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.
Directed by husband and wife filmmaking duo, Todd Soliday and Leah Warshawski, UNCLE BULLY’S SURF SKOOL spotlights a surf instructor in Lahaina, Bull Kotter (Uncle Bully), and his dedication to serving his community amidst the pandemic and following the wake of the August 8th Lahaina wildfire. The documentary begins by showcasing Uncle Bully and the […]
Cultivating community in UNCLE BULLY’S SURF SKOOL Read More »
Enemies to lovers is a romance trope that has run itself to the ground ten times over. Some movies do this well, but it always somehow feels a little familiar. So what better way to add some freshness to this genre than to make a Boys Love film set in Maui with two high schoolers
MY PARTNER is a necessary addition to the ‘Boys Love’ genre Read More »
KĀHULI, SEEING WITH HAWAIIAN EYES, and KEEPER OF THE BAY, all official selections of the 43rd Hawai‘i International Film Festival, are three documentaries bringing awareness to topics such as climate change, rapid extinction and decline of native plants and animals, sustainable Hawaiian practices, and some of the people who are working to preserve this ʻāina.
(L to R) The Rise of Hawa‘i Cinema HIFILM Panelists: Brian Kealana; Ty Sanga; Moses Goods; Ciara Lacy; Kristian “Krit” Fanene Schmidt; Kalikolehua Hurley I had the privilege of attending THE RISE OF HAWAI‘I CINEMA, a HIFILM Panel presented by Pasifika Entertainment Advancement Komiti (PEAK), which took place on October 9th during the 43rd Hawai‘i
Reflecting on the RISE OF HAWAI‘I CINEMA Panel Read More »
Bully Kotter, also known as ‘Uncle Bully,’ teaches children how to surf at a camp in Lahaina, Maui. He is the subject of the Hawai‘i International Film Festival’s co-opening film, UNCLE BULLY’S SURF SKOOL, a documentary by Maui-based filmmakers Leah Warshawski and Todd Soliday which began shooting during the pandemic. One of the kids Bully
Lahaina doc UNCLE BULLY’S SURF SKOOL delivers message of hope 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 »
FASHIONED REIMAGINED, LYNCH/OZ, and ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED were official selections of the 42nd Hawai‘i International Film Festival presented by Halekulani I love documentaries a lot, but I know that puts me in the minority. Most of my friends can’t stand documentaries, they think that they’re boring and are only meant to be
HOCCI @ HIFF42: FASHIONED REIMAGINED, LYNCH/OZ & ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED Read More »
HIFF ONLINE CREATIVES & CRITICS IMMERSIVE (HOCCI) mentee Alioune Fall turns in a video essay summing up how the film festival ecosystem is the last line of defense to “save cinema-going” and cinema appreciation. He brings in the prominence of legacy IP (anything Disney, MCU, Star Wars, etc) as the new mono-culture and how attending film
HOCCI @ HIFF42: “How Film Festivals Can Save Cinema” [Video Essay] Read More »
It’s no secret that the highlight of my experience at HIFF42 was the screening of Lee Jung-jae’s HUNT (HIFF42 Centerpiece), which, as of writing this article, is now available on-demand online (I strongly recommend it!). So, given that I am neither Korean, nor am I particularly familiar with Korean history, I decided to look into
HOCCI @ HIFF42: Hunting for context in Lee Jung-jae’s HUNT Read More »
BROKER was an official selection of the 42nd Hawai‘i International Film Festival presented by Halekulani. The film will be released commercially in select U.S. theaters in late December. HIFF ONLINE CREATIVES & CRITICS IMMERSIVE (HOCCI) mentee Jim Fahey sits down with Leo Williams, a NY-based film critic, to discuss about the HIFF42 Closing Night Film BROKER
HOCCI @ HIFF42: BROKER Review [Podcast] 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.
