Animation is having a landmark year, and HIFF46 brings four of the year’s most acclaimed international animated features to Hawai‘i.
WE ARE ALIENS, TANGLES, IN WAVES, and IRON BOY all world premiered at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival—part of a record year for animation on the Croisette. Now arriving at HIFF after further festival acclaim, these films showcase animation at its most ambitious, personal, and cinematic. And with awards season underway, all four are films to watch on the road to the Academy Awards.
WE ARE ALIENS
Japanese filmmaker Kōhei Kadowaki makes his feature debut with WE ARE ALIENS, an exquisitely observed coming-of-age story about two childhood friends whose bond is tested by adolescence, peer pressure, and expectations of masculinity.
Premiering at Cannes, the film now competes for HIFF’s Kau Ka Hōkū Award, honoring an emerging filmmaker with a bold and distinctive voice.
TANGLES
Based on Canadian cartoonist Sarah Leavitt’s beloved graphic memoir, TANGLES follows a young queer artist who returns home after her mother is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Director Leah Nelson balances heartbreak, humor, memory, and family in a deeply personal animated feature.
Its remarkable voice cast includes Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Abbi Jacobson, Bryan Cranston, Beanie Feldstein, Seth Rogen, Samira Wiley, Bowen Yang, and Wanda Sykes.
IN WAVES
Adapted from AJ Dungo’s acclaimed graphic memoir, IN WAVES is a moving story of first love, surfing, illness, grief, and memory.
Featuring the voices of Will Sharpe and Stephanie Hsu, director Phuong Mai Nguyen’s feature debut opened Cannes Critics’ Week and beautifully uses animation to capture the rhythms of memory and the sea.
IRON BOY
Winner of the Special Jury Prize in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard, IRON BOY follows 11-year-old Christophe, a farm boy whose life changes when a medical condition forces him to wear an iron corset. Through music, friendship, and rebellion, he discovers a new understanding of strength and independence. Louis Clichy’s tender coming-of-age film arrives at HIFF as one of the year’s most decorated animated features.
From Cannes to HIFF46
Together, these four films demonstrate the extraordinary range of contemporary animation—from graphic memoir and intimate autobiography to bold original storytelling. They explore love, family, masculinity, disability, grief, identity, and memory while pushing the possibilities of the medium.
For Hawai‘i audiences, HIFF46 offers a rare opportunity to experience four of the year’s most exciting international animated films together, where they belong: on the big screen and with an audience. Come discover the films everyone will be talking about as awards season unfolds—and perhaps find your own favorite before the rest of the world catches up.
From Cannes to Hawai‘i, don’t miss this remarkable year for animation at HIFF46.
