HAWAI’I INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL PRESENTED BY HALEKULANI ANNOUNCES 2026 LINEUP

HIFF46 Opens with the World Premiere of THE NAVIGATOR at the Historic Hawai‘i Theatre Center and Presents the Hawai’i Premiere of Sung Kang’s DRIFTER as Centerpiece

84 features and 86 shorts include 34 World, 6 North American, 12 U.S., 3 International Premieres; 30 Made In Hawai’i Films & acclaimed selections from Cannes, Sundance, Berlin and Busan, and the second annual HIFILM Industry Conference

HONOLULU, HI — The Hawai‘i International Film Festival (HIFF) presented by Halekulani announces the lineup for its 46th annual edition–scheduled for October 21-November 5 on Oahu and thru November 15 on Maui, Molokai, Lanai and Big Island of Hawai’i–bringing together a distinctly Hawai‘i-centered and globally minded program of new cinema from across the islands, Asia, the Pacific and around the world.

HIFF46 features 84 films, including thirty-four World Premieres, six North American Premieres, twelve U.S. Premieres and three International Premieres. The Festival continues its singular role as a cinematic crossroads of East and West, presenting an eclectic mix of major festival discoveries and awards-season contenders alongside emerging filmmakers, Indigenous storytellers, Asian and Pacific Islander voices, and an exceptional showcase of films made in Hawai‘i.

OPENING NIGHT: THE NAVIGATOR — WORLD PREMIERE

 

HIFF46 will open with the World Premiere of THE NAVIGATOR, directed by Jordan Manley, at the historic Hawai‘i Theatre Center. The Made in Hawai‘i documentary follows legendary Native Hawaiian navigator Nainoa Thompson, nearly 50 years after he became the first Native Hawaiian in six centuries to navigate from Hawai‘i to Tahiti without modern instruments. Returning to the open ocean for one final voyage, Thompson sails 2,400 miles with a crew of student navigators, guided by the stars, the natural world and the teachings passed to him by master navigator Mau Piailug.

Opening Night also marks a meaningful homecoming for HIFF: the Festival returns to the Hawai‘i Theatre Center for its Opening Night celebration for the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It is a tremendous honor for HIFF to open our 46th Festival with the World Premiere of THE NAVIGATOR, a film that could not be more deeply connected to Hawai‘i and to who we are as a festival,” said Jean H. Lee, HIFF Executive Director. “Nainoa Thompson’s legacy reaches far beyond an extraordinary achievement in navigation. It represents the reclamation and perpetuation of ancestral knowledge, a living connection across Oceania, and the responsibility to pass that knowledge to the next generation. Through Nainoa and the Polynesian Voyaging Society, Pacific seafaring is not simply being preserved—it continues to live, evolve and inspire. To celebrate that legacy with a World Premiere in Hawai‘i, while returning HIFF Opening Night to the historic Hawai‘i Theatre for the first time since before the pandemic, makes this an especially meaningful homecoming.”

Nainoa Thompson, director Jordan Manley, and luminaries from Hawaiʻi’s art and cultural community will be in attendance to celebrate this world premiere.

CENTERPIECE: DRIFTER — HAWAI’I PREMIERE

HIFF46’s Centerpiece Presentation is the Hawai’i Premiere of DRIFTER, the feature directorial debut of actor and filmmaker Sung Kang, who also writes, produces and stars. Set within the world of drifting, the film follows a solitary racetrack janitor haunted by his past whose extraordinary talent behind the wheel gives him one last opportunity to compete—provided he can learn to trust the people around him.

For Hawai‘i audiences, DRIFTER carries an added resonance. Kang’s film draws upon the culture and mythology surrounding drifting and the communities that transformed it from an underground pursuit into an international phenomenon.

55 WORLD, NORTH AMERICAN, U.S. AND INTERNATIONAL PREMIERES

HIFF46 continues the Festival’s longstanding role as a launching pad for new work from Hawai‘i, Asia and the Pacific, with 55 films making World, North American, U.S. or International Premieres. HIFF46’s premieres reflect a program rooted in discovery—offering Hawai‘i audiences the opportunity to be among the first anywhere in the world, North America, the United States or internationally to encounter some of the year’s most exciting new films.

HIFF46 continues the Festival’s longstanding role as a launching pad for new work from Hawai‘i, Asia and the Pacific, with 55 films making World, North American, U.S. or International Premieres. HIFF46’s premieres reflect a program rooted in discovery—offering Hawai‘i audiences the opportunity to be among the first anywhere in the world, North America, the United States or internationally to encounter some of the year’s most exciting new films.

Together, HIFF46’s premieres reflect a program rooted in discovery—offering Hawai‘i audiences the opportunity to be among the first anywhere in the world, North America, the United States or internationally to encounter some of the year’s most exciting new films.

FROM CANNES, SUNDANCE, BERLIN, BUSAN AND BEYOND

HIFF46 brings Hawai‘i audiences a highly curated selection of festival favorites, discoveries and awards contenders from Cannes, Sundance, Berlin, Busan and other major international festivals.

Highlights include Sundance Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award winner JOSEPHINE (Director: Beth de Araújo), alongside BEDFORD PARK (Director: Stephanie Ahn), plus acclaimed festival selections straight from Cannes such as ALL OF A SUDDEN (Director: Ryuichi Hamaguchi, starring Cannes Best Actress Winners Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto), COWARD (Director: Luke Dhont), FATHERLAND (Director: Paweł Pawlikowski), LA BOLA NEGRA (Directors: Javier Calvo, Javier Ambrossi), MINOTAUR (Director: Andrey Zvyagintsev), THE STATION (Director: Sarah Ishaq), 9 TEMPLES TO HEAVEN (Director: Sompot Chidgasornpongse), and WE ARE ALIENS (Director: Kohei Kodawaki).

HIFF46 also presents some of the season’s most anticipated new films from leading studios, distributors and streamers. Netflix is represented by INK (Director: Danny Boyle), 14TH (Director: Ava Duvernay), POSSIBLE LOVE (Director: Lee Chang-dong) and LA BOLA NEGRA (Javier Calvo, Javier Ambrossi, Best Directors in Cannes); A24 by CLUB KID (Director: Jordan FIrstman) and THE DEBUT (Director: Jesse Eisenberg); IFC Films by TANGLES (Director: Leah Nelson) and MOUSE (Directors: Kelly O’Sullivan, Alex Thompson); and Searchlight Pictures by BEHEMOTH! (Director: Tony Gilroy) and WILD HORSE NINE (Director: Martin McDonagh). The lineup also features I PLAY ROCKY (Director: Peter Farrelly) from Amazon MGM Studios as well as NEON with ONCE UPON A TIME IN HARLEM (Directors: William Greaves, David Greaves), CLARISSA (Directors: Arie Esiri, Chuko Esiri), and the aforementioned ALL OF A SUDDEN.

Together, these films reflect HIFF’s distinctive curatorial perspective—bringing the global festival conversation to Hawai‘i while placing international cinema in dialogue with filmmakers and stories from Hawai‘i, Asia and the Pacific.

NEW AMERICAN PERSPECTIVES PRESENTED BY VILCEK FOUNDATION

New American Perspectives shines a spotlight on immigrant artists and filmmakers. Supported by the Vilcek Foundation in partnership with Hawai’i International Film Festival (HIFF), this program honors the powerful impact of diversity on film and cinema in the United States. The program centers immigrant artists’ voices and experiences through talks and events available to festival attendees and the public. This year’s New American Perspectives programs include an artist master class, film screenings, Q&As with immigrant filmmakers, and a panel discussion with our filmmakers, to be held at Civil Beat HQ in Kaimuki. 

We are honored to introduce our 2026 New American Perspectives cohort: Henry Ian Cusick (b. Peru); Liz Sargent (b. South Korea); Alex Tarrant (b. New Zealand); Michelle Zhou (b. China). New American Perspectives filmmakers Henry Ian Cusick and Alex Tarrant will also participate in HIFF’s Guest Filmmaker Program, which brings artists from around the globe into K-12 classrooms in Hawai’i.

