HIFF is excited to announce the Hawai’i premiere of the Sundance hit POLITE SOCIETY, the feature directorial debut from Nida Manzoor (WE ARE LADY PARTS). Ria is a martial artist-in-training, who believes she must save her older sister from her impending marriage. After enlisting the help of her friends, she tries to pull off the most …
Sundance Hit: POLITE SOCIETY at HIFF Spring Showcase Read More »
>>SUBMIT YOUR FILM HERE<< Submissions are open for HIFF43 Fall Festival in the following categories: Narrative Feature Documentary Feature Narrative Short Documentary Short Pacific Islander Showcase Features Pacific Islander Showcase Shorts New American Perspectives Made in Hawai‘i Features Made in Hawai‘i Shorts Environmental Shorts Hawai‘i University Student Early Bird Deadline: March 3, 2023 | Regular Deadline: May 12, 2023 Hawai‘i …
EARLY BIRD DEADLINE FOR 43rd ANNUAL HIFF FALL FESTIVAL Read More »
HIFF40 Best Made in Hawai‘i Short Film, HAWAIIAN SOUL is qualified to compete in the 2023 Academy Awards! Watch the film for free from Nov. 28th until December 15th, when Oscar voting closes and help Director ‘Aina Paikai and his film team get the attention of academy voters. More Info at https://www.hawaiiansoulmovie.com/
THOUGHTS: WHINA // A Companion essay by scholar ‘Ihilani Lasconia // “She is the daughter of Heremia Te Wake, chiefly leader of Ngaati Manawa, Te Rarawa and Ngaapuhi. She is from Panguru, the sacred mountain, and the guiding stars. She is of the sacred tree that leans to the west”. WHINA is a timely …
THOUGHTS: MY SMALL LAND // A Companion essay by scholar Monisha Das Gupta // Earlier this year, the flight of 1.5 million refugees from Ukraine at the start of the Russian invasion captured international attention and garnered an outpouring of support. The mainstream media’s framing of the flight of Ukrainians immediately raises the question: …
THOUGHTS: MIDWIVES // A Companion essay by scholar L. Ayu Saraswati // MIDWIVES is director Snow Hnin Ei Hlaing’s first feature film, winner of the Sundance Film Festival’s Excellence in Vérité Filmmaking award. The film follows the lives of Hla, a Buddhist midwife, and her Muslim apprentice, Nyo Nyo, in Rakhine state, Myanmar. Their …
THOUGHTS: BATTLEGROUND // A Companion essay by scholar Grace Alvaro Caligtan // If the fall of Roe v Wade has become a moment to take a closer look at politics, power, and rights to bodily autonomy, then Cynthia Lowen’s documentary BATTLEGROUND offers a clarifying lens. Lowen gives viewers access to the inner workings of …
THOUGHTS / BAD AXE: A Companion essay by scholar Kim Compoc // Director David Siev’s riveting documentary BAD AXE takes its name from his predominantly white hometown in rural Michigan. Siev began the project in March 2020 to chronicle his family’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, namely the lockdowns and difficulties in keeping the …
A MAN OF REASON Directed by Jung Woo-sung (South Korea) – U.S. Premiere Soo-hyuk (Korean superstar Jung Woo-sung, also doing double duty in his directorial debut) in his wants out of the criminal world. Problem is, he’s got a target on his back after serving 10 years for wiping out his old boss and a …
HIFF42 Announces First 10 films + Kerry Warkia as Honoree Read More »
With an exciting international program of films from 40+ countries, industry panels, and career development workshops. HIFF42 will be a hybrid festival, primarily with in-theater screenings ‘Oahu:Consolidated Kahala and Ward Theaters from November 3rd – 13th Neighbor Islands: The Palace Theater in Hilo, Waimea Theater in Waimea, Maui Arts and Culture Center, Kahului, from November 17th – 20th Select film …
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With gratitude, we honor the ʻāina itself and the generations who steward it.