HIFF Programming

Anderson Le is the Artistic Director of the Hawai'i International Film Festival.

HIFF46: Official International Feature Oscar Submissions from Around the World

Awards, Features, HIFF46 / By

From Cannes, Sundance, Berlin, Busan and beyond, the 46th Hawai‘i International Film Festival presented by Halekulani showcases an extraordinary collection of films representing countries in the race for the Academy Award® for Best International Feature Film. The road to Oscar runs through Hawai‘i this fall! HIFF46 is proud to present 12 films selected by their

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Introducing the 2026 HOCCI Cohort

HIFF46, HOCCI, Reviews / By

The 2026 HIFF ONLINE CREATIVES & CRITICS IMMERSIVE (HOCCI) program, powered by Critical Minded, supports sustainable film criticism in Hawai‘i through mentorship and paid career opportunities. The mission of HOCCI is to broaden and strengthen film criticism culture in Hawaiʻi across a new media multi-disciplinary approach–via online (blog, magazine) review writing, but also via more

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Tenderness & Defiance: LGBTQIA+ Cinema at HIFF46

Features, HIFF46 / By

At the 46th Hawai‘i International Film Festival presented by Halekulani, this year’s LGBTQIA+ films arrive in many forms: intimate coming-of-age stories, audacious comedies, sweeping dramas, documentaries, animation, and stories of chosen family and cultural identity. What connects them is not a single definition of queer experience, but their remarkable humanity. Among the festival’s major highlights

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SPOTLIGHT ON KOREA: South Korean Cinema in all its forms at HIFF46

Features, HIFF46, Programming Updates, Sponsors / By

Presented by the Korean American Foundation of Hawaii (KAFH) The 46th Hawai‘i International Film Festival (HIFF46) presents a dynamic cross-section of contemporary Korean cinema with its SPOTLIGHT ON KOREA, presented by the Korean American Foundation of Hawaii (KAFH). This year’s nine-film showcase brings together U.S. and International Premieres, acclaimed auteurs, emerging filmmakers, documentaries, genre cinema,

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SOUTHEAST ASIAN SHOWCASE: The Best Of The Region Comes To HIFF46

Features, HIFF46, Programming Updates / By

Southeast Asia continues to produce some of the most exciting, adventurous, and socially incisive cinema on the international festival circuit. At HIFF46, the SOUTHEAST ASIAN SHOWCASE brings together six films representing the breadth of contemporary filmmaking from the region—from bold new voices making their feature debuts to internationally acclaimed auteurs returning with deeply personal new

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AAPI FILMMAKERS IN FOCUS: Remembering Japanese American History

Features, HIFF46, Sponsors / By

At HIFF46, AAPI FILMMAKERS IN FOCUS, presented by the Daniel K. Inouye Institute, celebrates the power of AAPI filmmakers to preserve, reclaim, and pass down histories that should never be forgotten. This special program brings together two new short films—Brian Tee’s ENOUGH and Chris Naoki Lee’s THUMBPRINT—that examine the Japanese American experience during World War

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HIFF46 SPOTLIGHT ON HONG KONG Celebrates The Past, Present And Future Of Hong Kong Cinema

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The 46th Hawai‘i International Film Festival presented by Halekulani (HIFF46) continues its longstanding celebration of Hong Kong cinema with the SPOTLIGHT ON HONG KONG, presented by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in San Francisco (HKETO SF). Spanning six films, this year’s program brings together a new generation of filmmakers and performers alongside beloved

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From Cannes to Hawai‘i — Four Animated Films to Watch at HIFF46

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Animation is having a landmark year, and HIFF46 brings four of the year’s most acclaimed international animated features to Hawai‘i. WE ARE ALIENS, TANGLES, IN WAVES, and IRON BOY all world premiered at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival—part of a record year for animation on the Croisette. Now arriving at HIFF after further festival acclaim,

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THE BLOB — Come for the Gore, Stay for the Score!

Events, Features, HIFF46, Programming Updates / By

On Halloween Eve—Friday, October 30—HIFF46 is kicking off Halloween weekend with something louder, stranger, and bloodier. THE BLOB: A NIGHT OF GORE & SCORE pairs Chuck Russell’s gloriously gooey 1988 horror classic with an original live score performed by Hawai‘i musician, composer, and actor Holden Mandrial-Santos, who will remix and synchronize music live to the film

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HIFF46 SPOTLIGHT ON TAIWAN: A Look Back and to the Future

Features, HIFF46, In Theaters, Programming Updates, Sponsors / By

HIFF’s 2026 Spotlight on Taiwan, presented by the Ministry of Culture ROC and Taiwan Academy, Los Angeles,  looks across generations of Taiwanese cinema—honoring the artists who transformed its cinematic language while celebrating a new generation carrying that legacy forward in unexpected directions. The program looks back with THAT DAY, ON THE BEACH, the landmark first

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