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.
MY SMALL LAND was an official selection of the 42nd Hawai‘i International Film Festival presented by Halekulani. Previously known for directing the short film CIRCLE, Emma Kawawada from the Bun-buku production group makes her feature film directorial debut with MY SMALL LAND. It is a beautiful drama and bitter-sweet coming-of-age movie which follows the challenges […]
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EO was an official selection of the 42nd Hawai‘i International Film Festival presented by Halekulani. The first thing you notice about EO, Jerzy Skolimowski’s bold reinterpretation of Robert Bresson’s 1966 drama AU HASARD BALTHAZAR, is that it lacks a human touch. This isn’t to say that it lacks emotion: EO abounds in pathos and humor,
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BROKER was an official selection of the 42nd Hawai‘i International Film Festival presented by Halekulani. Hirokazu Kore-eda’s latest film was perhaps my most anticipated out of the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. Not only was it met with rave reviews and considered a top contender for the Palme d’Or, but Kore-eda’s previous film SHOPLIFTERS was one
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BAD AXE is an official selection of the 42nd Hawai‘i International Film Festival presented by Halekulani. It is currently available to view on the Festival’s streaming platform until November 27th (Hawai‘i only) – Purchase Tickets Filmmaker David Siev successfully creates a portrait of American life during a time of turmoil in his new film BAD
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Warning: The following contains spoilers for PROJECT WOLF HUNTING (2022) and HUNT (2022). Over the course of HIFF42, I watched two South Korean films that were centered around and saturated with brutal violence: one considered it a spectacle, something that it assumed the audience wanted to see, and something that could easily be assigned moral
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GOODBYE CRUEL WORLD screened at the 42nd Hawai‘i International Film Festival presented by Halekulani When regarding the art and ingredients of making a gangster film, Quentin Tarantino stated, “a good, pulpy story or you need an aspect of criminality that you want to put under a microscope.” He also added that a satirical subtext is
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