The final NAP Honoree, who will also receive the HIFF46 Halekulani Career Achievement Award, will be announced at a later date.

HAWAI‘I AT THE CENTER OF THE PACIFIC

For 46 years, HIFF has remained committed to the belief that Hawai‘i is not the periphery of the film world, but a vital meeting place within it. HIFF46 continues that legacy by providing a major public forum for Hawai‘i filmmakers, Kanaka Maoli storytellers, Pacific Islanders, Indigenous filmmakers and the Asian diaspora, placing their work alongside some of the most celebrated filmmakers and films working in world cinema today.

The Festival’s Made in Hawai‘i, Pacific Showcase and regional spotlights across East and Southeast Asia reflect the communities, histories and cultural intersections that make Hawai‘i unique. Films including THE NAVIGATOR, MAKING THE LINE, EA (SOVEREIGN), LAHAINA: VOICES OF CHANGE, NIU FOREVER, ORPHAN MYTH and PROTECTING KAHOʻOLAWE: 50 YEARS OF ALOHA ʻĀINA demonstrate the breadth of contemporary filmmaking emerging from the islands—from Native Hawaiian cultural practice and sovereignty to environmental stewardship, community resilience, memory and the responsibility to future generations.

“At its core, HIFF has always been about where we are,” said Anderson Le, HIFF Artistic Director. “We can present an awards contender from Cannes or Sundance one night, a World Premiere from Hawai‘i the next, and then a new filmmaker from Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Aotearoa or across Oceania—and they all belong in the same conversation. That is Hawai‘i. We are Indigenous, local, Asian, Pacific Islander, immigrant and global all at once. Protecting HIFF as a forum where these filmmakers and communities can see themselves reflected on screen—and where their stories are treated with the same importance as the most buzzworthy films in world cinema—is sacred to our mission.”

From established masters and major awards-season contenders to first-time filmmakers and the continuing emergence of what HIFF has called the “Kanaka Maoli New Wave,” HIFF46 celebrates cinema as a living exchange between cultures, generations and communities.

HAWAI‘I’S ONLY ACADEMY AWARD®-QUALIFYING FILM FESTIVAL

HIFF is the only film festival in the State of Hawai‘i recognized as an Academy Award®-qualifying festival for short films. Winners of HIFF’s qualifying short film categories become eligible for consideration in the Academy Awards® Short Film competition, providing filmmakers with a direct pathway toward Oscar® consideration and placing Hawai‘i on the global stage for emerging cinematic talent. A total of 86 short films will screen at the Festival.

“Being an Academy Award®-qualifying film festival gives HIFF a unique opportunity to champion short-form storytelling and provide filmmakers with a pathway to the global stage,” says Melina Coumas, HIFF Program Manager and Shorts Programmer. “The Made in Hawai‘i Shorts Jury Award is Academy Award®-qualifying, creating a one-of-a-kind opportunity for local filmmakers. With short films making up the majority of Hawai‘i-made programming at HIFF, this pathway can elevate emerging voices, jumpstart careers, and potentially take a Hawai‘i filmmaker all the way to the Oscars®.”

MORE ANNOUNCEMENTS TO COME

Check back here and also on HIFF social media channels for further announcements on the HIFILM INDUSTRY CONFERENCE (October 24 & 25 at Chaminade University) and the HIFF HONOREE GALA at HALEKULANI (October 29). More announcements on special guests, Honorees and Late Additions to the Film Program!

HIFF46 FILMS A-Z

Complete feature-film listing. Screening dates, times, venues, logos and program icons have been omitted for press use.

2 VALID IDS
INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE | SOUTHEAST ASIAN SHOWCASE
PHILIPPINES 2026 | FILIPINO W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 93M
DIRECTOR: MA-AN L. ASUNCION-DAGÑALAN
Sylvia, an impoverished farmer, desperately needs to claim money sent by a relative to pay for her gravely ill husband’s medical treatment. But the remittance center requires two valid IDs—and she doesn’t have even one. Forced to turn to a fixer, Sylvia navigates endless lines, mounting expenses, hunger, and an unforgiving bureaucracy. As her husband’s condition deteriorates, a seemingly simple requirement becomes a desperate race against time, testing Sylvia’s faith, conscience, and humanity.

9 TEMPLES TO HEAVEN
HAWAI’I PREMIERE | SOUTHEAST ASIAN SHOWCASE | KAU KA HŌKŪ AWARD NOMINEE
THAILAND 2026 | THAI W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 140M
DIRECTOR: SOMPOT CHIDGASORNPONGSE
After a fortune teller warns that his elderly mother may soon die, 63-year-old Sakol gathers his family for a one-day pilgrimage to nine temples, hoping their merit-making will prolong her life. As nine relatives journey through Thailand’s magnificent temples, old tensions surface and their grandmother grows increasingly weary. World Premiering at Cannes, Sompot Chidgasornpongse’s 9 TEMPLES TO HEAVEN is a tender, gently humorous family odyssey about mortality, faith, and the complicated ways we express love.

14TH
HAWAI’I PREMIERE | DOCUMENTARY PANORAMA
UNITED STATES 2026 | ENGLISH | 100M
DIRECTOR: AVA DUVERNAY
A decade after her Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning 13TH, Ava DuVernay turns her lens to the 14th Amendment and its enduring promise of citizenship and equal protection. Blending archival research with contemporary headlines and more than 50 interviews spanning the political and cultural spectrum, 14TH traces 150 years of battles over rights, identity and belonging. Urgent and provocative, DuVernay’s latest confronts a fundamental question America has yet to fully answer: Who gets to belong?

A GIRL UNKNOWN
HAWAI’I PREMIERE | SPOTLIGHT ON CHINA
CHINA, FRANCE 2026 | CHINESE W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 125M
DIRECTOR: JING ZOU
Growing up under China’s one-child policy, Wang Juan is passed through three different families, each giving her a new name and identity. Uprooted from her rural home after her father’s death, she searches for belonging amid repeated displacement and abandonment. As she reaches adulthood and finds work in a garment factory, Juan begins defining herself on her own terms. Zou Jing’s assured debut is a quietly affecting coming-of-age story of resilience, identity, and self-determination.

AH GIRL
HAWAI’I PREMIERE | SOUTHEAST ASIAN SHOWCASE
SINGAPORE 2026 | ENGLISH, MANDARIN W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 99M
DIRECTOR: ANG GECK GECK PRISCILLA
Singapore, 1994. At seven years old, spirited Ah Girl is beginning to understand the adult world, even as its contradictions leave her bewildered. Between a schoolyard crush and her budding chewing gum business, she cares of her younger sister while being shuttled between separated, self-absorbed parents. Drawing from her own childhood memories, director Ang Geck Geck Priscilla’s tender, funny debut captures divorce and dysfunctional adults through a child’s eyes, where small joys and heartbreaks carry enormous weight.

ALL OF A SUDDEN
HAWAI’I PREMIERE | SPOTLIGHT ON JAPAN | PANORAMA
FRANCE, JAPAN, GERMANY, BELGIUM 2026 | FRENCH, JAPANESE W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 196M
DIRECTOR: RYÛSUKE HAMAGUCHI
From Ryusuke Hamaguchi (DRIVE MY CAR) comes a moving meditation on care, mortality, and human connection. In the Paris suburbs, nursing home director Marie-Lou challenges convention with a radical philosophy of compassionate care. Her encounter with Mari, a terminally ill Japanese playwright, blossoms into a transformative friendship that challenges the institutions surrounding them. Featuring Cannes Best Actress winners Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto, ALL OF A SUDDEN finds quiet resistance and profound humanity in an unexpected bond.

