"Down Dog" to Make Hawaii Premiere at 2005 Maui Film Festival

(May 31, 2005) LOS ANGELES, California -- "Down Dog" will make its Hawaii Premiere at the Maui Film Festival, held annually in Wailea, Hawaii.

"Down Dog" will screen before the feature film "Ocean Odyssey" on Thursday, June 16, 2005 at 5:00 p.m. at the McCoy theatre.

"I am honored that my film has been selected to screen at the prestigious Maui Film Festival along with many of this year's finest independent films" noted "Down Dog" writer / director Richard Roll.

About the Maui Film Festival

MISSION & OBJECTIVE

The Maui Film Festival is built on the belief that great filmmaking is pure alchemy. When filmmakers challenge themselves to tell heartfelt and life-affirming stories they can turn darkness into light, revealing a never-ending landscape of possibility. It is this belief in the power of creativity to enlighten, entertain and empower which is the guiding principle that gives The Maui Film Festival its character, its energy, and its soul.

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL

"Hawaii's answer to Sundance." LA Times June 15-19, 2005. Five days and nights of under-the-stars Film Premieres, Special Screenings, Festival Tributes, Filmmakers Panels, and world-class Special Culinary Arts Celebrations including the Taste of Wailea and Opening Night Twilight Reception. Located primarily at the Wailea Resort at three state-of-the-art outdoor "theaters", the 3,000+ seat 35mm Dolby Digital equipped Celestial Cinema, the 550+ seat Maui Digital SkyDome, located up-on-the-roof at the Wailea, Marriott Resort and overlooking the moonlight on the Pacific Ocean, and the 400+ capacity toes-in-the-sand, oceanside SandDance Theater, which screens silent film classics with live musical accompaniment. Festival screenings are also held at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center's 1,200+ seat Castle Theater (35mm) and beautifully refurbished 250+ seat McCoy Theater (Digital Cinema). Noteworthy past Festival premieres have included: Whale Rider, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, What the #$*! Do We Know, Garden State, The Future of Food, Proteus, The Notebook, Two Brothers, Step into Liquid, Tibet: Cry of the Snow Lion, and Thirteen. Among the press that covered last year's event, and who are expected to return along with additional media, are those included in the final paragraph of the indieWIRE coverage excerpted below: "The Maui Film Festival at Wailea is, quite simply, like no other film festival on Earth. "Beyond the sheer perfection of the location, the Maui Film Festival . . . quite probably boasts the most spectacular outdoor screening venue on Earth. The Celestial Cinema features a 50-foot wide viewing experience, with crisp 35mm projection and Dolby Digital sound, all in a grassy bowl overlooking the Pacific Ocean. "Perfect picture and sound, a heavenly location and even a 'Festival Astronomer' make this a film-going event remembered for a lifetime. In short, this 'jewel-box' festival is able to handle anything without becoming unwieldy or impersonal. "Flawlessly planned. Watch for even greater things to come. The national press is taking notice, with Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, The LA Times, CNN, Fox News, E!, Entertainment Tonight and Vanity Fair all reporting on its goings-on." In closing one more quote from Daily Variety: ¿Maui's celestial ambience sparking fest's emergence. Exceptional imaginative outdoor screening venuesand world-class parties put many filmmakers and visiting celebrities on a Maui high.¿

For tickets and additional information, click here to visit the Maui Film Festival website.