ACM Accelerator, Made In Hawaii, Special Screening
''In August of 1970 a ho‘olaule‘a, a musical get-together, was held in Hana on the island of Maui and the best of the authentic old style musicians were brought there…
HIFILM Industry Hub, Indigenous Lens, Pacific Showcase, Shorts Program
This program comprises of eight documentary short films made by emerging BIPOC filmmakers living in the U.S. territories, Hawai‘i and their diasporic communities, focusing on stories grappling with issues of…
Spotlight on Taiwan
Ma Chih-hsiang, Lin Ching-tai and Hsu Yi-fan, all from Oscar shortlisted SEEDIQ BALE (HIFF 2011), head the cast of this suspense thriller of a once close-knit family torn asunder. Two…
Pacific Showcase
Michael Jonathan’s debut feature is an action-filled account of the 1864 battle of Ōrākau where a small group of disparate Māori, vastly outnumbered by British soldiers, went to war to…
Pacific Showcase
This urgent documentary takes us into the remote highlands of Papua New Guinea and one indigenous woman’s fight against the insidious influence of sanguma – sorcery violence. Enter a cinematic…
Pacific Showcase
We’ve all seen her, the hula girl swinging from the dashboard, the sultry South Seas siren smiling languidly in postcards, and the alluring topless native belle telling you to come…
Pacific Showcase, Special Screening
Amidst the mean streets of Auckland, Beth Heke (Rena Owen) lives with her husband Jake (Temuera Morrison) and their three children in a tenement house for native Maori. Jake’s battle…
Film For Thought, Spotlight on Japan
In the 17th century, early in the Edo Period of Japanese history, trade with the indigenous Ainu is the main source of income for the Matsumae clan, which controls the…
''Pacific Showcase Shorts 2: Dance, (R)Evolution'', Dance, Pacific Showcase
Renowned choreographer-director couple Keone & Mari Madrid unveil their latest artistic endeavor in the form of a compelling feature film that delves into the intricate nuances of grief through the…
Film For Thought, Kau Ka Hōkū Award Nominee, Made In Hawaii, Pacific Showcase, YES
Standing Above the Clouds highlights the movement to protect Mauna Kea through the intergenerational stories of women in three Native Hawaiian families as they stand for the sacred mountain. The…
Documentaries, Indigenous Lens
In collaboration with Brazil’s indigenous Yanomami people, THE FALLING SKY follows the Yanomami leader and shaman Davi Kopenawa as he fights to return the world to balance in closely observed…
Pacific Showcase, YES
A lively and inspirational coming-of-age tale from Rachel House as three kids–a cancer patient, a friendless boy honoring the memory of his mother, and a self-appointed “guardian of Mother Earth”--go…
Opening Night Film, Pacific Showcase
HIFF is honored to kick off the 2024 festival with the world premiere of TINĀ. It''s an inspiring drama, a light-hearted, rhythmic tear-jerker, and the story of Samoan teacher Mareta…
Pacific Showcase
In early 2023, a national vote in Australia to enshrine indigenous people's voice in the constitution is slated for later that year. A dynamic Indigenous youth group drawn from across…
Film For Thought, Indigenous Lens, Kau Ka Hōkū Award Nominee
YINTAH, meaning “land” in the Wet’suwet’en language, tells the story of an Indigenous nation’s fight for sovereignty as they resist the construction of multiple oil and fracked-gas pipelines across their…