Reviews

Programmer’s Picks: THE UGLY STEPSISTER

The Brothers Grimm were sadistic perverts in their moral fables for children that in reality were  pure, sadistic subterfuge. Hyperbolic? Yeah, sure, but this new take on CINDERELLA, is at times, more brutal than THE BRUTALIST.   HIFF is honored to present the Hawai‘i premiere of THE UGLY STEPSISTER, after its wild Sundance world premiere.  […]

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Programmer’s Picks: STATE OF STATELESSNESS is an anthology of Tibetans in exile

The first-ever Tibetan-language anthology feature film produced is screening in the HIFF ‘Ōpio Fest after its world premiere at the Busan Film Festival. STATE OF STATELESSNESS: TALES FROM THE TIBETAN DIASPORA is comprised of four short segments directed by Tibetan filmmakers living in exile in India, America and Vietnam. Each film delves into the profound

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Programmer’s Picks: THE SHROUDS is David Cronenberg’s most personal film

David Cronenberg’s THE SHROUDS is a conundrum of a film. First off, it is a poignant departure from his traditional body horror oeuvre, delving deep into the realms of grief, mortality, and the intertwining of technology with human emotion. This film offers a contemplative exploration of how we confront death in an age dominated by

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IN-YOUR-FACE: Exploring the Chaotic Inspirations & The Spiritual Realm of MANIFESTO [FOR CONCRETE POETRY]

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

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HIFF44 Post-Mortem: Programming Teams’ Picks

As the dust settles from the just concluded 44th Hawai‘I International Film Festival presented by Halekulani (HIFF44), the festival staff is currently going through wrap-up reports, crunching numbers, and analyzing data. On the programming side, it’s several post-mortems as we reflect on some of our personal film favorites, in the hopes that we can amplify

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