HIFF Programming

HIFILM spotlights upcoming film about Hawai‘i’s greatest night in sports history

Features, Free Films/Events, Hawai‘i Films, HIFF43, HIFILM / By HIFF Programming

As part of HIFILM (HIFF43’s “Industry Hub”), comes the return of HOMETOWN HEROES, a now perennial panel that explores the “State of 808 State Filmmaking,” and it’s trajectory as a burgeoning and sustainable indie film & tv industry in the ideation and production of authentic local stories. This year’s HOMETOWN HEROES panel is a little […]

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Programmer’s Picks: HIFF43’s International Shorts Programs

Features, HIFF43, In Theaters, Programming Updates / By HIFF Programming

HIFF43’s short film programs are here! With an overall twelve shorts programs, I want to focus on four international shorts programs that are full of impactful and insightful stories from around the world (16 countries to be exact!). Short films are integral to film festivals not only because of their ability to pack variety into

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Film For Thought: JOIN OR DIE (HIFF43)

Features, Film For Thought, HIFF43 / By HIFF Programming

JOIN OR DIE traces social scientist Robert D. Putnam’s life work in studying the decline of civic engagement in the United States over the last half-century. The film offers Putnam an opportunity to reflect on two of his highly influential works, Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community (2000) and Making Democracy Work:

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Film For Thought: NO MĀORI ALLOWED + STILL WE RISE (HIFF43)

Features, Film For Thought, HIFF43, HIFILM / By HIFF Programming

For Indigenous people living under settler colonialism, the themes of NO MĀORI ALLOWED (2022) and STILL WE RISE (2022) feel more than familiar. In the former, director Corinna Hunziker (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kahu) interviews Māori elders and community members to confront—some for the first time publicly—the acute racial segregation that pervaded Pukekohe, a small township in

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Film For Thought: MUSTACHE (HIFF43)

Features, Film For Thought, HIFF43 / By HIFF Programming

A feature debut and homage to coming-of-age films, nineties nostalgia, and awkward teenage transitions, MUSTACHE, written and directed by Imran J. Khan, won the Audience Award at SXSW and poses to be a new classic. The film begins with 13-year-old Ilyas’s (Atharv Verma) voiceover, as he contemplates the multiverse and whether there’s a place for

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HIFILM: The hub for Hawai’i’s industry professionals, creatives, and film fans

Events, Features, Film Festival News, HIFF Talk Story, HIFILM / By HIFF Programming

Film Festivals are more than just a curated collection of film screenings. Over the years, HIFF has also expanded its panels, talk stories and education initiatives, as the Festival invests in the cultural and economical pathways to independent cinema and content creation in Hawai‘i. The goal, since HIFF’s inception in 1981, is to be a

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HIFF SPRING SHOWCASE returns to 100% in-person | Gala Films: JAMOJAYA and SUZUME

Current Events, Features, Film Festival News, HIFF News, In Theaters, Spring Showcase / By HIFF Programming

HIFF is thrilled to kick off the year with our 26th HIFF Spring Showcase presented by Halekulani with 20 feature films and 5 short films, all in-person at the Consolidated Kahala Theatres from March 31 through April 6. We are thrilled to open the Spring Showcase with the ‘hometown premiere’ of Justin Chon’s JAMOJAYA starring

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2023 Spring Showcase Program Announced

Current Events, Features, Film Festival News, In Theaters, Sundance / By HIFF Programming

Filled with insight and discovery, the Hawaii International Film Festival is dedicated to advancing understanding and cultural exchange among the peoples of Asia, the Pacific and North America by presenting films from around the world. We hold two film festivals on the island of O‘ahu every year, with our HIFF Spring Showcase serving as a

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HOCCI @ HIFF42: FASHIONED REIMAGINED, LYNCH/OZ & ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED

Features, HIFF42, HOCCI, Reviews / By HIFF Programming

FASHIONED REIMAGINED, LYNCH/OZ, and ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED were official selections of the 42nd Hawai‘i International Film Festival presented by Halekulani I love documentaries a lot, but I know that puts me in the minority. Most of my friends can’t stand documentaries, they think that they’re boring and are only meant to be

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HOCCI @ HIFF42: “How Film Festivals Can Save Cinema” [Video Essay]

Features, HIFF42, HOCCI, I ♥ HIFF / By HIFF Programming

HIFF ONLINE CREATIVES & CRITICS IMMERSIVE (HOCCI) mentee Alioune Fall turns in a video essay summing up how the film festival ecosystem is the last line of defense to “save cinema-going” and cinema appreciation. He brings in the prominence of legacy IP (anything Disney, MCU, Star Wars, etc) as the new mono-culture and how attending film

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