a knockout in the eyes of critics and fans … “While Rodriguez punches through the indie clutter to announce herself as a superb new movie talent, so Kusama scores big points in her first main event.” A native of St. Louis, Kusama is a graduate of the film program at New York University’s Tisch School of Arts and won a Mobil Award in 1991 for her thesis film, Sleeping Beauties. Kusama is currently finishing up a screenplay on a “bio-fiction thriller,” which she also plans to direct.