"You May Not Kiss the Bride" (Production Press Release)

Hawaii Film Partners completed principal photography on its motion picture “YOU MAY NOT KISS THE BRIDE” directed by Rob Hedden from his original screenplay which began shooting on O’ahu on March 16, 2009. The romantic adventure comedy set in Chicago and Tahiti and filmed entirely on location in Hawaii is produced by Hawaii Film Partners’ Rann and Gina Watumull and David Jackson and Shauna Shapiro Jackson. The film will be released in 2010.

Starring in this feature are Dave Annable, who stars in the acclaimed ABC series “Brothers and Sisters”; Mena Suvari, who starred in the “American Pie” movies and in “American Beauty”; singing sensation Katharine McPhee, an audience favorite and first runner-up in “American Idol” and a star in “The House Bunny”; Vinnie Jones, who starred in over 40 movies including “X-Men 3: The Last Stand,” “Snatch” and “ Gone in Sixty Seconds”; Tia Carrere, who starred in the “Wayne’s World” movies, “True Lies” and the voice of Nani in “Lilo & Sitch”; Rob Schneider, who starred in the boxoffice hit comedies “50 First Dates,” the “Deuce Biglaow: movies, among many others; Ken Davitian, best known for his role of Azamat Bagatov in “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,” and Kevin Dunn who starred in “Transformers,” “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” and “Dave.”

Behind the camera filmmaking talent include director of photography Russ T. Alsobrook (“Paul Bart: Mall Cop,” “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” and “Superbad”); costume designer Robert Moore (“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” “Marathon Man,” “Ordinary People” and “Absence of Malice”); and production designer Scott Meehan (“Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” “Lost” and the upcoming feature film “Fame”).

Director/screenwriter Rob Hedden previously wrote the original script for the action film “The Condemned” released in 2007 by Lionsgate Films. He also co-wrote the story and screenplay and co-produced Nickelodeon Films’ “Clockstoppers ” released by Paramount Pictures. He directed and wrote “Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan” for release by Paramount Pictures which was lauded by noted film critic Leonard Malton as “ . . . the best film in the ‘Friday’ series, imaginatively directed and written by Mr. Hedden.”

“We were looking for just the right screenplay for Hawaii Film Partners’ next project, and when we could not find it, we decided to help create it,” say the film’s producers. “We met Rob Hedden and felt he had a writing style that was unique and fit with what we wanted to create. We spent almost a year working with Rob on the story premise and drafts of the script.

“’YOU MAY NOT KISS THE BRIDE’ reminds us of ‘Romancing the Stone’ in its blending of romance, sharp witted humor and on the edge of your seat action. We’re thrilled to be working with Rob and such a terrific cast and crew.”

“When the producers approached me about writing and directing a movie in Hawaii, I jumped at the chance,” says Rob Hedden. “You simply can’t beat the amazing scenery and location versatility combined with professional crews in a very film-friendly environment. Working with Hawaii Film Partners on such a fun, action packed romantic comedy has fulfilled a lifelong dream.”

Dave Annable plays Bryan Lighthouse, a Chicago pet photographer who accidentally maims the cat of a Croatian mobster’s wife, and, as an alternative to swimming with the fishes, is forced to marry their daughter Masha to keep her in the country. Mr. Annable currently can be seen in the ABC series “Brothers and Sisters.” Prior, he starred in Fox’s critically acclaimed television drama “Reunion.” Mr. Annable also was seen as Beam in Nick Hurran’s film “Little Black Book.”

Mena Suvari plays Tonya, Bryan’s quirky pet photography assistant. Ms. Suvari’s film credits include “American Beauty” (which won the Academy Award® for Best Picture in 1999), “American Pie” and “American Pie 2,” “Beauty Shop,” “Brooklyn Rules,” “The Mysteries of Pittsburgh.” “Stuck” and “Day of the Dead,” among many others. She also appeared on TV in “Six Feet Under,” “ER,” and “Chicago Hope.”


Katharine McPhee plays Masha Nikitin, the beautiful daughter of Vlatko, the Croatian mobster who is forced to marry to stay in the country. Ms. McPhee came to the attention of audiences as the runner-up in “American Idol.” She soon will be making her TV action debut in an April episode of the CBS crime drama “CSI: NY.” On the big screen, she appeared in the feature film “The House Bunny.”

