Beyond Paradise
Encyclopedia
Beyond Paradise is a 1998 American independent film
directed by David L. Cunningham.
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.
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.
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.
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
directed by David L. Cunningham.
Plot
The film is a semi-autobiographical tale of Cunningham's years in Hawai'i. He leaves Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
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
The Matrix
The Matrix is a 1999 science fiction-action film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, and Hugo Weaving...
in ticket sales in Hawaii.
The DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
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.