THE ASSASSIN(S)
HAWAI’I PREMIERE | SPOTLIGHT ON KOREA
SOUTH KOREA 2026 | KOREAN, JAPANESE W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 131M
DIRECTOR: HUR JIN-HO
Based on the 1974 assassination attempt on South Korean President Park Chung-hee that killed First Lady Yuk Young-soo, Hur Jin-ho’s gripping conspiracy thriller follows police and journalists determined to uncover the truth behind the case. Starring Yoo Hae-jin, Park Hae-il and Lee Min-ho, the film blends historical record with dramatic interpretation, channeling the paranoid energy of JFK and investigative tenacity of SPOTLIGHT to confront dictatorship, Cold War politics and a national trauma still shrouded in questions.

BEDFORD PARK
HAWAI’I PREMIERE | PANORAMA
UNITED STATES 2026 | ENGLISH | 121M
DIRECTOR: STEPHANIE AHN
Haunted by an abusive childhood, Audrey, a Korean American woman in her 30s, reluctantly returns home after her mother is injured in a car accident. There, she forms an unexpected connection with the man responsible, forcing her to confront the family trauma she has long avoided. Produced by Nina Yang Bongiovi, Stephanie Ahn’s feature debut BEDFORD PARK is an intimate exploration of love, healing, and whether moving forward is possible without forgetting the past. World Premiere, Sundance Film Festival.

BEHEMOTH!
HAWAI’I PREMIERE | PANORAMA
UNITED STATES 2026 | ENGLISH | 124M
DIRECTOR: TONY GILROY
Tony Gilroy (MICHAEL CLAYTON, ANDOR) returns to the big screen with BEHEMOTH!, starring Pedro Pascal as Alex Serian, a gifted cellist returning to Los Angeles after two decades on the road. Music, which has been the constant, all-consuming river of his life, begins to carry Alex on an adventure that will change him forever. Olivia Wilde, Eva Victor, Alexa Swinton, JoBeth Williams, Margarita Levieva, Hank Azaria, and Will Arnett round out Gilroy’s impressive ensemble. A Searchlight Pictures Release.

BEYOND THE SMILES: YANI TSENG
WORLD PREMIERE | SPOTLIGHT ON TAIWAN
TAIWAN ROC, UNITED STATES 2026 | ENGLISH, MANDARIN W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 95M
DIRECTOR: FRANK W CHEN
Once the “Smiling Queen of Golf,” Taiwanese sensation Yani Tseng captured five Majors and held the World No. 1 ranking for 109 consecutive weeks before injuries and personal struggles derailed her extraordinary career. Following Tseng from 2020 to 2025, this intimate documentary chronicles her journey to rediscover herself beyond the game, revealing the physical and psychological toll of elite competition and the burden of becoming a national icon while exploring resilience, mental health and redefining success.

BIG LITTLE THINGS
U.S. PREMIERE | NEW AMERICAN PERSPECTIVES | SPOTLIGHT ON CHINA
UNITED STATES, HONG KONG SAR CHINA 2026 | CHINESE W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 109M
DIRECTOR: MICHELLE ZHOU
On New Year’s Eve, Lei returns home to her seemingly perfect middle-class Chinese family with a man pretending to be her boyfriend, hoping to conceal her sexuality and satisfy familial expectations. When her real girlfriend unexpectedly arrives, the carefully constructed charade begins to unravel. Writer-director Michelle Zhou crafts an intimate portrait of family, identity, and belonging, as unspoken tensions surface and Lei confronts the complicated divide between cultural expectations and living authentically.

BTS: THE RETURN WITH BAO NGUYEN
SPECIAL PRESENTATION | DOCUMENTARY PANORAMA | SPOTLIGHT ON KOREA
UNITED STATES 2026 | ENGLISH, KOREAN W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 91M
DIRECTOR: BAO NGUYEN
HIFF invites Hawai‘i ARMY to a special presentation of BTS: THE RETURN, followed by an in-person Q&A with director Bao Nguyen. After completing South Korea’s mandatory military service, BTS reunites in Los Angeles to record their fifth album, Arirang, and prepare for their comeback at Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square. Nguyen captures the seven members rediscovering their collective identity, offering an intimate behind-the-scenes look at the long-awaited return of the biggest band in the world. Free Admission!

CHURA VITA
U.S. PREMIERE | SPOTLIGHT ON OKINAWA | SPOTLIGHT ON JAPAN
JAPAN 2026 | ENGLISH, JAPANESE, SWEDISH W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 105M
DIRECTOR: TSUKASA KISHIMOTO
Okinawan director Tsukasa Kinishimoto returns with his latest after HAPPY SANDWICH (HIFF 2023) for another journey into Okinawa. Swedish traveler Nicolina Svensen arrives seeking the secret to the island’s legendary longevity, only to find ancestral traditions fading amid modernization. When she encounters a stranded dolphin and joins efforts to return it to the sea, her search takes on deeper meaning. Immersed in Okinawa’s people and natural beauty, Nico discovers a way of life rooted in connection and reverence for nature.

CLARISSA
HAWAI’I PREMIERE | PANORAMA
NIGERIA, UNITED STATES 2026 | ENGLISH, NIGERIAN PIDGIN W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 134M
DIRECTOR: ARIE ESIRI, CHUKO ESIRI
Oscar nominee Sophie Okonedo leads CLARISSA, Chuko and Arie Esiri’s lyrical reimagining of Virginia Woolf’s MRS. DALLOWAY, transplanted to contemporary Lagos. Preparing for an elegant gathering, Clarissa reunites with friends from her youth, awakening memories of love, hidden desires, and roads not taken. Gorgeously shot on 35mm, this distinctly Nigerian adaptation explores class, colonialism, identity, and longing while transforming Woolf’s classic into something strikingly new. World Premiere, Cannes Directors’ Fortnight.

CLUB KID
HAWAI’I PREMIERE | PANORAMA
UNITED STATES 2026 | ENGLISH | 122M
DIRECTOR: JORDAN FIRSTMAN
A hard-partying New York City club promoter has built his life around velvet ropes, late nights, and keeping the party going. But his carefully curated existence is upended when a 10-year-old boy arrives claiming to be the son he never knew he had. Jordan Firstman brings his singular comedic sensibility to this irreverent and unexpectedly tender story of accidental fatherhood, arrested development, and discovering that growing up doesn’t necessarily mean giving up the party.

COWARD
HAWAI’I PREMIERE | PANORAMA
BELGIUM, FRANCE, NETHERLANDS 2026 | DUTCH, FRENCH W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 125M
DIRECTOR: LUKAS DHONT
On the Belgian front during the First World War, young soldier Pierre arrives eager to prove his courage in battle. Behind the trenches, he meets Francis, whose makeshift theatrical performances offer weary soldiers a fleeting escape from the horrors of war. As an unexpected bond forms between them, COWARD becomes a poignant meditation on love, masculinity, and the quiet acts of humanity that endure amid unimaginable violence. Lukas Dhont’s latest Cannes sensation won the festival’s Best Actor prize for co-stars Emmanuel Macchia and Valentin Campagne.

THE DATING MENU
HAWAI’I PREMIERE | SPOTLIGHT ON HONG KONG
HONG KONG SAR CHINA 2026 | CANTONESE, MANDARIN W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 102M
DIRECTOR: AMOS WHY, FRANKIE CHUNG
With his private chef business barely staying afloat, a lovelorn cook turns to a dating app searching for Zelda, the girl who captured his heart years ago. Instead, he finds four Zeldas, preparing each a meal in hopes of recovering something he lost. Directors Amos Why and Frankie Chung serve up a funny, tender Hong Kong romance about missed connections, memory, and love, set against a changing city where food preserves what time threatens to erase.

DEAR YOU
SPECIAL PRESENTATION | SPOTLIGHT ON CHINA
CHINA 2026 | TEOCHEW W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 118M
DIRECTOR: LAN HONGCHUN
Broke and desperate, Xiaowei travels from China’s Chaoshan region to Thailand in search of his long-lost grandfather, hoping to uncover a forgotten family fortune. But what begins as a comic quest for money transforms into a deeply moving journey through decades of love, sacrifice, and family history, revealed through qiaopi—the letters and remittances exchanged by overseas Teochew communities. Fueled by heartfelt storytelling and exceptional word of mouth, DEAR YOU has become one of China’s sleeper hits of the year.

