HIFF44 is here! With a record number of shorts this year – a whopping 18 shorts programs! As an oscar-qualifying festival for short films, the competition is mighty and sometimes we have to add a few more programs due to the overwhelming amount of fantastic film submissions. We have some really incredible titles this season, with eight international shorts programs to check out from. Find out more about each below!
COPING FOR THE BEST
7-OCT 7:00PM (Filmmakers in attendance!)
9-OCT 2:30PM
For the first time ever, we have a couple of international shorts programs screening more than just once throughout the festival. Coping For The Best shorts comprises six films that run the gamut of coping mechanisms. From the recounting of a pivotal childhood birthday party, to two friends learning to cope with personal traumatic events through comedy – these stories capture characters at both their best and their worst, while coping in unique ways to find support in others and within.
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS
11-OCT 8:00PM (Filmmakers in attendance!)
12-OCT 10:00AM
Another program with two screenings is our Close Encounters program, comprised of stories featuring interactions both external and internal. You will potentially find an alien entity, a family ghost, and the most terrifying of all – other human beings. This is our most stacked program and highly recommended viewing.
BREAKING CYCLES
11-OCT 5:30PM (Filmmakers in attendance!)
Go against the grain, cut the cord, disrupt your everyday monotony! These stories feature characters that challenge the status quo, muster the courage to try something new, and learn to unapologetically be their true selves. A few of these shorts also happen to feature LGBTQIA+ subjects.
STRANGE FUTURES
9-OCT 8:30PM (Filmmakers in attendance!)
Take a journey through these peculiar visions of the future! From dystopian game shows and futuristic cities, to robots and duels – nothing is beyond the imagination in these strange new worlds.
START MOTION
6-OCT 5:30PM (Filmmakers in attendance!)
Get animated! Marvel at the spectacular artistry and multitude of different animation styles from around the world. These films showcase diverse voices and stories that are equally haunting and beautiful.
OUT FOR BLOOD
5-OCT 6:00PM
Get into the Halloween spirit with these spooky midnight shorts. This thrilling, special program is in collaboration with Honolulu Horror Nights, so grab a friend for support and try not to cover your eyes!
ENVIRONMENTAL SHORTS
10-OCT 5:15PM (Filmmakers in attendance!)
Some of the best environmental shorts from around the world. Covering a range of issues from food sustainability, to deforestation and water restoration efforts. Some of these stories have a natural overlap with Indigenous populations that at the forefront of the fight for a clean, sustainable and safe environmental future.
INDIGENOUS LENS SHORTS
13-OCT 11:30AM (Filmmakers in attendance!)
A selection of stories that center various Indigenous populations from around the world, showcasing different ways of life and the unifying fight for land sovereignty and cultural preservation. This program contains eight films from seven different countries.
Support short format stories and the talented filmmakers behind them! Most of these shorts programs have attending filmmakers which means there will be a brief Q&A following the premiere screenings of each program. And remember, HIFF is the only film festival in the State that is an Academy Award-qualifying festival for short films! To check out other HIFF44 shorts programs, please visit our Shorts Program Grid which lists every short film playing at HFF44. See you at the festival!
Melina Kiyomi Coumas is HIFF’s Programming Manager & Shorts Programmer. She is also an award-winning filmmaker from Mililani, O’ahu. With A BFA in Film Studies and a proclivity for celluloid film formats, her works have screened in festivals around the world. She enjoys watching, making, and programming films!
