Yesterday, ALMOST PERFECT had its Hawaii premiere screening at the largest theater at Dole Cannery Stadium at the HAWAII INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (HIFF). The sold-out screening brought an audience of more than 400 to support actresses Kelly Hu (Hawaiian born and raised), Tina Chen (former Golden Globe nominee), and director and writer Bertha Bay-Sa Pan.

The idea for ALMOST PERFECT came to Ms. Pan while she was on a plane returning from a beach wedding in Mexico. Intrigued by the number of funny, interesting, and flawed characters at this event, she decided she wanted to capture them on-screen, to highlight how they finally overcame the obstacles presented by their families so they could get married. The story of a dysfunctional family told in ALMOST PERFECT was extremely well received at HIFF, with many in attendance saying they could relate to the characters and the family portrayed. Fortunately, the cast of the film did not share the experiences of their fictional counterparts; they bonded flawlessly, a quite rare phenomenon in the entertainment industry.

Ms. Pan, who was born in New Jersey to Taiwanese parents, moved to Taiwan at six and a half, when her father was asked to participate in a competition to design the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall in Taipei. In college, an introductory lecture in film led her to realize that only by becoming a filmmaker could she combine her many interests. She also concluded that entertainment and pop culture were the best ways she could help educate others about social wrongs, which, she believes, don’t typically stem from evil intentions but from ignorance. Over time, her passion for filmmaking has only continued to grow.

ALMOST PERFECT is being screened again tonight at HIFF at 9:30 PM. Don’t miss it before it moves on to the West Coast!