HIFF44 HONOREES & AWARDS
Presented by Halekulani
Honoree Awards
STANLEY NELSON
Stanley Nelson is the foremost chronicler of the African American experience working in nonfiction film today. His documentary films, many of which have aired on PBS (POV and American Masters) and ESPN (30 For 30) combine compelling narratives with rich and deeply researched historical detail, shining new light on both familiar and under-explored aspects of the American past. A MacArthur “Genius” Fellow, Nelson was awarded a Peabody for his body of work in 2016. He has received numerous honors over the course of his career, including the 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Television Arts Sciences. In 2013, President Barack Obama presented Nelson with the National Medal in the Humanities. Nelson founded Firelight Films, a production company and non-profit that produces documentary films, develops strategies, partnerships, and materials to reach and engage diverse audiences. Select filmography: WOUNDED KNEE (2009); THE BLACK PANTHERS: VANGUARD OF THE REVOLUTION (2015); MILES DAVIS: BIRTH OF COOL (2019); SAN JUAN HILL: MANHATTAN’S LOST NEIGHBORHOOD (2024).
Halekulani Vision in Film Award
The Halekulani Vision In Film Award is the apex of our honoree distinctions. It is given to a film professional who has consistently been at the top of their game, considered as one of the global cinema innovators of our time. Sometimes, the award is given to an organization for their incredible impact to cinema history. The Vision In Film has only been given seven times in HIFF’s forty-two year history. Past recipients include Hirokazu Kore-eda, Ang Lee, Zhang Yimou, and the American Film Institute (AFI).
TEMUERA MORRISON
New Zealand born Temuera Morrison, a multi-faceted entertainer, has long been an international cultural icon; not only as one of the nation’s foremost actors but as a leading proponent of Māori culture and performance. Born in Rotorua, of Te Arawa and Ngati Maniapoto Ngati Rarua descent, Temuera’s membership in a famous entertainment family ensured an early interest in performance art. At home and internationally, his career breakthrough came in 1994, playing Jake “The Muss” Heke in the groundbreaking movie ONCE WERE WARRIORS, and its follow-up WHAT BECOMES OF THE BROKEN HEARTED?, for which he earned a Best Actor award from the New Zealand Film Awards. Some of Temuera’s most iconic roles include Jango Fett and Boba Fett of the Star Wars Universe, Chief Tui in Disney’s MOANA and upcoming MOANA 2, and Tom Curry in the Aquaman movies. He co-starred in KA WHAWHAI TONU: STRUGGLE WITHOUT END, which broke box office records in New Zealand this past summer. His most upcoming projects are CHIEF OF WAR, THE WRECKING CREW, and THE BLUFF.
HIFF44 LEANNE K FERRER TRAILBLAZER AWARD
Presented by Pacific Islanders in Communications (PIC), the HIFF Leanne K. Ferrer Trailblazer Award is given to a cinema artist of Pacific Islander heritage who broadens the scope of Pacific Islander stories onto the world stage, producing award winning work in independent and global cinema. This honoree is a true trailblazer, whose work aligns with PIC’s mission, which is to support, advance, and develop Pacific Island media content and talent that results in a deeper understanding of Pacific Island history, culture, and contemporary challenges. Past recipients include Taika Waititi, Heperi Mita on behalf of Merata Mita, Keala Settle and Kerry Warkia.
JUSTIN MARKS & RACHEL KONDO
JUSTIN MARKS is an Oscar-nominated screenwriter and television Creator and Executive Producer. In feature films, Justin was most recently a writer on the worldwide box-office hit film TOP GUN: MAVERICK for producers Jerry Bruckheimer, Tom Cruise, and Paramount. The film has earned nearly $1.5 billion worldwide. He also wrote the Walt Disney Company’s hit film THE JUNGLE BOOK directed by Jon Favreau and earned nearly $1 billion in worldwide box office. In television, Justin is the Co-Creator and Showrunner of the FX epic series SHŌGUN based on the novel by James Clavell. Previously, Justin created the Starz drama COUNTERPART that starred JK Simmons and ran for two seasons.
