Jeannette Paulson Hereniko
Encyclopedia
Jeannette Paulson Hereniko is an American
film producer
, television writer, film festival
director and film festival founder. She is best known for founding the Hawaii International Film Festival
(HIFF), acting as the festival's director from 1981 to 1996 and her active promotion of Asian cinema
in America. She is currently the president of AsiaPacificFilms.com, Te Maka Productions Inc. and the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema/USA.
In 1988, she received her MA from the University of Hawaii, focusing on American reception of Asian film.
In 1990, she served as the first director of the Palm Springs International Festival.
In 1996, she created the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema/USA (NETPAC/USA) and is currently its President. Also in 1996, she began her tenure as the Director of the Asia Pacific Media Center at the University of Southern California
's Annenberg Center for Communication and maintained her position until 2005.
In 2009, she produced the international award-winning feature The Land Has Eyes, written and directed by Vilsoni Hereniko.
She has served on film festival juries in Berlin, Rotterdam, Pusan, Singapore, Mumbai, Brisbane and New Delhi. She is also a rotating member of the Asia Pacific Screen Awards Nomination Council since 2007.
In October 2009, Hereniko created AsiaPacificFilms.com. The website is an online library streaming hundreds of premiere films from Asia and the Pacific. Films are curated by distinguished filmmakers, festival directors and professors (including Philip Cheah, Shaoyi Sun and Aruna Vasudev). Hereniko is currently acting as the website's president.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
, television writer, film festival
Film festival
A film festival is an organised, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theaters or screening venues, usually in a single locality. More and more often film festivals show part of their films to the public by adding outdoor movie screenings...
director and film festival founder. She is best known for founding the Hawaii International Film Festival
Hawaii International Film Festival
The Hawaii International Film Festival is a film festival held in the U.S. state of Hawaii. It was started in 1981 by Jeannette Paulson Hereniko and has been held annually in the fall for two weeks...
(HIFF), acting as the festival's director from 1981 to 1996 and her active promotion of Asian cinema
Asian cinema
Asian cinema refers to the film industries and films produced in the continent of Asia, and is also sometimes known as Eastern cinema. More commonly however, it is used to refer to the cinema of Eastern, Southeastern and Southern Asia. West Asian cinema is sometimes classified as part of Middle...
in America. She is currently the president of AsiaPacificFilms.com, Te Maka Productions Inc. and the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema/USA.
Career
Hereniko began as a television writer and producer for Hawaii Educational Television in 1975. In 1980, she was hired by the University of Hawaii Manoa as its Community Relations Officer and Educational Specialist. During this time, she proposed the creation of a public film festival as a public outreach campaign that initiated the Hawaii International Film Festival. Hereniko went on to direct HIFF from 1981 to 1996.In 1988, she received her MA from the University of Hawaii, focusing on American reception of Asian film.
In 1990, she served as the first director of the Palm Springs International Festival.
In 1996, she created the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema/USA (NETPAC/USA) and is currently its President. Also in 1996, she began her tenure as the Director of the Asia Pacific Media Center at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
's Annenberg Center for Communication and maintained her position until 2005.
In 2009, she produced the international award-winning feature The Land Has Eyes, written and directed by Vilsoni Hereniko.
She has served on film festival juries in Berlin, Rotterdam, Pusan, Singapore, Mumbai, Brisbane and New Delhi. She is also a rotating member of the Asia Pacific Screen Awards Nomination Council since 2007.
In October 2009, Hereniko created AsiaPacificFilms.com. The website is an online library streaming hundreds of premiere films from Asia and the Pacific. Films are curated by distinguished filmmakers, festival directors and professors (including Philip Cheah, Shaoyi Sun and Aruna Vasudev). Hereniko is currently acting as the website's president.