Climate gentrification is omnipresent. With rising sea levels, people are forced to move further inland and the housing market must turn elsewhere. This search for new land to “develop” leaves many minority groups out of a place to live in favor of the upper and middle classes who can afford new, up-to-date housing. And though […]
Climate gentrification’s DNA explored in THE SETTLERS (Los colonos) Read More »
The deadly fire in Lāhainā should have never happened. It could have been prevented if the ʻāina (land) had been properly cared for, as it once was before land changes occurred that made the area dangerously dry. Lāhainā is a very important place to Kānaka Maoli, it was once the capital of the Kingdom of
Ka Nani o Lāhainā (The Beauty of Lāhainā) in UNCLE BULLY’S SURF SKOOL & MY PARTNER Read More »
Vicious zombies, grisly action set-pieces, and shocking gore are not a regular occurrence in Hawai‘i indie films. If that doesn’t sound like your idea of a good time, then DECADE OF THE DEAD is not for you. But for those who are able to stomach such intense visuals, and even enjoy them in a perverse
DECADE OF THE DEAD is the zombie bite that Hawai‘i indie filmmaking needs Read More »
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.
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 »
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 »
GODDAMNED ASURA was an official selection of the 42nd Hawai‘i International Film Festival presented by Halekulani. Warning, this review contains spoilers. GODDAMNED ASURA (2021, Dir. Lou Yi-an) is a Taiwanese crime drama that takes place twice with two alternative endings. In this movie, we originally follow the storyline of a young rich kid with divorced
HOCCI @ HIFF42: GODDAMNED ASURA shows how everyone has demons [Review] 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.
