Inauguration Day will always hold a special meaning for Maui native Destin Daniel Cretton.
Running on a few hours of sleep Tuesday, Cretton, 31, woke up to watch a broadcast of Barack Obama becoming the first Hawaii-born president of the United States.
That same day, after running around Park City, Utah, on an "Obama high," Cretton's short film was awarded Sundance
Film Festival's U.S. Jury Prize - a top honor that beat out almost 100 other competing films in his division.
"First Obama, then Destin," Cretton said, laughing, via telephone Thursday from the festival site in Park City. "The Hawaiians are taking over."
"Short Term 12," a 22-minute film written, directed and produced by Cretton, is a narrative based on his real-life experiences while working at a residential facility for at-risk teenagers in San Diego for two years.
Cretton admitted that he was surprised when "Short Term 12" was accepted to the 25th Sundance Film Festival - the most prestigious independent film competition in the United States. Especially since a record-breaking 5,632 films were submitted to the competition, according to Sundance officials.
"I didn't even think this movie would get into Sundance, so (winning) was a complete shock," Cretton said. "When they called my name, I was really confused. What was I supposed to do? Everyone was pushing me to the front. I had no idea what was going on."
Calling it one of the best experiences of his life so far, Cretton is soaking in the Sundance scene until the competition ends Sunday. He saw Kevin Bacon and other stars; played Guitar Hero with Danielle Fishel, who played Topanga on "Boy Meets World" (their team won); and got to watch some impressive films.
The best part of the festival, he said, is spending time with like-minded filmmakers and creative people who love movies.
"Sundance is a gathering of all the most talented filmmakers in the world at a place where everyone feels comfortable enough to not be in competition with each other," he said. "Everyone is so friendly and so encouraging and helpful."
Destin said that he hopes "Short Term 12" will allow viewers to connect in some way to the tough situation in which the teens and their caretakers are living.
"For people who are familiar with residential care or foster care or have some kind of connection to an experience of child abuse, I hope that those people can feel a sense of connection by just knowing that there are a lot of people who have gone through what they've gone through," he said.
Sundance isn't the final stop for "Short Term 12." On Thursday, Cretton leaves for France, where the film will compete in the Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival from Friday to Feb. 7. His film is among only a handful chosen from the U.S. to participate in the prestigious festival.
During Cretton's short career, he has written and directed four award-winning short films: "Longbranch: A Suburban Parable" (2002), "Bartholomew's Song" (2006), "Deacon's Mondays" (2007) and "Short Term 12."
His other awards include the College Filmmaker Award at BestFest America, best student film at the Savannah Film and Video Festival, a Fuji Film Audience Impact Award and HBO Film's Best Student Film Award. He also directed a feature documentary, "Drakmar: A Vassal's Journey," which premiered on HBO in 2007. "Short Term 12" is his inaugural film at Sundance.
Cretton's roots in filmmaking can be traced back to his family's home in Haiku and his grandparents' clunky, old video camera. Destin would employ his two brothers and three sisters as characters in his mock films, which were often staged in the adjacent pineapple fields.
"I feel like most of my draw to anything creative comes from living in Haiku and not being able to watch TV and being able to go outside going making plays with my brothers and sisters," he said. "That's the early beginnings of my quest toward creativity."
Cretton's sister, Joy, who did the costume design for "Short Term 12," said she's recognized her brother's talent all along.
"It's not like all of a sudden he's become so talented," said Joy, who attended Sundance with her brother. "It's just that now everyone is seeing it. He's such a hard worker. He deserves it (the award) so much."
Cretton graduated from Maui High School, attended Maui Community College and worked for Akaku: Maui Community Television before moving to San Diego to finish college at Point Loma Nazarene University and attending grad school at San Diego State University.
Although he currently resides in San Diego, he says his "future is wide open," and he hopes to return home and film projects here.
"Maui will always be my grounding. It's a place that is my home and will always be my home," he said. "It always puts things in perspective."
* Kehaulani Cerizo can be reached at kcerizo@mauinews.com.
