The 43rd Hawai‘i International Film Festival presented by Halekulani – An epic wave of global films, exclusive premieres, filmmaker panels, and networking events hit the shores of Hawaiʻi. Read content about the films, filmmakers and conversations that were featured in the program.
Bildungsroman. What the heck is that? It’s a German term that comprises of two words: Bildung which means education or formation Roman which means novel A bildungsroman is a novel of formation, education or culture. In other words, the coming-of-age story! Now, we know you’ve heard of that! It’s also a pretty universally story that […]
HIFF43 Bildungsroman Films Read More »
HIFF43 continues its streak of showing the very best in Asian action cinema from Japan, China and South Korea. From old school martial arts, including a documentary examining the posthumous bootleg Bruce Lee movie pipeline that flooded cinemas worldwide, to Japanese female assassins, savage samurais vying for power, and in-person tributes to action superstars Daniel
Action Asia at HIFF43 Read More »
Albert Pyun – a Son of Hawai‘i, born and raised on the Windward side of Oahu, who would work as a cameraman at KGMB, had high aspirations to break into Hollywood as a filmmaker. He never did, relegated to mostly direct to VHS movies, yet his 50-filmography represented a volume of work that goes unprecedented
Enter the Albert Pyun-iverse with HIFF43’s weekend double feature! Read More »
The HIFF ONLINE CREATORS & CRITICS IMMERSIVE (HOCCI) program supports sustainable film criticism in Hawai‘i through mentorship and paid career opportunities. The mission of HOCCI is to broaden diversity in film criticism across the Pacific region and use influencer branding strategies to spark career opportunities in Hawai’i, not be hampered by oceans, state borders and
Introducing the 2023 HOCCI Cohort Read More »
Growing up Asian in Hawai‘i, one can argue that the Asian American experience is different from Asian Americans living on the continent. As a Gen X-er, I grew up in the 1980s, where the majority of my elementary school teachers were Japanese and female, my neighbors were Asian, Pacific Islander and Kanaka Maoli. But, is
What it means to be Asian|American in Hawai‘i Read More »
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
HIFILM spotlights upcoming film about Hawai‘i’s greatest night in sports history Read More »
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
Programmer’s Picks: HIFF43’s International Shorts Programs Read More »
Featuring over 186 films from across the globe, industry panels and career development workshops: The 43rd Hawai‘i International Film Festival presented by Halekulani (HIFF43) is the premiere cinematic event in the Pacific presenting the best in global cinema with a mission to elevate Asian, Pasifika, Kānaka Maoli and Indigenous voices. In-theater screening dates and locations:
PURCHASE YOUR HIFF43 PASSES TODAY Read More »
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:
Film For Thought: JOIN OR DIE (HIFF43) Read More »
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
Film For Thought: NO MĀORI ALLOWED + STILL WE RISE (HIFF43) Read More »
With aloha, HIFF acknowledges its occupation of ancestral, traditional and contemporary lands of the Indigenous Hawaiian people, the Kānaka Maoli.
With gratitude, we honor the ʻāina itself and the generations who steward it.