THE ARRANGEMENTS had its world premiere at the 45th Hawai‘i International Film Festival presented by Halekulani as part of the Made in Hawai‘i Shorts. A conversation with director Sonny Ganaden about community, grief, childhood, and making magic with non-actors. THE ARRANGEMENTS (2025) It was during the Made in Hawai‘i Shorts at HIFF when I came […]
A Conversation with Sonny Ganaden, Director of THE ARRANGEMENTS Read More »
THE EYES OF GHANA premiered at the Hawai‘i International Film Festival presented by Halekulani. THE EYES OF GHANA takes viewers on a visually striking journey through the rich and fascinating life of Reverend Chris Hesse, a Ghanaian filmmaker who served as the personal cameraman to Ghana’s first prime minister, Kwame Nkrumah. The film weaves several
Sankofa – An Exploration of THE EYES OF GHANA with Anita Afonu Read More »
If you want to watch a short film that is blunt, in-your-face, and smacks you out of nowhere, look no further than the short MANIFESTO [FOR CONCRETE POETRY], directed by Richard Hamasaki, Jody Stillwater & Sebastian Galasso. The imagery, editing combined with the avant-garde archival use of texture and imagery, bring to life the poem
HIFF44 had many shorts programs this season, so we’re not surprised that our loyal patrons may have missed a film or two due to scheduling conflicts. So with the help of our head of short programming, Melina Kiyomi Coumas, we’d like to recommend a handful of films that may have escaped your attention on the
Spotlight on HIFF44 Short Films Worth a Second Look 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 »
On August 8th, 2023, Hawai’i experienced one of the worst wildfires in US history. The fire destroyed the town of Lahaina, Maui, completely disrupting the lives of the communities who lived there. HEALING LAHAINA, a short documentary film by Laurel Tamayo, tells the story of Laurel’s family, who lost their multigenerational home in the 2023
Q&A with Laurel Tamayo, Director of HEALING LAHAINA Read More »
We are just one week away from the kickoff of the 44th annual Hawai‘i International Film Festival presented by Halekulani (HIFF44) with the Opening Night world premiere of TINĀ, the feature film directorial debut of Kiwi-based Samoan filmmaker Miki Magasiva. Tickets are still available – but going fast – for Opening Night, which is screening
TINĀ (HIFF44 Opening Night Film): Interview with Director Miki Magasiva Read More »
Taylor Ramos and Tony Zhou, the duo behind popular video essay series EVERY FRAME A PAINTING, were early pioneers of the film analysis/video essay genre on YouTube. In 2014, they published their first video about Bong Joon-ho’s MOTHER and the use of telephoto profile shots. With Tony responsible for principal research, writing, and editing, and
From EVERY FRAME A PAINTING to THE SECOND: Q&A with Taylor Ramos & Tony Zhou Read More »
For Alika Tengan, it’s an honor to bring home a film about the people and culture of these islands to an eager audience that will attend his screenings at this year’s Hawai‘i International Film Festival. The Centerpiece film MOLOKA‘I BOUND will make its local debut on O‘ahu at the Consolidated Theatres at Ward, then travel
HIFF44 Centerpiece Film MOLOKA‘I BOUND with Filmmaker Alika Tengan Read More »
