Featured articles, opinion pieces and reviews by select HIFF staff, interns and content providers.
Watch the HIFF41 presentation of MONEYBOYS online November 15 – November 28, 2021 Anderson Le: What was the inspiration for MONEYBOYS? First of all, “Moneyboys” never intended to seduce the audience with explicitly dramatized documentary insight of a hustler´s daily work life to foster the voyeurism in every one of us. I don’t like the […]
MONEYBOYS: A Q&A with Director C.B. Yi Read More »
Albert Pyun had Hollywood dreams. He was sneaking onto Kaneohe Marine Corps Base to shoot his 8mm movies with school buddies, and was a voracious reader of detective noir and frequented the movie houses around Oahu that would play new Asian films, from Akira Kurosawa to King Hu. He was also an admirer of other
HIFF41 Honoree Spotlight: Why Albert Pyun Matters Read More »
The news earlier this week that Rappler founder and embattled journalist Maria Ressa became the first Filipino to be awarded the prestigious Nobel peace prize was greeted by human rights activists around the world. The award has put a spotlight on the struggle of journalists and activists fighting President Rodrigo Duterte’s attacks on press freedom.
Revisiting HIFF’s Q&A with just announced Nobel prize honoree Maria Ressa Read More »
A Sweet Transgender Story Drowned in Motor Oil and Wrapped in Titanium Body Horror // This review DOES contain spoilers for TITANE – I do believe this movie is most effective without having any idea what will happen before going in. With that being said, it feels next to impossible to write about it without
REVIEW: TITANE (2021) Read More »
Sign up for HIFF Selects, a monthly curated streaming club Love in All Its Awkwardness Aspiring jazz singer Bertie is effortlessly beautiful in her voice and demeanor. As a New Orleans native living in the South of France, you hardly ever get the impression that she’s out of place. Lane is a slightly different story.
HIFF Selects: MA BELLE, MY BEAUTY Read More »
41ST HAWAI’I INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (HIFF) PRESENTED BY HALEKULANI OPENING NIGHT FILM ANNOUNCEMENT | The Hawai’i International Film Festival (HIFF) presented by Halekulani announced today their Opening Night presentation of WATERMAN directed by Isaac Halasima. The film explores the role of sports in breaking societal barriers through Duke Paoa Kahanamoku’s journey and legacy as a
World Premiere of Duke Paoa Kahanamoku Documentary WATERMAN Read More »
This review contains spoilers to Justin Chon’s BLUE BAYOU – A work of art (film in this instance) can be broken up into two intersecting concepts: form and content. While content is the subject of the artwork, form deals with the different ways the artist utilizes their respective tools (camera work, costumes and set
BLUE BAYOU: Form vs. Content Read More »
With less than 20 days until the release, SHANG CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS was already gained attention in news outlets, as Disney’s CEO, Bob Chapek was criticized by the movie’s lead actor, Simu Liu, for calling the movie an “experiment.” Liu was outraged when Disney decided to block people from watching
HIFF recently hosted a special advance screening of Justin Chon’s BLUE BAYOU, which will open nationwide on September 17 only in theaters. This is Justin’s 4th film as a director. His first film, MAN UP, which is a bromance black comedy that he shot entirely in Hawai‘i with YouTube star KevJumba some years ago,
BLUE BAYOU: HIFF Talk Story with Justin Chon Read More »
How a Continuous Misrepresentation of Hawai‘i in Films Has Burdened Locals Because cinema is often used as an escape for people feeling trapped, stuck, or uninspired, it only makes sense that the genre of “vacation movies” exists. THE HANGOVER (2009), JUST GO WITH IT (2011), and CRAZY RICH ASIANS (2018) all fall into the category
STOPPING THE SPREAD Read More »
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With gratitude, we honor the ʻāina itself and the generations who steward it.
