July 14, 2008

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April 13, 2008

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HIFF's sold-out 'All for Melissa' shot by local filmmaker-Advertiser Staff

"All for Melissa," the first full-length feature by local filmmaker Gerard Elmore, screens at the Louis Vuitton Hawaii International Film Festival at 9:45 p.m. tonight at Regal Dole Cinemas.

Elmore has made a splash locally with his string of short films such as "The Making of the Karaoke Video" and "Barry." Now he unleashes his first feature, which he has been mapping out for the past two years. Shot by Academy for Creative Media instructor Anne Misawa on O'ahu, "Melissa" follows Jared Rogers, a 22-year-old dreamer stuck in a go-nowhere office job and obsessed with an actress named Melissa Williams. Unrequited love, menehunes and aspiring filmmakers figure in the film, which stars Milan Tresnak, Jane Benney, Andy Bumatai, Kimberly Estrada and Maxwell Smart.

Tickets are sold out, but there's still the rush line (and usually most people in the rush line make it in — although Elmore has a lot of acquaintances).

Elmore ready to finish his first feature written by Katherine Nichols

HAWAII FILMMAKER Gerard Elmore will wrap his first feature-length movie in Hawaii this weekend. "All for Melissa" is about a young man who wants to meet a certain fictitious movie star. But as writer/director/producer Elmore said, it's really a "coming of age story more than anything."

Elmore, whose film "Valtor vs. the Universe" won best short at the Hawaii International Film Festival in 2005, hired local actors, including stars Jane Benney, Milan Tresnak and Kimberly Estrada. Andy Bumatai and Stan Egi also are in the film, much of which was shot outdoors on Oahu.

The veteran of more than 30 shorts says he's been working up to a full-length movie. "It's like you're making 10 short films, and you're doing it back to back over a short time frame," Elmore said.

Ten months as a video correspondent on the Nascar circuit helped Elmore save enough money to finance most of the film himself. He's also relied on the generosity of local sponsors. "The only reason this movie is being made is because so many people are helping me out," he said. "It's like a family."

Steady-cam operator Dean Sensui described "All for Melissa" as an offbeat comedy. "Gerard's got a pretty wild imagination," said Sensui.

Quotes

"A funny, sweet comedy with a delightful romantic sensitivity." -Aint It Cool News"A funny, sweet comedy with a delightful romantic sensitivity." -Albert Lanier of Aint It Cool News

"Director Gerard Elmore ("the boy genius" ) certainly knows how to put the asses in the seats. It's Elmore's best film yet, so don't miss it!" -Art House Monster

"The best local produced feature in years, a hit at its premiere at the Hawaii International Film Festival" -Cinema Paradise

All for Melissa was an Official Selection at these Film Festivals.