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 distance, because geography is no longer a barrier. Officially launched in 2022 with ten young mentees, HOCCI is a reimagining of the former Roger Ebert Young Critics Initiative.
THE CIGARETTE SURFBOARD is an eye-opening documentary directed by Ben Judkins that has been making waves at the Hawai’i International Film Festival. We dive into Taylor Lane’s journey as he collects thousands of cigarette butts from beaches to create a functioning surfboard. What started as an art project turned into a life’s mission to save […]
THE CIGARETTE SURFBOARD and Our Responsibility to the Ocean Read More »
In this video essay, HIFF ONLINE CREATIVES & CRITICS IMMERSIVE (HOCCI) mentee Elise Hatsuko explores the transformative power of international film festivals like HIFF in supporting diasporic communities. By showcasing films from diverse cultures, these festivals serve as agents of language justice and representation, allowing communities to see their languages and stories on screen. From
How International Film Festivals Empower Diasporic Communities Read More »
Sometimes a fire needs to be set. WE WERE DANGEROUS (2024) is a piece on girls finding support and freedom within a community of “undesirables.” Winner of the HIFF44 PASIFIKA award, this New Zealand film directed by Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu celebrates the strength of young Maori women and a wider take on girlhood. Placed in
WE WERE DANGEROUS – Using fear to control Read More »
HIFF ONLINE CREATIVES & CRITICS IMMERSIVE (HOCCI) mentee Sho Araiba reviews ASHIMA, a documentary from director Kenji Tsukamoto that follows Ashima Shiraishi, one of the world’s youngest elite rock climbers, as she embarks on an incredible journey with her biggest supporter and coach, her dad. Together, they set out to conquer a V14 boulder climb in
ASHIMA: what the family of a rock-climbing prodigy can teach us Read More »
There is something about eating dumplings that is almost ethereal. I remember my first time having soup dumplings – the puncture felt like piercing a veil. The burst of warm soup disrupted all I had known about soup and dumplings separately, and by some well-executed design, it was all happening in one spoon. Chewing on
Food and film collide in GIFTS FROM THE KITCHEN Read More »
WOVEN is an indigenous short film directed by Vilsoni Hereniko and Alex Cantatore. It tells the story of an incident involving an indigenous basket weaver (played by Vilsoni Hereniko) trying to complete the traditional art of basket weaving but struggling to do so in a world where that custom is being forgotten. This film explores
Indigenous aesthetics through WOVEN Read More »
The VFX-heavy YIN YANG MASTER ZERO presents itself as an exhilarating roller coaster, topped with all the bells and whistles, but the ride itself may not be enjoyable for everyone. Although director Shimako Sato attempts to breathe new life into the historical characters, the high-fantasy elements and big budget do most of the heavy lifting
YIN YANG MASTER ZERO: The Battle Between 2001 and 2024 Read More »
Ever wondered what it felt like to be on the frontlines of Polynesian wartime? The latest of Māori magic to be showcased on the big screen is none other than KA WHAWHAI TONU: STRUGGLE WITHOUT END. This two-hour feature film reveals the true accounts of indigenous resistance in Aotearoa during the 1864 battle of Ōrākau.
Indigenous Resistance in KA WHAWHAI TONU: STRUGGLE WITHOUT END Read More »
I’m notorious for talking myself out of rooms before I’ve even gotten out of bed. And there in bed I sat, slouched over my HOCCI application in the middle of my inner saboteur’s best speech: I am a film noob. What position was I in to critique it? As it turns out, the perfect position.
Get in the car, we’re going critiquing Read More »
Based on Takashi Imashiro’s manga of the same name, GHOST CAT ANZU directed by Yôko Kuno & Nobuhiro Yamashita is a beautiful animated film that is a remarkable example of what is possible when excellent writing, directing, production, and performance all come together. GHOST CAT ANZU is Beautiful, but Boring The film’s production was tremendously
GHOST CAT ANZU: The Mundanity of Overcoming Grief 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.