THE DEBUT
HAWAI’I PREMIERE | PANORAMA
UNITED STATES 2026 | ENGLISH W/ | 105M
DIRECTOR: JESSE EISENBERG
Shy housewife Mona Friedman’s quiet life is upended when she lands a bit part in a community theater production and transforms into a fiercely committed method actor. Determined to protect the artistic integrity of her marginal role, she wages an escalating battle against the show’s domineering director. Jesse Eisenberg’s latest directorial effort, starring Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti, is a sharply observed comedy about ambition, ego, creative obsession, and one woman’s unexpected determination to claim the spotlight.

EA (SOVEREIGN)
HAWAI’I PREMIERE | MADE IN HAWAI‘I
UNITED STATES 2025 | ENGLISH, HAWAIIAN (‘OLELO HAWAI‘I) | 70M
DIRECTOR: NOAH KEONE VIERNES, SANCIA MIALA SHIBA NASH
Kanaka ʻŌiwi cultural leader Keʻeaumoku Kapu and his family fight to reclaim their ancestral lands in Kauaʻula Valley, Maui. Through family histories, community memories, and nearly two decades of legal battles, the documentary traces the lasting impacts of colonization, plantation agriculture, militarization, and development on Native Hawaiian land and water rights. Blending archival materials with contemporary community life, it is a powerful portrait of Indigenous resilience, cultural sovereignty, and the intergenerational responsibility to mālama ʻāina for future generations.

ELEPHANTS IN THE FOG
HAWAI’I PREMIERE | PANORAMA | KAU KA HŌKŪ AWARD NOMINEE
NEPAL, GERMANY, BRAZIL, FRANCE, NORWAY 2026 | NEPALI W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 108M
DIRECTOR: ABINASH BIKRAM SHAH
Deep within Nepal’s forests, where wild elephants roam through the mist, Pirati is the matriarch of a close-knit Kinnar transgender community. Secretly dreaming of leaving with the man she loves and pursuing a life beyond the expectations placed upon her, her plans are upended when one of her daughters disappears. Forced to search for answers, Pirati must choose between personal freedom and responsibility to her chosen family. World Premiering at Cannes, ELEPHANTS IN THE FOG is an atmospheric portrait of transgender identity, love, sacrifice, and belonging.

FATHERLAND
HAWAI’I PREMIERE | PANORAMA
POLAND, FRANCE, GERMANY, ITALY 2026 | GERMAN, ENGLISH, FRENCH, RUSSIAN W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES
| 82M
DIRECTOR: PAWEL PAWLIKOWSKI At the height of the Cold War, Nobel Prize-winning author Thomas Mann (Hanns Zischler) and his daughter Erika Mann (Sandra Hüller), an actress, writer, and outspoken anti-fascist, embark on a road trip across a divided postwar Germany. As they journey from American-controlled Frankfurt to Soviet-occupied Weimar, buried family tensions and questions of exile, identity, and belonging emerge. Paweł Pawlikowski’s FATHERLAND is a poignant historical drama about family, memory, and reconciliation. Cannes Film Festival world premiere.

FILIPIÑANA
HAWAI‘I PREMIERE | SOUTHEAST ASIAN SHOWCASE |
PHILIPPINES, UNITED KINGDOM, SINGAPORE, FRANCE, THE NETHERLANDS 2026 | FILIPINO, ENGLISH, ILOCANO W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 100M
DIRECTOR: RAFAEL MANUEL
Amid stifling heat and drought, Isabel, a 17-year-old Ilokana, works at a posh country club near Manila. New to the job, she wanders the immaculate grounds while wealthy members and tourists interact with the subservient staff. But something is rotting beneath the pristine fairways. When Isabel tries to return a mislaid golf club to the patriarchal director, her journey into exclusive corners reveals violent truths about the club, her country, and her past. An Official Selection of Sundance, Berlinale, BFI London, and Busan Film Festivals.

FRUIT GATHERING
U.S. PREMIERE | SOUTHEAST ASIAN SHOWCASE | KAU KA HŌKŪ AWARD NOMINEE
MYANMAR, CZECH REPUBLIC, FRANCE 2026 | BURMESE W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 98M
DIRECTOR: AUNG PHYOE
In contemporary Myanmar, two young women working at a textile factory in industrial Yangon endure exhausting labor, social repression and economic uncertainty. As they grow closer, long-suppressed emotions surface, awakening desires for intimacy and escape in a society where love between women remains stigmatized. Told through silences and subtle gestures, Aung Phyoe’s tender directorial debut is a quietly powerful portrait of queer desire and personal freedom, winner of the Grand Prix at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival.

FULL CONTACT
SPECIAL PRESENTATION | SPOTLIGHT ON HONG KONG
HONG KONG 1992 | CANTONESE W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 98M
DIRECTOR: RINGO LAM
Newly remastered, Ringo Lam’s blistering 1992 cult classic FULL CONTACT stars Chow Yun-Fat as Jeff, a Bangkok nightclub bouncer pulled into the criminal underworld after helping his reckless friend Sam (Anthony Wong). A high-stakes arms heist with Sam’s sadistic cousin Judge (Simon Yam) ends in bloody betrayal, setting Jeff on a path of revenge. Packed with explosive gunplay, unforgettable villains, and Lam’s muscular direction, FULL CONTACT remains a high watermark of Hong Kong action cinema.

THE GREAT ARCH
HAWAI’I PREMIERE | PANORAMA
FRANCE, DENMARK 2025 | FRENCH, ENGLISH, DANISH, ITALIAN W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 107M
DIRECTOR: STÉPHANE DEMOUSTIER
When an unknown architecture teacher from Copenhagen unexpectedly wins French President François Mitterrand’s international competition to design Paris’ monumental Grande Arche, Otto von Spreckelsen is thrust onto the world stage. As politics, bureaucracy, and artistic ideals collide, his visionary dream is tested by the immense pressures of realizing one of France’s most ambitious public works. An Official Selection of Cannes’ Un Certain Regard, THE GREAT ARCH is an inspiring true story of vision, ambition, and perseverance.

GUIDED BY HORSES
INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE | DOCUMENTARY PANORAMA | KAU KA HŌKŪ AWARD NOMINEE
AUSTRALIA 2026 | ENGLISH W/CLOSED CAPTIONS (FOR CLOSED CAPTION DEVICES) | 76M
DIRECTOR: SEAN O’REILLY
In a remote region of Australia’s outback affected by high youth suicide rates, Indigenous young people find healing, purpose, and belonging through transformative relationships with wild horses. At the heart of the story is a sanctuary founded by Aboriginal researcher Professor Juli Coffin, whose own life was changed by horses. Blending documentary realism with spiritual and cinematic storytelling, the film is an uplifting portrait of resilience, cultural connection, and the power of reconnecting with community, country, and self.

HIGUMA!! THE KILLER BEAR
HAWAI’I PREMIERE | SPOTLIGHT ON JAPAN | AFTER DARK
JAPAN 2026 | JAPANESE W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 100M
DIRECTOR: EISUKE NAITO
Buried in debt after his family is destroyed by ruthless scammers, a desperate teenager drifts into the same shadow economy, taking a high-paying criminal gig that leads him deep into the woods. Then comes the bear. Huge, bloodthirsty, and very angry. Eisuke Naito’s gruesome, bleakly funny yamibaito creature feature turns financial desperation into a ferocious fight for survival. Think COCAINE BEAR, but one that actually delivers on the thrills, gore, and bite.

