Beyond Paradise
| Beyond Paradise | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | David L. Cunningham |
| Produced by |
Anthony Bozanich David L. Cunningham |
| Written by |
David L. Cunningham David Walker |
| Starring |
Roy Newton Kalani Nakoa Lorenzo Callender Daryl Bonilla Priscilla Basque |
| Music by | Nicolás Rivera |
| Cinematography |
Graham Driscoll Russell Steen |
| Editing by |
Patrick Flannery Thomas A. Ohanian |
| Release dates | 1998 |
| Running time | 105 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Beyond Paradise is a 1998 American independent film directed by David L. Cunningham.
Plot
The film is a semi-autobiographical tale of Cunningham's years in Hawai'i. He leaves Los Angeles and moves with his mother to the Big Island and befriends three "locals", Ronnie, Zulu and Keao. At the same time, he is bullied and harassed for being a "haole" or foreigner.
The three lead characters were inspired by Cunningham's real life high school friends, as seen in the ending credits. The film is dedicated to Donald Boy (Ronnie), Zulu (Zulu), while Keao was a composite of two friends combining the humor of one friend and the drug element of another into one character.
Production
Under the working title of "Kama'aina", the movie was filmed with a modest budget from December 26, 1996 to February 5, 1997.
Release and reshooting
The movie premiered at the Honolulu International Film Festival in November 1997.
After a few screenings in L.A., Cunningham shot some additional footage, including scenes involving Mark's father and his friends in L.A. The film had a limited theatrical release in 1999. It did well at the box office in Hawaii; according to Variety Magazine, it beat The Matrix in ticket sales in Hawaii.[citation needed]
The DVD did not come out until 2003; it does not include the scenes that were added for the 1999 release. The DVD lacks extras and commentaries, but includes the theatrical trailer.