SOUND OF FALLING premiered at the 45th Hawai‘i International Film Festival presented by Halekulani “Deadline as a word used to fascinate me,” writes Yiyun Li in her novel Where Reasons End, “a word that connects time and space and death with such absoluteness.” Deadlines have fatigued our lives, becoming a banality more disrespected than not […]
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ON THE OTHER ISLAND: New Films and New Visions from the Dominican Republic was a Shorts Program from the 45th Hawai‘i International Film Festival presented by Halekulani The 2025 HOCCI Cohort Reviews Three Films From ON THE OTHER ISLAND: New Films and New Visions from the Dominican Republic At HIFF45, the short film program ON
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The votes have been tabulated and the audience has spoken. Here are the 45th Hawai‘i International Film Festival presented by Halekulani (HIFF45) Audience Award winners presented by Hawaii News Now: HIFF45 Audience Award for Narrative Feature: RENTAL FAMILY (USA, Japan) Director: HIKARI HIFF45 Audience Award for Documentary Feature: MĀLAMA MĀKUA (Hawai‘i, USA) Director: Mikey Inouye
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(L to R) Directors Kimberlee Bassford (BEFORE THE MOON FALLS) & Marty Schweitzer (LAHAINA RISING) posing with their HIFF45 Made In Hawai‘i Awards at the HIFF45 Awards Ceremony, which was held at Halekulani October 23, 2025 (Honolulu, HI) – The 45th edition of the Hawai‘i International Film Festival (HIFF45) presented by Halekulani announced its jury
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As HIFF45’s Closing weekend at Kahala is upon us, we’ve just added a few more screenings for closing weekend—especially our just announced HIFF45 Jury Award Winners. 10/24 4:30pm – BEFORE THE MOON FALLS Made In Hawai‘i Award Winner / Consolidated Kahala 6:15pm – LAHAINA RISING – Made In Hawai‘i Award Winner / Consolidated Kahala 10/25
Overwhelmed by the sheer number of sights to see at HIFF45? Your tour guides to all things film at the Festival, the HIFF programmers, have compiled lists of their personal top picks to help you get the most out of your cinematic journey. Anderson’s Recommendations FWENDS An occasionally awkward reunion between a pair of pals
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In Richard Brody’s essay “In Defense of the Traditional Review” for The New Yorker, he delivers a compelling call to action for the preservation of written film criticism in an age increasingly dominated by short-form content, video essays, vlogs, and social media posts. Brody argues that the traditional written review remains essential—not only as a
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Instagram Facebook Youtube Teenage Nightmare: Horror Film Depicts Unique Hardships of Immigrants Amy Wang’s New American Perspective film Slanted recounts her own difficult experiences growing up as an Asian immigrant in Australia. Born in China, Wang and her parents moved to Sydney when she was 7. Wang did not know any English except for “A,
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Instagram Facebook Youtube Award Winning Director Explores Trauma and Healing in Latest Film Filmmaker Nani Sahra Walker has built a career defined by curiosity, courage, and compassion. A director, writer, and producer, her work moves fluidly between documentary, narrative, and immersive media—all with a deep commitment to truth and humanity. Through her films, Walker explores
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Instagram Facebook Youtube Immigrant Filmmaker Captures True Essence of Vietnam in Ky Nam Inn Leon Le’s work as a screenwriter and director is inextricably linked to his immigrant experience. Born in Vietnam, Le initially came to the United States in 1993 when he was 13 years old. After returning to his native land years later,
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