THE HOUSE ON THE MOON
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE | SPOTLIGHT ON TAIWAN | KAU KA HŌKŪ AWARD NOMINEE
SINGAPORE, TAIWAN ROC, GERMANY, INDONESIA 2026 | MANDARIN W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 104M
DIRECTOR: NELSON YEO
Drawing from the Chinese legend of moon goddess Chang Er and her archer husband Hou Yi, Nelson Yeo’s cosmic wuxia follows Chang Er to the dark side of the moon after her lover disappears on a quest to save the dying sun. Accompanied by an astronaut from Earth, she embarks on a surreal journey through love and immortality. Singapore’s first wuxia feature (with Taiwan as co-production country) plays like a Gen Z ASHES OF TIME, bursting with lush, vibrant cosmic imagery.

I PLAY ROCKY
HAWAI’I PREMIERE | PANORAMA
UNITED STATES 2026 | ENGLISH | 128M
DIRECTOR: PETER FARRELLY
Before ROCKY became an American classic, Sylvester Stallone was an unknown actor willing to bet everything on himself. Directed by Academy Award winner Peter Farrelly, I PLAY ROCKY follows Stallone (Anthony Ippolito) as he fights to sell his screenplay while refusing to relinquish the lead role. Told “no” at every turn, he holds his ground against impossible odds, creating the ultimate underdog story behind the ultimate underdog movie, nearly 50 years after its 1976 debut.

IN WAVES
HAWAI’I PREMIERE | PANORAMA
FRANCE 2026 | ENGLISH | 91M
DIRECTOR: PHUONG MAI NGUYEN
Adapted from AJ Dungo’s acclaimed graphic memoir, IN WAVES is a heartfelt animated romance about first love, loss, and the healing power of the ocean. After shy skateboarder AJ falls for surfer Kristen, she introduces him to the world of surfing and a newfound sense of belonging. Featuring the voices of Will Sharpe and Stephanie Hsu, director Phuong Mai Nguyen’s luminous debut opened Cannes Critics’ Week 2026 with an emotional celebration of love, memory, and resilience.

INK
HAWAI’I PREMIERE | PANORAMA
UNITED STATES 2026 | ENGLISH | 116M
DIRECTOR: DANNY BOYLE
Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle brings his signature kinetic energy to INK, an explosive journalism thriller chronicling the rise of Rupert Murdoch’s tabloid empire. Jack O’Connell leads a powerhouse ensemble alongside Claire Foy and Guy Pearce, as ambition, sensationalism, and the pursuit of circulation transform the newsroom. Channeling NETWORK and NIGHTCRAWLER, Boyle delivers a visceral political parable about the birth of the attention economy and how yesterday’s tabloid revolution helped shape today’s fractured media landscape.

IRON BOY
HAWAI’I PREMIERE | PANORAMA
FRANCE,BELGIUM 2026 | FRENCH W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 89M
DIRECTOR: LOUIS CLICHY
In rural France, 11-year-old Christophe struggles to earn the approval of his stern father until a mysterious condition forces him to wear an iron corset, changing the course of his childhood. Away from the family farm, he discovers music, friendship, and a new sense of self. Winner of the Special Jury Prize in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section and three major awards at Annecy, this heartfelt coming-of-age drama celebrates resilience and finding strength through vulnerability.

JOSEPHINE
HAWAI’I PREMIERE | PANORAMA
UNITED STATES 2025 | ENGLISH | 119M
DIRECTOR: BETH DE ARAUJO
Eight-year-old Josephine’s childhood is shattered after she witnesses a violent crime in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Consumed by fear and anger she cannot fully understand, she struggles to regain a sense of safety while her devoted parents (Channing Tatum and Gemma Chan) find themselves powerless to help. Anchored by newcomer Mason Reeves’ remarkable performance, Beth de Araújo’s deeply empathetic JOSEPHINE won both the U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at Sundance.

KINKI
HAWAI’I PREMIERE | SPOTLIGHT ON JAPAN |AFTER DARK
JAPAN 2025 | JAPANESE W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 103M
DIRECTOR: KOJI SHIRAISHI
From Koji Shiraishi, director of NOROI: THE CURSE, comes a chilling new descent into found-document horror. When an occult-magazine editor mysteriously disappears, freelance writer Chihiro Seno (Miho Kanno) and colleague Yūsei Ozawa (Eiji Akaso) investigate his archive of missing children, haunted livestreams, mass hysteria, and urban legends. As seemingly unrelated incidents converge on one terrifying location, Shiraishi transforms fragments of rumor and recorded evidence into an unnerving, wickedly entertaining nightmare.

LA BOLA NEGRA
HAWAI’I PREMIERE | PANORAMA
SPAIN 2026 | SPANISH,ENGLISH W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 155M
DIRECTOR: JAVIER CALVO, JAVIER AMBROSSI
Following its acclaimed Cannes debut, LA BOLA NEGRA is a bold tapestry spanning nearly a century of Spanish history. Set across 1932, 1937 and 2017, the film follows three generations of men connected by desire, pain and inheritance. Cannes-winning directors Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi draw inspiration from Federico García Lorca’s unfinished play and enduring legacy, crafting a sensual, deeply cinematic exploration of queer identity, forbidden love and historical trauma carried across generations.

LAHAINA: VOICES OF CHANGE
HAWAI’I PREMIERE | MADE IN HAWAI‘I
UNITED STATES 2026 | ENGLISH | 53M
DIRECTOR: TY SANGA
One year after the devastating Lahaina wildfire, award-winning Native Hawaiian filmmaker Ty Sanga turns toward the quieter work of healing. Rooted in a deeply Kanaka Maoli perspective, the film focuses on reflection, reconnection, rebirth, and a “second succession” as families contemplate what comes next. More than rebuilding structures, it asks what it means to restore an ancestral homeland while ensuring Lahaina’s future remains grounded in ʻāina, culture, community, and the people who have long called it home.

Plays With: KŪKULU

LOMU
U.S. PREMIERE | PACIFIC SHOWCASE
NEW ZEALAND/AOTEAROA, UNITED KINGDOM 2026 | ENGLISH | 106M
DIRECTOR: GAVIN FITZGERALD, VEA MAFILE’O
Jonah Lomu became rugby’s first global superstar, overcoming extraordinary challenges to become the youngest-ever All Black and one of the sport’s most dominant players. Ten years after his untimely passing, this documentary explores the man behind the legend through intimate stories from his family, friends, and teammates. Celebrating his remarkable talent, resilience, and lasting impact, it offers a powerful portrait of a sporting icon who transformed rugby and captured the hearts of fans around the world.

LOOK BACK
HAWAI’I PREMIERE | SPOTLIGHT ON JAPAN
JAPAN 2026 | JAPANESE W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 100M
DIRECTOR: HIROKAZU KOREEDA
Palme d’Or winner Hirokazu Kore-eda (SHOPLIFTERS) brings Tatsuki Fujimoto’s beloved manga LOOK BACK to live action for the first time. This tender coming-of-age story follows two girls united by their passion for drawing manga and dreams of becoming professional artists. As friendship, rivalry, ambition and creativity shape their lives, their bond becomes a moving exploration of why we create and the connections forged through art. Shot in northern Japan, Kore-eda wrote, directed, and edited this adaptation.

LOS VAMPIRES
U.S. PREMIERE | NEW AMERICAN PERSPECTIVES
UNITED STATES 2026 | ENGLISH, SPANISH W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 104M
DIRECTOR: CRAIG MITCHELL
In 1930s Hollywood, a Spanish actor (LOST’s Henry Ian Cusick) is cast in the Spanish-language night shoot version of a soon-to-be-legendary vampire film, forced to imitate the English-speaking star who performs the same role by day. The two actors regularly meet at the transitory hours of their shoots, and a rivalry stirs between them. All the while, a string of murders are occurring on and around the soundstage.

THE MAGE
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE | SPOTLIGHT ON HONG KONG | AFTER DARK
HONG KONG SAR CHINA 2026 | CANTONESE W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 97M
DIRECTOR: OXIDE PANG, DANNY PANG
Josie Ho stars as Lan, a mysterious woman who collects discarded objects she believes harbor restless spirits. After discovering a hanged body, she becomes entangled in a string of suspicious deaths and an uneasy alliance with a skeptical detective. Blending procedural mystery with supernatural dread, THE MAGE marks a thrilling homecoming for the Pang Brothers, returning to the atmospheric Hong Kong genre cinema where they made their international mark with the horror classic THE EYE.

