Matching Jack & Boy

This year about 40 HPU Students have the lucky opportunity to be a great part of this years Hawaii International Film Festival! Thanks to the cooperation of HIFF and HPU we are able to watch 26 international movies and will be happy to comment on our experiences during and after the Film Festival.

So far I have watched two movies:

Boy – a comedy production from New Zealand “about a boy looking for a father figure in a man who may not be fit to be a proper dad.  Along the way there are plenty of laughs, but ultimately Waititi’s willingness to avoid convention in favor of honesty is what makes BOY a winner.” It was a funny movie which I enjoyed watching even though it was partially quite hard to understand due to the different english accent.

Matching Jack – an Australian production portraying the story of a little boy Jack who is suffering from leukemia and the only possibility of a cure is if David (Jacks father)  has had a child from one of his many affairs who could be a bone marrow donor. “Matching Jack beautifully captures the power of love and the resilience of the human spirit…with a gentle and uplifting ending, that hints at a future full of hope.” This movie is based on a true story and I recommend bringing tissues if you are one of the lucky persons that will be able to watch it here at HIFF. It is a very moving and emotionally touching story that brings you to tears and teaches you about the desease of leukemia and different family relationships at the same time.

After watching Matching Jack today the director/producer Nadia Tass who is one of Australia’a most respected and unique filmmakers, and known for great emotional movies in Australia and Hollywood, told the audience – including myself – further details about how it came to the story and how she gained her knowledge on this sentimental topic and horrible disease of leukemia. She has been researching for 10 years and then finally got to make the movie with only a minimal budget. But thanks to great understanding and supporting Hollywood-known actors and the high interest of everyone to shoot this movie, we are now able to watch this masterpiece.

Nadia Tass herself is a very kind and heart-warming person and I am glad that I got the chance to meet her. She was also greatly interested in the cooperation of HIFF and HPU and would love to show her movie on campus at HPU as well! We will therefore try to make it happen so that every student has the possibilty to watch this thrilling and heart-touching story!