Awkwafina to receive shining start award at the 2019 Maui Film Festival at Wailea

Awkwafina to receive shining start award at the 2019 Maui Film Festival at Wailea

 

Award presentation followed by a screening of “The Farewell” on Saturday, June 15, at the Celestial Cinema, presented by the Festival’s new signature sponsor Alaska Airlines

 

Wailea, HI – Awkwafina will receive the 2019 Maui Film Festival Shining Star Award on Saturday, June 15, it was announced today by Barry Rivers, founder and director of the Festival, which will celebrate its 20th annual event from June 12-16, 2019, at the Wailea Resort in Maui.  

 

The Maui Film Festival Shining Star Award honors a film artist who dares to dream big dreams and delivers brilliantly charismatic and revelatory performances every time that opportunity knocks. The Festival has previously presented the Shining Star Award to Adam Driver, Zac Efron, Andrew Garfield, Jake Gyllenhaal, Amber Heard, Freida Pinto, Emma Roberts and Olivia Wilde.

 

The award will be presented at the Celestial Cinema on Saturday, June 15, located at the Wailea Gold & Emerald Golf Course. Following the Award Presentation will be a screening of “The Farewell,” courtesy of A24 films. The evening will be sponsored by the Festival’s new Signature Sponsor Alaska Airlines.

 

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to celebrate and honor the 2019 Maui Film Festival’s brilliant Shining Star recipient Awkwafina, who is deservedly enjoying a stratospheric ride into the galaxy of cinematic stardom,” noted Maui Film Festival founder and director Barry Rivers. “My best guess is that we have only just begun to enjoy her eclectic and powerful performances, as I’m sure she will delight and touch people around the world in many triumphant decades yet to come. We’re also extremely excited to welcome Alaska Airlines into our festival ohana as our newest Signature Sponsor,” said Rivers.

 

“We were immediately on board with the Maui Film Festival,” said Natalie Bowman, managing director of marketing and advertising at Alaska Airlines. “A film can make you feel connected to the world the same way that travel can, and we’re thrilled to bring the two together to add even more magic and excitement to Maui.”

 

Awkwafina is an American actress, writer, rapper and musician from Queens, New York. Awkwafina, whose given name is Nora Lum, brings an impressive range of talent peppered with her signature flair, and has become a major breakout talent.

 

Lum can most recently be seen on the big screen as Peik Lin in Warner Bros’ "Crazy Rich Asians" opposite Constance Wu, Michelle Yeoh, Henry Golding & Ken Jeong. She also hosted “Saturday Night Live” in 2018. Additionally, last year Lum was seen in Warner Bros’ box office hit “Ocean’s 8,” which was directed by Gary Ross, and “Dude,” written and directed by Olivia Milch.

 

Lum will next be seen in “The Farewell” this summer, "Jumanji 2" in December, and her Comedy Central Show “Awkwafina” in 2020.

 

Tickets and passes are available at www.mauifilmfestival.com.

 

About the Maui Film Festival

Barry Rivers founded the Maui Film Festival in 2000 as a festival committed to the celebration and exploration of cinema at the intersection of smart and heart. The Festival's mission has always been to share exceptional cinematic vision in the service of compassionate and transformative storytelling with a diverse audience who call Maui both their home and their home away from home.  

Since its inception, the Maui Film Festival has screened more than 800 narrative and documentary feature length and short films from around the world to a diverse audience of industry luminaries, filmmakers, cineastes and movie lovers of all ages. Over the last 19 years the festival has been fortunate to honor such talents as Elizabeth Banks, Connie Britton, Pierce Brosnan, Jessica Chastain, Bryan Cranston, Claire Danes, Laura Dern, Zooey Deschanel, Viola Davis, Adam Driver, Clint Eastwood, Scott Eastwood, Zac Efron, Colin Farrell, Andrew Garfield, Karen Gillian, Jake Gyllenhaal, Woody Harrelson, Garrett Hedlund, Michael B. Jordan, Brie Larson, James Marsden, Mike Myers, Lupita Nyong’o, Freida Pinto, Emma Roberts, Owen Wilson, Olivia Wilde, Evan Rachel Wood, among many others.

The 2019 Maui Film Festival Wailea is made possible by the tremendous and continued support of a number of local, national and international organizations.  As of May 1, 2019, this year's Official Sponsors include Signature Sponsors: Hawaii Tourism Authority, Alaska Airlines; Major Sponsors: Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort, Fairmont Kea Lani, Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, Grand Wailea, Hotel Wailea, Residence Inn Maui at Wailea, The Shops At Wailea, Wailea Beach Resort, Wailea Gateway Center, Wailea Golf Club Gold & Emerald Courses; Sponsorship Ohana: Hawai’i Life Real Estate Brokers, Mana Foods, Maui Brewing Co., Maui No Ka Oi Magazine, Pacific Media Group, Rising Sun; Industry Sponsors: County of Maui, Getty Images, Hawaii Film Office, The Hollywood Reporter, IMDB, Picture Mill, Reel Maui / Maui Film Office, Variety, Vendini, The Works Creative Group; Media Partners: Akaku: Maui Community Media, Hawaii Public Radio, KAOI Radio Group, The Maui News, Maui Now, Maui Time, Modern Luxury Hawaii, WHERE Hawaii.

 

For additional information visit www.mauifilmfestival.com.

About Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines and its regional partners fly 44 million guests a year to more than 115 destinations across the United States and to Mexico, Canada and Costa Rica, including the most nonstop flights between Hawaii and the West Coast. Alaska offers more international destinations through its global partners than any other carrier. Learn about Alaska’s award-winning service at newsroom.alaskaair.com and blog.alaskaair.com. Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK).

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