MAKING THE LINE
WORLD PREMIERE | MADE IN HAWAI‘I
UNITED STATES 2026 | ENGLISH, HAWAIIAN (‘OLELO HAWAI‘I) W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 98M
DIRECTOR: ZILLA BARBOSA
MAKING THE LINE is a character-driven feature documentary that delves into the world of competitive Hula — where athleticism and artistry are inseparable from a living Hawaiian cultural tradition. At its heart are Kumu Keano and Kumu Lono, two master Hula teachers and life partners who lead a diverse group of dancers striving for excellence in the art and discipline of Hula.

MINOTAUR
HAWAI’I PREMIERE | PANORAMA
FRANCE, GERMANY, LATVIA 2026 | RUSSIAN W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 141M
DIRECTOR: ANDREY ZVYAGINTSEV
Set in Russia in 2022, Andrey Zvyagintsev’s MINOTAUR follows Gleb, a successful corporate executive whose carefully controlled life begins to unravel amid mounting business pressures and a society spiraling into uncertainty. As personal and professional tensions collide, his descent into paranoia and violence exposes the fragility beneath privilege and power. From one of contemporary cinema’s master filmmakers comes a gripping psychological drama about morality, control, and the darkness within. Cannes Film Festival world premiere.

MOUSE
HAWAI’I PREMIERE | PANORAMA | KAU KA HŌKU AWARD NOMINEE
UNITED STATES 2026 | ENGLISH | 120M
DIRECTOR: KELLY O’SULLIVAN, ALEX THOMPSON
In the summer of 2002, shy Minnie lives in the shadow of her charismatic best friend Callie, finding refuge with Callie’s affluent family from her own hard-scrabble home life. When their friendship is suddenly upended, Minnie is left rudderless, struggling to forge an identity of her own while developing a complicated attachment to Callie’s mother (Sophie Okonedo in a buzzworthy performance). A Berlinale breakout from GHOSTLIGHT directors Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson, this tender coming-of-age drama features remarkable performances.

MY SASSY GIRL (4K RESTORATION)
HAWAI’I PREMIERE | SPOTLIGHT ON KOREA
SOUTH KOREA 2001 | KOREAN W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 123M
DIRECTOR: KWAK JAE-YONG
Twenty-five years after taking Asia by storm, MY SASSY GIRL returns in a new 4K restoration. An unassuming college student’s life is upended when he encounters a beautiful, unpredictable force of nature, launching a tumultuous romance filled with outrageous comedy and unexpected heartbreak. Starring Cha Tae-hyun and Jun Ji-hyun, Kwak Jae-yong’s 2001 phenomenon shattered romcom conventions, became a defining film of the Korean Wave, and remains one of Korean cinema’s most beloved crowd-pleasers.

NIU FOREVER
WORLD PREMIERE | MADE IN HAWAI‘I
UNITED STATES 2026 | ENGLISH,HAWAIIAN (‘OLELO HAWAI‘I) W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 57M
DIRECTOR: ALEX CANTATORE
The deep friendship between a Sri Lankan knowledge-keeper and a Hawaiian cultural practitioner sparks a movement to put edible coconuts back in Hawaiʻi’s palm trees, long valued only as ornaments. Facing generations of misunderstanding about “niu” – the Pacific’s Tree of Life – and the threat of a dangerous invasive species, NIU FOREVER tells the story of a community’s fight for food sovereignty, cultural revitalization, and climate resilience, guided by thousands of years of indigenous knowledge.

Plays With: WHAT WE CALL HOME

NO GOOD MEN
HAWAI’I PREMIERE | PANORAMA
GERMANY, FRANCE, NORWAY, DENMARK 2025 | DARI, PASHTU W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 104M
DIRECTOR: SHAHRBANOO SADAT
Set in Kabul on the eve of the Taliban’s return to power, Shahrbanoo Sadat’s sparkling political romantic dramedy follows Naru, the city’s only TV camerawoman, as she fights for custody of her son while navigating workplace sexism and a nation on the brink. Convinced there are “no good men” left, she unexpectedly finds a connection with Kabul’s leading journalist. Balancing sharp humor, romance, and escalating political tension, NO GOOD MEN is both deeply affecting and quietly defiant.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN HARLEM
HAWAI’I PREMIERE | DOCUMENTARY PANORAMA
UNITED STATES 2026 | ENGLISH | 100M
DIRECTOR: CONCEIVED AND FILMED BY WILLIAM GREAVES, DIRECTED BY DAVID GREAVES
In 1972, pioneering filmmaker William Greaves gathered luminaries of the Harlem Renaissance at Duke Ellington’s townhouse for an extraordinary evening of conversation, debate, and reflection. More than 50 years later, his son David resurrects this historic gathering through newly restored 16mm footage, creating a vibrant meditation on art, legacy, and cultural memory. ONCE UPON A TIME IN HARLEM World Premiered at Sundance before making its International Premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.

ORPHAN MYTH
WORLD PREMIERE | MADE IN HAWAI‘I
BRAZIL, INDIA, ESWATINI, IRELAND, HAWAIʻI (UNITED STATES) 2026 | ENGLISH, SWATI W/ ENGLISH
SUBTITLES | 81M
DIRECTOR: KEONI TETAWA BOWTHORPE What if most children living in orphanages aren’t actually orphans? Studies reveal that nearly 80 percent have at least one living parent, with poverty often driving families apart. Traveling from Africa to India and Brazil, ORPHAN MYTH follows families and advocates working to reunite children with their loved ones and transform institutional care. Directed by North Shore, O‘ahu filmmaker Keoni TeTawa Bowthorpe, this powerful documentary challenges assumptions about orphanhood and affirms every child’s right to family.

PARADISE LOST
HAWAI’I PREMIERE | SPOTLIGHT ON KOREA
SOUTH KOREA 2026 | KOREAN W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 101M
DIRECTOR: YEON SANG-HO
From Yeon Sang-ho, the director of TRAIN TO BUSAN and COLONY, comes a gripping psychological thriller about grief, technology, and motherhood. After her son vanishes with a busload of children, So-young (Kim Hyun-joo) turns to augmented reality to recreate the child she lost. Nine years later, he suddenly returns as a grown man (Bae Hyun-sung), shattering her carefully constructed reality and revealing disturbing truths about the disappearance, memory, and the darkness hidden within unconditional love.

POSSIBLE LOVE
HAWAI’I PREMIERE | SPOTLIGHT ON KOREA
SOUTH KOREA 2026 | KOREAN W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 164M
DIRECTOR: LEE CHANG-DONG
Acclaimed South Korean auteur Lee Chang-dong returns with POSSIBLE LOVE, his first feature since BURNING, world premiering at the Venice Film Festival. When an affluent documentary filmmaker begins chronicling the lives of laid-off workers, her world collides with that of a struggling married couple. As their lives become increasingly intertwined, repressed emotions and hidden desires emerge. Featuring Jeon Do-yeon, Sul Kyung-gu, Cho Yeo-jeong and Zo In-sung, Lee delivers an incisive exploration of marriage and class.

PUREHEARTED
HAWAI’I PREMIERE | SPOTLIGHT ON JAPAN | SPOTLIGHT ON OKINAWA
JAPAN 2025 | JAPANESE W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 105M
DIRECTOR: KAORU HAGA
Majimu, a timid office temp in Okinawa, surprises everyone when she proposes an unlikely idea: crafting local rum from the island’s sugarcane. With no experience but an infectious determination, she navigates skeptical bosses, family doubts, and local politics to bring her vision to life. Based on an inspiring true story, this heartwarming tale follows one woman’s unexpected journey as a simple idea grows into a community movement, celebrating Okinawan identity, perseverance, and the courage to dream big.