Vinnie Jones plays Brick, the Croatian mobster’s right hand man. Mr. Jones first appeared in Guy Ritchie’s “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” and went on to star in “Snatch,” “Gone in Sixty Seconds” and “Swordfish.” To date, he has appeared in over 40 movies, among them the blockbuster “X-Men 3: The Last Stand.” He also starred in “The Riddle” opposite Vanessa Redgrave, “Midnight Meat Train,” Quentin Tarantino’s “Hellride” and the upcoming “Year One” with Jack Black and Michael Cera.

Tia Carrere plays Lani, a beautiful and engaging cocktail waitress in Tahiti who can serve up a lot more than tropical drinks. Ms. Carrere recently won a Grammy® (with Daniel Ho) for Best Hawaii Album for “’ikena.” Among her many film credits are “Wayne’s World” and “Wayne’s World 2,” “True Lies” and the voice of Nani in “Lilo & Stitch.” She has appeared on numerous hit TV and cable shows including “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Nip/Tuck” and “The O.C.”

RobSchneider stars as Ernesto, a daredevil helicopter pilot down Tahiti way who thrives on life threatening adventure. He recently completed principal photography on Claire Kilner’s “Virgin on Bourbon Street,” and begins shooting the Adam Sandler comedy “Lake House” this spring. Mr. Schneider also made his directorial debut with “Big Stan.” He has had a longtime relationship with Adam Sandler and his production company Happy Madison and has starred in “Bedtime Stories,” “Don’t Mess with The Zohan,” “The Benchwarmers,” “50 First Dates,” “The Longest Yard,” “Eight Crazy Nights,” “Little Nicky” and “Mr. Deeds.” Also for Happy Madison, he co-wrote and starred in “Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo, “ Deuce Bigalow: American Gigolo,” “The Hot Chick” and “The Animal.” His other film credits include “Shark Bait,” “The Waterboy” and “Big Daddy.”

Ken Davitian plays Vladko Nikitin, the Croatian mobster who offers a do-or-die proposition on marrying his daughter. He perhaps is best known for wrestling his way into the Hollywood spotlight as Azamat Bagatov in the critically-acclaimed box-office hit “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.” With a career in acting for over 15 years, he has guest-starred in “The Closer,” “Boston Legal,” “Six Feet Under,” “Gillmore Girls” and “Becker,” as well as appearing in the film “S.W.A.T” and Disney’s “Holes.”

Kevin Dunn plays INS Agent Ross. He starred as the quirky do-it-yourself dad in “Transformers” and the upcoming sequel, and recently was seen in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” and “Lions for Lambs,” and well as starring in the films “Dave,” “Nixon,” “Chaplin” and “Bonfire of he Vanities.” Mr. Dunn is currently starring in ABC’s “Samantha Who?”

Producers Rann and Gina Watumull are co-founders and senior executives at Hawaii Film Partners based in Honolulu. With the goal to help build a valuable and indigenous film industry in Hawaii, Hawaii Film Partners is dedicated to producing motion pictures and television productions on the Hawaiian Islands using location services and personnel.

Producers David Jackson and Shauna Shapiro Jackson are president and executive vice president respectively of Showcase Entertainment, a worldwide film distribution company, and are co-owners and senior executives of Hawaii Film Partners along with Rann and Gina Watumull. Goodsill, Anderson, Quinn & Stifel, Hawaii’s largest law firm also is a minority owner of Hawaii Film Partners.

Hawaii Film Partners first project was the acclaimed and award-winning international hit television show for Discovery Kids, “Flight 29 Down” that is still airing in over 100 countries. Also for television, Hawaii Film Partners has produced 38 two-minute animated episodes of “Ape Escape” for airing this year on Nickelodeon’s NickToons™ Network. Rounding Hawaii Film Partners ambitious slate is the original animated television series “Guardians of the Power Masks” which marked an historic international partnership with the City of Changzhou in China and the Gagwon Information Multi-Media Corporation (GIMC) in South Korea. Production of the series is on-going in Hawaii Film Partners’ animation studio in Honolulu.




For more information, please contact:

Blaise J. Noto

Blaise Noto & Associates

Cell: (808) 269-0960

Office: (808) 879-1227

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