HIFF Programming

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,

The 2024 Festival showcases another banner line-up of films by women and female driven stories. Particularly films that illustrate depth, nuance, and complexity in the depiction of female characters and storylines. Check out this exciting line-up of narrative features from rising female directors. All of these women present their first or second features at HIFF

Next week, HIFF44 kicks off at the start of October, just in time for Honolulu Pride, which takes place at the end of the month. 2024 has been an incredible year for queer cinema, as Hollywood, popular culture, and the film industry have been increasingly recognizing the value and importance of LGBTQIA+ filmmakers, characters, and

HIFF is privileged once again this year to have a group of distinguished jurors who will choose the winners in the several categories in competition. Let’s meet three of them. Jason Ishikawa A juror for the category of Best Short Film Award presented by Hawaiian Airlines, Jason Ishikawa comes back to his island home to

The subtitle of HIFF’s HOMEGROWN shorts program is a very telling one: “A Part Of/Apart From.” Chloe Walters-Wallace, director of regional initiatives for Firelight Media, who produced this program, said “In commissioning these eight documentary short films for the collection, … we hope to shed light on the perspectives and experiences of the residents and