RACHEL KONDO was born and raised on Maui. Her writing has appeared in Electric Literature, Ploughshares Solos and Indiana Review. In 2019, her story “Girl of Few Seasons” was included in The O. Henry Prize Stories and selected as a juror favorite by Elizabeth Strout. She co-created the FX television production of SHŌGUN, adapted from the novel by James Clavell. She is a graduate of the Michener Center for Writers. Both Marks and Kondo currently reside on Maui.
HIFF HALEKULANI MAVERICK AWARD
The Halekulani Maverick Award is given to an international cinema artist who has a unique and eclectic career trajectory, contributing to international cinema arts in an innovative way. This maverick does things on their own terms, creating work that can have a rabid following to a mass appreciation in today’s pop culture. Like a trendsetter and tastemaker, their work may not have been appreciated early on, but has become an artistic benchmark. Past recipients include Awkwafina, Tadanobu Asano, Randall Park and Kevin Smith. This year, we are greatly honored to bestow the Maverick Award to breakout star Simu Liu.
CHARLES YU & JIMMY O. YANG
CHARLES YU is creator and showrunner of INTERIOR CHINATOWN (Hulu/20th) based on his novel of the same title, which was a New York Times bestseller and won the National Book Award for Fiction. The book was named a best book of the year by numerous publications and organizations, including The New Yorker, NPR, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Vanity Fair and Vulture. He has been nominated for three WGA awards and has written for Hulu, FX, AMC and HBO, as well feature film projects for Searchlight Pictures and Warner Bros. His writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Harper’s, Time and Wired, among other places. He lives in southern California with his family.
Jimmy O. Yang is an actor, comedian, writer and producer who is best known for his roles in LOVE HARD, SILICON VALLEY, CRAZY RICH ASIANS and SPACE FORCE, where he also served as a writer. He stars as Willis Wu in the upcoming Hulu drama INTERIOR CHINATOWN, based on the award-winning novel of the same name by Charles Yu.
As a standup comedian, Jimmy’s newest standup comedy special GUESS HOW MUCH? premiered on Amazon Prime to millions of views on the platform and socials. Jimmy’s debut standup comedy special GOOD DEAL, also on Amazon Prime, likewise quickly became some of the most viewed standup comedy clips on social media. Jimmy is also the author of HOW TO AMERICAN, a memoir where he shares his early experience of coming to America as an immigrant from Hong Kong, only to later disappoint his parents by becoming a standup comedian.
Along with partners Jessica Gao and Ken Cheng, Jimmy is a founding member of Crab Club Inc., a production company dedicated to fostering original, authentic, and diverse voices in both TV and Film projects.
HIFF HALEKULANI MAVERICK AWARD
The Halekulani Maverick Award is given to an international cinema artist who has a unique and eclectic career trajectory, contributing to international cinema arts in an innovative way. This maverick does things on their own terms, creating work that can have a rabid following to a mass appreciation in today’s pop culture. Like a trendsetter and tastemaker, their work may not have been appreciated early on, but has become an artistic benchmark. Past recipients include Awkwafina, Tadanobu Asano, Randall Park and Kevin Smith. This year, we are greatly honored to bestow the Maverick Award to breakout star Simu Liu.
SANDRA NG
Award-winning actor Sandra Ng is a mainstay of Hong Kong cinema, from her iconic comedic performances reaching back to the 1980s through to more serious roles and recent work as a director and producer. A household name as Hong Kong’s ‘Queen of Comedy’, her films have been consistent box-office smashes throughout the decades, in both Hong Kong and China, and her versatility has also been recognized at the Golden Horse and Hong Kong film awards for her powerhouse dramatic performances. She both produced and starred in ZERO TO HERO (2021), Hong Kong’s submission to the 2021 Academy Awards, and was honored to be the Filmmaker In Focus at the Hong Kong International Film Festival in 2022 in recognition of her outstanding artistic and commercial contribution to her native film industry. In the same year, Ng made history as the first Hong Kong actress to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).
HIFF44 SPOTLIGHT ON HONG KONG FILMMAKER IN PROFILE
In this year’s Spotlight, it showcase the glimmer of Hong Kong’s glory days of the late 20th century as it goes through growing pains in the marketplace—audience’s evolving viewing consumption, cultural and economic shifts as Hong Kong reintegrates with Mainland China’s policies, and the continuing post-pandemic after effects. What is encouraging is the new crop of filmmakers and established stars continuing the retain the unique, local flavors of what makes Hong Kong, “Hong Kong.”