REHEARSALS FOR A REVOLUTION
HAWAI’I PREMIERE | DOCUMENTARY PANORAMA | KAU KA HOKU AWARD NOMINEE
CZECH REPUBLIC, SPAIN 2026 | FARSI W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 98M
DIRECTOR: PEGAH AHANGARANI
Through five portraits of relatives and mentors, five expressions of resistance, Pegah Ahangarani sketches her life story. Drawing from personal archives, home videos, street protests footage, newspapers, and recorded voices, she retraces more than 40 years of Iran’s history. From the early days of 1979, until the war that began in 2026, she pieces together intimate and collective memories, forming the portrait of a country shaped by political repression and in constant hope for a revolution. Cannes Film Festival World Premiere.

SAMURAI VENGEANCE
HAWAI’I PREMIERE | SPOTLIGHT ON JAPAN
JAPAN 2026 | JAPANESE W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 120M
DIRECTOR: TAKASHI MINAMOTO
In Edo, 1810, 17-year-old Kikunosuke avenges his murdered samurai father in a spectacular duel outside a theater, witnessed by crowds leaving a performance of 47 RONIN. Eighteen months later, smooth-talking ronin Soichiro Kase arrives to investigate the legendary incident and Kikunosuke’s mysterious connection to the theater. Its colorful, suspicious staff are determined to protect their secrets, but as Kase digs deeper, the celebrated tale of revenge begins to unravel, blurring the line between performance and reality.

SATOKO ALWAYS
U.S. PREMIERE | SPOTLIGHT ON JAPAN
JAPAN 2026 | JAPANESE,KOREAN W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 138M
DIRECTOR: SHUICHI OKITA
Three women, three generations, one name. In Shuichi Okita’s tender SATOKO ALWAYS, three women named Satoko find themselves at turning points: a 15-year-old experiencing first love, a 35-year-old film publicist questioning her choices, and a 55-year-old mother rediscovering her independence. Each turns to writing to make sense of her life, setting their seemingly separate stories on an unexpected collision course. Warm, funny, and poignant, a celebration of creativity, reinvention, and finding your own voice.

THE SEOUL GUARDIANS
HAWAI’I PREMIERE | SPOTLIGHT ON KOREA | KAU KA HŌKŪ AWARD NOMINEE
SOUTH KOREA 2026 | KOREAN W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 72M
DIRECTOR: KIM JONG-WOO, KIM SHIN-WAN, CHO CHUL-YOUNG
On December 3, 2024, South Korea was thrust into crisis when President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law. As soldiers surrounded the National Assembly, thousands of citizens poured into Seoul’s streets to defend the country’s democratic institutions. Captured with urgent, reportage-style immediacy, THE SEOUL GUARDIANS plunges audiences into a night when history unfolded in real time, becoming a gripping testament to civic resistance, collective memory, and the enduring struggle to protect democracy from authoritarian rule.

SGT. HAANE
U.S. PREMIERE | NEW AMERICAN PERSPECTIVES | PACIFIC SHOWCASE
NEW ZEALAND/AOTEAROA, TUNISIA 2026 | ENGLISH, MAORI W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 89M
DIRECTOR: TEAREPA KAHI
On April 19, 1943, Māori Battalion soldier Haane Manahi led a daring assault on the fortress of Takrouna in Tunisia, helping change the course of the North African campaign during World War II. Though recommended for the Victoria Cross, the honor was never awarded. Starring Alex Tarrant (NCIS: HAWAI’I) as Haane Manahi, this powerful docu-drama explores courage, sacrifice, and the enduring legacy of a Māori hero whose extraordinary story continues to inspire generations.

SHADOW WORK
INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE | SPOTLIGHT ON JAPAN
JAPAN 2026 | JAPANESE W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 129M
DIRECTOR: RYOHEI YOSHINO
Noriko (Riho Yoshioka) flees a long history of severe domestic violence, seeking refuge at “The House,” a strict, hidden seaside shelter near Enoshima. Living alongside other recovering survivors under rigid daily rules, she slowly begins to piece her broken life back together. However, her hard-won recovery takes a dark turn when she uncovers unsettling, secret rules within the organization. As Noriko digs deeper, a detective (Nao) closes in, threatening to expose the refuge’s deeply buried, dangerous secrets. Based on the hit suspense series.

THE STATION
HAWAI’I PREMIERE | PANORAMA
YEMEN, NETHERLANDS, FRANCE, JORDAN, GERMANY, NORWAY, QATAR 2026 | ARABIC W/ENGLISH
SUBTITLES | 112M
DIRECTOR: SARA ISHAQ In war-torn Yemen, Layal runs a women-only gas station, a sanctuary where the rules are simple: no men, no weapons, no politics. When her younger brother faces conscription, Layal reunites with her estranged sister in a desperate attempt to save him. A highlight of the Cannes Film Festival, THE STATION marks Sara Ishaq’s fiction feature debut, offering an intimate portrait of sisterhood, resilience, and women carving out refuge amid the devastating realities of war.

SUKIYAKI
WORLD PREMIERE | SPOTLIGHT ON JAPAN
JAPAN 2026 | ENGLISH, JAPANESE W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 155M
DIRECTOR: TAKAHISA ZEZE
In 1963, “Ue o Muite Arukou,” known internationally as “Sukiyaki,” made history as the first Japanese song to top the U.S. Billboard charts. Acclaimed director Takahisa Zeze chronicles the remarkable story of its creators: composer Hachidai Nakamura (Junichi Okada), lyricist Rokusuke Ei (Tori Matsuzaka), and singer Kyu Sakamoto (Taiga Nakano). Through friendship, ambition, and artistic clashes, SUKIYAKI celebrates the extraordinary journey of a song that transcended language and became a global phenomenon.

SUKUNDIMI WALKS BEFORE ME
U.S. PREMIERE | PACIFIC SHOWCASE
NEW ZEALAND/AOTEAROA, AUSTRALIA 2026 | ENGLISH, TOK PISIN W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 93M
DIRECTOR: MATASILA FRESHWATER, LACHLAN MCLEOD
Along Papua New Guinea’s sacred Sepik River, Indigenous communities unite against a massive copper and gold mine threatening their homeland and way of life. Led by activist Emmanuel Peni, their grassroots resistance pits ancestral knowledge and collective action against multinational interests and colonial power structures. From filmmaker Matasila Freshwater (VAI) and producer Kerry Warkia (WARU), SUKUNDIMI WALKS BEFORE ME is a stirring work of cine-activism and a David-and-Goliath fight to protect one of the Asia Pacific’s great waterways.

SUMO: SPIRIT WEIGHS NOTHING
HAWAI’I PREMIERE | DOCUMENTARY PANORAMA | SPOTLIGHT ON JAPAN
JAPAN, DENMARK, UNITED STATES, UNITED KINGDOM 2026 | JAPANESE W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 99M
DIRECTOR: ERIK SHIRAI
SUMO SPIRIT WEIGHS NOTHING grants rare inside access to Japan’s notoriously private world of sumo. Over a turbulent year of sacrifice and survival, wrestlers at different stages of their careers fight to endure within one of Japan’s most punishing traditions. Behind the curtain, true strength is measured — not in flash, but in refining the spirit.

TAKE ME HOME
HAWAI’I PREMIERE | NEW AMERICAN PERSPECTIVES
UNITED STATES 2026 | ENGLISH | 91M
DIRECTOR: LIZ SARGENT
Rooted in the real-life experiences of writer-director Liz Sargent and star Anna Sargent, TAKE ME HOME follows Anna, a Korean American adoptee caring for her aging parents in a Florida suburb. When a devastating heat wave disrupts their fragile routine, Anna, her sister Emily, and their father Bob must confront an uncertain future. World premiering at Sundance, this intimate drama explores disability, family, and resilience with compassion and hope.

