Filmmaker shares love story about his hometown Lahaina

LAHAINA (HawaiiNewsNow) – With a red carpet rolled out, loved ones welcomed home Paul Venus and his wife Fiona during a private screening at Maui Mall theaters in Kahului last week.

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Paul Venus premiered his film “One Year to Forever” to family and friends which he describes as a “lifeumentary” about his life and love for his hometown of Lahaina.

“One Year to Forever is a love story about marriage, memory, and the realization that there’s nothing quite like coming home to Maui,” Venus said.

Venus grew up in Lahaina.

His father, John Venus Jr., had a television station, MCTV Channel 7, that broadcast Lahaina news in the 1970s.

“We ran local sports, Lahainaluna football games, and Halloween was a really big event for Channel 7 back then,” Venus said. “We did a live to tape show on Front Street.”

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Today, Venus is an award-winning television editor.

“One of my dreams was always to work and live in Hollywood and make movies,” he said. “I got the opportunity to work for NBC Universal initially, where I worked for NBC Nightly News and the Today Show and then Dateline NBC, and then I went to work for CBS News.”

Paul is now entering a new chapter of his life and created something personal that others could relate to.

“Initially, it was going to be an anniversary video for our wedding,” said Venus. “As I thought about it more, it became something else, it became something bigger. That it is not only about our relationship and love for each other, but our love for the island and for the town of Lahaina, where I grew up.”

“We’re engagement here, we’re married here, we’re first year here,” his wife Fiona said. “It’s kind of like my second hometown and I love here, like I love him.”

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They hope it shows the world how love for Lahaina will conquer all.

To learn more about the film, click here.