Directing “Terrestrial,” the first sci-fi monster movie ever made on Maui, Alex Farnham says he “wanted to aim towards nostalgia. You see it a lot these days with ‘Stranger Things’ and that kind of stuff. I’m a big fan of practical special effects, so we got the creature costume made, and there is CGI, but not that much. The score is very kind of ’80s synth.”

Screening on Oct. 19 at the MACC as part of the 44th annual Hawai’i International Film Festival presented by Halekulani, “Terrestrial” stars Farnham as a disgruntled teacher along with Australian actress Nicky Whelan who performed in “Hall Pass” with Owen Wilson, Lindsay Watson who was featured in “Finding ‘Ohana, Peter Gilroy of “The Real Bros of Simi Valley: The Movie,” and Matt Corboy who acted in “The Descendants.” It’s produced by Lucas Zarro who teaches at Kihei Charter School.

“I’m just aiming to be entertaining,” Farnham continues. “I’m not trying to make some Oscar-winning movie. It’s really just entertaining for the Hawaii audience first, and then if it can go beyond that, then great.”

Most of the film was shot on Maui with only a lava tube scene shot on Hawaii Island.

Besides Kula resident Lindsay Watson, the film features “a lot of Maui actors,” says Farnham. “I worked with Lucas Zarro at Kihei Charter School. I had the students help me create basically a storyboard, but it was not drawn, it was pictures. So we went throughout the school, and I had the students stand in as the actors. Two of them, they’re sisters, are in the film.”

A Kona resident, Farnham also stars in the feature film “One Million Dolla,” which has its world premiere at HIFF on Maui on Oct. 19. Directed by Stefan Schaeffer, who produced the Maui made films “Get a Job” and “Kuleana,” “One Million Dolla” is about a homeless guy followed by a documentary crew after he is given one million dollars by a stranger (played by a famous actor).

“He’s basically playing himself, helping the community,” says Farnham about the star. “It’s an unbilled cameo. I want it to be a surprise.”

The “One Million Dolla” cast includes Maui’s Branscombe Richmond, Peter Gilroy, and Lindsay Watson.

“It’s a kind of quirky local story,” says Schaeffer. “Along the lines of ‘Get a Job’ or ‘Aloha Surf Hotel,’ the other films that I’ve been involved with here. It has universal themes, obviously homelessness, what society does or doesn’t do to deal with that. But it’s in a mockumentary style, so that’s definitely a comedic take on it.”

As with “Terrestrial,” “we shot most of ‘One Million Dolla’ in Maui, with a lot of cast and crew from Maui,” Farnham explains. “Maui is built a lot more for feature films. There are rental houses for equipment. I just finished my third film that was mostly all shot on Big Island, and that was challenging because there’s only one rental house and it’s expensive, so that’s why we picked Maui.”

Farnham’s film credits include acting in the “Aloha Surf Hotel.” “Stefan Schaeffer and Branscombe Richmond were a part of that film, and when filming that in 2019, I saw the camaraderie, how people work together in Maui to make things happen,” he says.

He’s also known for his comedy channel “Mockstars” which includes comedy sketches, parodies, music videos, and celebrity impersonations. His popular video of “Jack Sparrow’s rap” shot on Kauai has 6 million views.

Farnham made his first film at 15, a documentary on the International Free Diving Cup, “held on Big Island, and I shot everything while it was happening, edited every night, and had a premiere. It received a standing ovation, and that’s what started me on this path.”

“One Million Dolla” screens on Oct. 19 at 5:30 p.m. at the MACC’s McCoy Studio Theater as part of HIFF, followed by “Terrestrial” at 8 p.m. Tickets are $12 plus applicable fees for each film, available at mauiarts.org