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Features

Featured articles, opinion pieces and reviews by select HIFF staff, interns and content providers.

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

Features, HIFF46, Programming Updates, Sponsors / By

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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HAWAI’I INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL PRESENTED BY HALEKULANI ANNOUNCES 2026 LINEUP

Features, Hawai‘i Films, HIFF46, NAP, Programming Updates / By

Update: The Full HIFF46 Lineup is now live at boxoffice.hiff.org   HIFF46 Opens with the World Premiere of THE NAVIGATOR at the Historic Hawai‘i Theatre Center and Presents the Hawai’i Premiere of Sung Kang’s DRIFTER as Centerpiece 84 features and 86 shorts include 34 World, 6 North American, 12 U.S., 3 International Premieres; 30 Made

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HIFF WEDNESDAYS BRINGS HAWAI‘I-MADE FILMS TO CONSOLIDATED THEATERS

Features, Hawai‘i Films, In Theaters / By

Consolidated Theatres and the Hawai‘i International Film Festival (HIFF) are launching HIFF WEDNESDAYS, a new biweekly theatrical series bringing Hawai‘i-made films to audiences across O‘ahu and creating a year-round platform for local filmmakers beyond the annual Festival. Beginning Wednesday, September 2, every other Wednesday at 7:00 PM, a specially curated film will screen simultaneously at

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