The 2012 Big Island Film Festival begins next week and at last years festival I had the opportunity to meet and interview local girl Kristina Anapau (Black Swan, True Blood, Sightings, Blackjack etc).
Kristina and I at the 2011 Big Island Film Festival
Unfortunately this year she Kristina was supposed to be in Cannes this week and next week, however, she is stuck in Los Angeles working on some other projects so she won’t be able to make this years Big Island Film Festival.
Kristina Anapau in front of the Fairmont Orchid at Mauna Lani
She recently emailed me and sent me a link to the following article from the Italian fashion and design website Marie Claire entitled “Kristina va a Hollywood“.
Kristina translated the following and said I could use the pictures that were taken by photographer Aaron Heck.
Hi Kristina, here some little questions:
- Studying something completely different and then leaving the Hawaii’s sea for your dream on a big city: what are your suggestion for the new actresses?
I would encourage everyone to follow their passion, no matter what it is. This is a very short life and there is no time to waste doing anything but what you absolutely love.
Photo by Aaron Heck
- How was going back to your dance world, then in front of a camera for Black Swan?
I always had an element of regret about not having realized my childhood dream of being a classical ballerina. Being given the opportunity to portray one in Black Swan, and with such an amazing cast and director, was a dream. The filming process and all of the dance training required to prepare helped heal a part of me that still wished I had followed that path. It was an amazing experience.
Photo by Aaron Heck
- You once said that playing a blind woman was one of the most “rewarding acting experiences” of your career. Tell us something about that experience…
I studied at the Los Angeles Braille Institute with the same woman who trained Al Pacino for the film Scent of a Woman. Having to “loose my sight” for a month opened my eyes to something entirely different. My other senses became very well developed. I would turn all the lights off in my hotel room at night and after a few days, didn’t ever feel the need to turn them on when I walked in. An almost extra-sensory perception developed in me. I could feel the energy of all the objects in the room…I could almost hear them. The need to see them became irrelevant. This heightened perception eventually started to occur in daylight with my eyes wide open. This world is much more interesting when you open yourself up to observe every detail…there are so many delicate intricacies that go unnoticed by us in daily life.
- From the big screen to the TV with True Blood: what do you prefer? And how was playing in such a successful series of our days?
Both film and television have their respective pleasures and challenges. I can’t say that I prefer one to the other….I love them both. True Blood is such an fantastic show, great cast, a very smoothly run production. I just love my job. I feel very grateful to wake up every day and do what I love in life.
Photo by Aaron Heck
- Sighting is your last project: how do you felt acting in an horror movie?
Sighting was a great experience in every way. The emotional extremes that are required daily when filming a thriller can be taxing of course, but also an incredible release. There was something very rewarding and freeing about delving into the depths of fear and panic on an almost daily basis. I left set each morning (because we were filming at night) feeling very expressed emotionally and very much at peace.
- And…What’s next?
I did a military action film called BlackJacks which is going to be absolutely spectacular. We are finishing up additional photography for the film this week. I have also just formed a production company based in LA called Amygdala Films (www.amygdalafilms.com) and we have several projects in development that I am very excited about. There are some other projects that I have coming up that I’m not allowed to discuss yet. My days are very busy!
- What’s your relationship with fashion? What cannot ever be missed in your bag and what’s your fashion/style obsession?
My relationship with fashion is like a chameleons relationship with it’s skin… to protect and transform myself. I do have quite a love affair with exquisitely made things. I definitely have a bit more of an old world sensibility in that way…always quality over quantity. In my bag, you will always find kiehl’s #1 lip balm with SPF and a little travel bottle of their SPF 50. My phone and iPad are always in there as well…and always a book of some sort. I’m currently reading Arnon Milchan’s biography, Confidential.
My son with an autographed picture of Kristina
Filed under: aloha, Announcements, Big Island, Entertainment, Guest Commentator, Hawaii, Movies and Film, Television | Tagged: Big Island Film Festival, BlackJacks, Kristina Anapau, True Blood | Leave a Comment »
Congressional Candidate Marx – Indefinite Detention is a Gross Violation of Civil Rights
Bob Marx, Hilo lawyer and candidate for Hawaiʻi’s Second Congressional District, spoke out on Monday against provisions of the National Defence Authorization Act (NDAA). The NDAA allows the President to indefinitely detain individuals suspected of aiding or being involved with terrorists.
Congressional Candidate Bob Marx
The act would also allow the President to detain those who have committed a “belligerent act” against the country, in addition to those merely suspected of terrorism. Under the new bill, detainees would not have a right to trial; in addition, the bill requires those detained to be held in US Military custody. Several groups have spoken out against the bill, including the ACLU, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and The Center for Constitutional Rights.
Marx voiced his opposition to the bill, remarking, “[The bill] subjects Americans to treatment grossly inconsistent with the protections guaranteed by the Bill of Rights.” When asked about the effectiveness of the bill in combating terrorism, Marx responded: “Even if the bill manages to combat terrorism—which is unlikely—the bill gives the president power to suspend the right to Habeas Corpus for those who are not enemy combatants…if one American is wrongfully detained for any period of time without trial, our government has failed to protect our civil rights.”
The bill is especially controversial because it allows for the indefinite detention of individuals not directly involved in hostilities. International law currently recognizes indefinite detention for prisoners of war and enemy combatants, but the NDAA would set a precedent for suspending the rights of civilians merely suspected of aiding terrorists. In the future, such a precedent could be used to justify further overreach of government authority, such as targeted killings of American citizens without trial.
Marx noted that if elected, he would “vote against any bill that suspends the civil rights of American citizens. The American government has an obligation to the people, and any bill that interferes with civil rights and liberties is in opposition to our freedom.”
The Second Congressional District encompasses most of rural Oʻahu and all the neighbor islands. Mr. Marx, a Hilo attorney and long-time community activist, is running against Oʻahu residents Mufi Hannemann, Tulsi Gabbard, and Esther Kia‘aina for the open seat. Marx lives in the district and is the only candidate in the race from a county other than Honolulu.
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Filed under: Announcements, Guest Commentator, Hawaii, Legal, National Affairs, Politics, State Affairs | Tagged: ACLU, Amnesty International, Bob Marley, Human Rights, Human Rights Watch, Indefinite Detention, National Defense Authorization Act | Leave a Comment »