As the dust settles from the just concluded 44th Hawai‘I International Film Festival presented by Halekulani (HIFF44), the festival staff is currently going through wrap-up reports, crunching numbers, and analyzing data. On the programming side, it’s several post-mortems as we reflect on some of our personal film favorites, in the hopes that we can amplify […]
HIFF44 Post-Mortem: Programming Teams’ Picks Read More »
HIFF44 had many shorts programs this season, so we’re not surprised that our loyal patrons may have missed a film or two due to scheduling conflicts. So with the help of our head of short programming, Melina Kiyomi Coumas, we’d like to recommend a handful of films that may have escaped your attention on the
Spotlight on HIFF44 Short Films Worth a Second Look Read More »
This year at the Hawaiʻi International Film Festival, I watched some of the best films in indigenous cinema and representation of the local community here in Hawaiʻi. HIFF44 featured the premiere of its centerpiece presentation, Alika Tengan’s MOLOKA’I BOUND. I had been anticipating this film since seeing the original short a few years ago. Before
MOLOKA’I BOUND: The journey from short to feature Read More »
It’s as if I flew through a portal into another world I hadn’t dared to step into. People have told me over the years I could be an actor, my English teacher in middle school, Dan Lauria, too. But even though it seemed exciting, something in me swept it away, as if it were something
Burning bright in the middle of the blue (HOCCI Reflections) Read More »
Disclaimer: There are NO bad films on this list, all of them are 5 stars in their own right. A reminder that this is just my opinion as a viewer who watches stuff for fun. You do NOT need to agree with me. HIFF44’s START MOTION SHORTS is a selection of animated shorts from around
Review of the START MOTION SHORTS Read More »
The first time I saw CHAPERONE, written and directed by Zoe Eisenberg, I felt like such a basic bitch. I just could not move past how much I hated the film’s main protagonist, Misha played by Mitzi Akaha. Misha was an incredibly awful woman who can best be described as: uji. Of course, to have
Misha, Misha, Misha – a CHAPERONE review Read More »
V/H/S BEYOND is . . . hard to describe. It is a → found footage / forced perspective, science-fiction, horror, anthology → film It is the seventh installment in the series (but ninth overall) in the V/H/S franchise. The film takes up a feature film block of time, but operates more like a shorts program,
V/H/S BEYOND: Playing the Game of Horror Read More »
THE CIGARETTE SURFBOARD is an eye-opening documentary directed by Ben Judkins that has been making waves at the Hawai’i International Film Festival. We dive into Taylor Lane’s journey as he collects thousands of cigarette butts from beaches to create a functioning surfboard. What started as an art project turned into a life’s mission to save
THE CIGARETTE SURFBOARD and Our Responsibility to the Ocean Read More »
In this video essay, HIFF ONLINE CREATIVES & CRITICS IMMERSIVE (HOCCI) mentee Elise Hatsuko explores the transformative power of international film festivals like HIFF in supporting diasporic communities. By showcasing films from diverse cultures, these festivals serve as agents of language justice and representation, allowing communities to see their languages and stories on screen. From
How International Film Festivals Empower Diasporic Communities Read More »
Sometimes a fire needs to be set. WE WERE DANGEROUS (2024) is a piece on girls finding support and freedom within a community of “undesirables.” Winner of the HIFF44 PASIFIKA award, this New Zealand film directed by Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu celebrates the strength of young Maori women and a wider take on girlhood. Placed in
WE WERE DANGEROUS – Using fear to control Read More »
With aloha, HIFF acknowledges its occupation of ancestral, traditional and contemporary lands of the Indigenous Hawaiian people, the Kānaka Maoli.
With gratitude, we honor the ʻāina itself and the generations who steward it.