Competition Awards
Made In Hawaii Film Awards
Presented by FilmHawaii with cash prizes made possible by the Nichols Family Film Fund
Select fiction, non-fiction features and short films that are made by locally-based filmmakers or involve locally-based stories are eligible for one of two Best Made in Hawai‘i film awards with cash prizes totaling $10,000.
HIFF Best Short Film Award
PRESENTED BY HAWAIIAN AIRLINES
Short films help establish tone, style and a filmmaker’s creative vision to form the foundation of a budding career. These works can also be proof of concepts or progenitors to a feature film, but they must stand alone as their own succinct and unique work. It is always a welcome challenge by the HIFF team to sift through thousands of entries each year to curate these popular Shorts programs.
HIFF is one of a select few Academy Awards®-qualifying Festivals. The winning films in the HIFF Best Short Film and HIFF Best Made in Hawai‘i Short Film categories are eligible to qualify for the Oscars, provided that the films meet all the requirements set forth at www.oscars.org/rules.
HIFF Pasifika Award
PRESENTED BY PACIFIC ISLANDERS IN COMMUNICATIONS
HIFF in partnership with Pacific Islanders in Communications (PIC) presents a Pasifika Award for Best Feature Film celebrating the authentic and high quality narrative and documentary features across the Pacific region. This competition jury, comprised of film professionals of Pacific Islander descent, selects the best of films by and about Pacific Islanders. The winning film receives a cash prize of $5,000.
HIFF Kau Ka Hōkū Award
PRESENTED BY HAWAIIAN AIRLINES
The prestigious HIFF KAU KA HŌKŪ (Shooting Star) Award presented by Hawaiian Airlines is the Festivals international award presented to the best emerging filmmaker (first or second feature film) at the Festival. Both fiction and non-fiction feature films are nominated and adjudicated by an esteemed international jury.
HIFF NETPAC Award
Presented by the US Department of Energy's Water Power Technologies OfficePresented by Pacific Islanders In Communications (PIC)
The Network for the Promotion of Asian-Pacific Cinema (NETPAC) is an international organization dedicated to promoting Asian and Pacific film throughout the world. The NETPAC award is given at select international Festivals including Berlin, Cannes, Toronto, Venice, Rotterdam, Busan, Singapore, Taiwan, Yamagata, Amiens and Hawaii – to promote Asian and Pacific cinema by spotlighting exceptional talent. HIFF is the only Film Festival in the USA given permission to present the NETPAC award.
HIFF Deep Blue Environmental Short Award
Presented by the US Department of Energy's Water Power Technologies Office
HIFF has a longstanding commitment to showcase film and conversation that shine a light on the climate crisis, and the innovative ways populations are making our world more sustainable. HIFF is honored to partner with the US Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office to present a Deep Blue Environmental Short award. A $5,000 cash prize is awarded to the best short film that covers ocean-or water-based environmental topics and/or a Powering the Blue Economy™ theme, which involves the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and jobs while preserving the health of ocean ecosystems.eme, which involves the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and jobs while preserving the health of ocean ecosystems.
HIFF BMW HAWAII DRIVEN STUDENT FILMMAKER AWARD
Presented by BMW of Honolulu
HIFF and BMW HAWAII are thrilled to announce a new award dedicated to celebrating and supporting a local university student filmmaker. At the 43rd Hawai’i International Film Festival presented by Halekulani, HIFF’s jury will select the ‘best short film’ from the HIFF University Shorts Program to be presented with the HIFFx BMW of HAWAI’I DRIVEN Student Filmmaker Award and cash prize meant to fund film scholarship, courtesy of BMW of Honolulu.
HIFF Audience Choice Award
Presented by Hawaii News Now
Your Vote Counts! Vote for your favorite Feature, Documentary, Short and Student films playing at HIFF44!
Voting is accessible to all audiences via QR codes at screenings. Winning films are announced in a special Hawaii News Now broadcast following the completion of the full HIFF44 Festival.
NOMINATED FILMS: ALL HIFF44 Films, features and shorts, are eligible for HIFFxHawaii News Now Audience Choice Award!