TANGLES
HAWAI’I PREMIERE | PANORAMA
UNITED STATES 2026 | ENGLISH | 102M
DIRECTOR: LEAH NELSON
World premiering at the Cannes Film Festival, TANGLES is a moving animated adaptation of Sarah Leavitt’s acclaimed graphic memoir. When queer artist Sarah returns home to care for her mother, whose vibrant personality is disappearing from Alzheimer’s disease, she must confront complicated family dynamics, memory and loss. Featuring the voices of Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Abbi Jacobson and Bryan Cranston, Leah Nelson’s tender feature debut balances heartbreak with humor, imagination and the enduring bonds of family.

THAT DAY, ON THE BEACH (2K RESTORATION)
HAWAI‘I PREMIERE | SPOTLIGHT ON TAIWAN
TAIWAN ROC 1983 | CHINESE W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 166M
DIRECTOR: EDWARD YANG
Edward Yang’s landmark theatrical debut follows Chia-li (Sylvia Chang), trapped in a crumbling marriage, as she reunites with Ching-ching (Terry Wu), a concert pianist returning to Taiwan after 13 years abroad. Moving between past and present, Yang crafts an intricate meditation on romance, memory, and a rapidly changing Taiwan. A foundational work of the Taiwanese New Wave, THAT DAY, ON THE BEACH also marked the feature debut of legendary cinematographer Christopher Doyle. Presented in a stunning 2K restoration.

UGLY DUCKLING MS. MAENG
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE | SPOTLIGHT ON KOREA
SOUTH KOREA 2026 | KOREAN W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 100M
DIRECTOR: LEE YONG-JAE
Small-town teacher Ms. Maeng receives the opportunity of a lifetime when she’s selected to help create South Korea’s all-important College Scholastic Ability Test. Expecting academic prestige and intellectual debate, she instead finds herself sequestered under spy-level security, surrounded by clashing egos, rivalries, and absurd office politics. This spirited underdog comedy turns Korea’s notoriously intense college entrance exam culture into a workplace battleground, where Ms. Maeng discovers surviving her colleagues may be the hardest test of all.

WE ARE ALIENS
HAWAI’I PREMIERE | SPOTLIGHT ON JAPAN | KAU KA HOKU AWARD NOMINEE
JAPAN,FRANCE 2026 | JAPANESE W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 117M
DIRECTOR: KOHEI KADOWAKI
Premiering at Cannes, Kōhei Kadowaki’s WE ARE ALIENS follows childhood friends Tsubasa and Gyotaro across a decade in rural Japan. When classmates label the eccentric Gyotaro an “alien,” Tsubasa pushes him away to fit in, setting off a betrayal that reverberates into adulthood. Unfolding with a structure reminiscent of BOYHOOD, Kadowaki’s expressive animated debut explores friendship, conformity, and the toxic masculinity embedded in Japanese gender roles, revealing how childhood wounds shape the people we become.

WE ARE ALL STRANGERS
HAWAI’I PREMIERE | SOUTHEAST ASIAN SHOWCASE
SINGAPORE 2026 | ENGLISH, MANDARIN, CHINESE W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 157M
DIRECTOR: ANTHONY CHEN
In contemporary Singapore, 21-year-old Junyang’s carefree youth is disrupted when his relationship with his girlfriend takes a life-altering turn, forcing them toward adulthood sooner than expected. Meanwhile, an exuberant woman enters his father’s life, reshaping the fragile balance between father and son. Acclaimed filmmaker Anthony Chen (ILO ILO) returns with a tender, deeply human portrait of two generations navigating love, loss, and responsibility while discovering that family encompasses both those we are born to and those we choose.

WE ARE BORN GOOD
U.S. PREMIERE | SPOTLIGHT ON HONG KONG
HONG KONG 2025 | CANTONESE W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 96M
DIRECTOR: LEUNG CHUEN YEUNG
A botched takeaway order ignites a bitter feud between Ji, an aspiring actress drowning in debt, and Rui, a restaurant owner recently released from prison. As petty retaliation escalates into chaos, their hostility unexpectedly evolves into connection. Inspired by a viral Hong Kong street dispute, WE ARE BORN GOOD is Leung Chuen Yeung’s compassionate feature debut, exploring how financial pressure, social judgment, grief, and exhaustion can push ordinary people to the breaking point.

WHY WE DANCE
HAWAI’I PREMIERE | DOCUMENTARY PANORAMA
UNITED STATES, MEXICO 2026 | ENGLISH, SPANISH W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 117M
DIRECTOR: OOGIE PUSH
In 1923, the U.S. government ordered hundreds of Tribal Nations to stop dancing. The Meskwaki responded with a massive powwow, transforming tradition into resistance. A century later, WHY WE DANCE follows Indigenous dancers and culture-keepers from the Meskwaki Settlement and Rosebud Reservation to Hawai‘i and Mexico. Among them are Loa Simoes (Sac & Fox), Chairwoman of the Honolulu Intertribal Powwow, Pualeilani Paiea Kamahoahoa, and others carrying forward dance as an expression of land, identity, resilience, and community.

WILD HORSE NINE
HAWAI’I PREMIERE | PANORAMA
UNITED KINGDOM, UNITED STATES, CHILE 2026 | ENGLISH | 118M
DIRECTOR: MARTIN MCDONAGH
Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Martin McDonagh (IN BRUGES, THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN) returns with a wickedly dark comedy set on Easter Island before Chile’s 1973 coup. John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell star as CIA agents whose covert mission spirals into chaos amid personal demons and shifting loyalties. Featuring Steve Buscemi, Mariana di Girolamo, Ailín Salas, with Tom Waits and Parker Posey, WILD HORSE NINE blends McDonagh’s razor-sharp satire with an existential exploration of power, complicity, and moral ambiguity. A Searchlight Pictures release. 

WILL YOU STILL BE MY FRIEND
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE | SPOTLIGHT ON TAIWAN
TAIWAN ROC, SINGAPORE 2026 | ENGLISH, CHINESE W/ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 100M
DIRECTOR: LU PO-SHUN
In a rural fishing village in southern Taiwan, 13-year-old Jun forms a secret bond with Jasper, a Singaporean newcomer whose family’s solar business has divided the community. As tensions between their families and neighbors escalate, Jun struggles to protect their friendship while confronting feelings that may be something more. Lu Po-Shun’s gentle feature debut is a tender coming-of-age story about childhood loyalty, first love, and two boys caught between adult conflicts and their burgeoning emotions.

WOLFRAM
HAWAI’I PREMIERE | PACIFIC SHOWCASE
AUSTRALIA 2025 | ENGLISH | 100M
DIRECTOR: WARWICK THORNTON
On the colonial frontier of 1930s Australia, three Aboriginal youths flee forced labor and menacing outlaws, setting off across the punishing desert in search of safety and home. Set in the same stark universe as Warwick Thornton’s acclaimed SWEET COUNTRY, WOLFRAM is a tough, uncompromising outback Western and tender family drama. Featuring Deborah Mailman and remarkable young performers, this gripping tale confronts colonial violence and separation through a powerful journey of survival, resilience, freedom, and belonging.

SHORTS PROGRAMS & OTHER SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS

 

AAPI FILMMAKER IN FOCUS: : ENOUGH + THUMBRINT
Presented by the Daniel K Inouye Institute, AAPI FILMMAKER IN FOCUS celebrates AAPI storytelling with two new shorts exploring the Japanese American experience surrounding WWII incarceration and its generational legacy. Brian Tee’s ENOUGH, starring Tee, Tamlyn Tomita, and Amy Hill, examines the fight for reparations, while Chris Naoki Lee’s THUMBPRINT follows a Japanese photographer seeking freedom amid government persecution. A post-screening panel brings filmmakers and special guests together to discuss representation, historical memory, and reclaiming AAPI stories through cinema.

MADE IN HAWAI’I SHORTS #1 — From the echoes of the battlefield to the rhythms of slow cinema and the irreverence of ribald comedy, these stories find grace, humor, and healing in the messy ties that bind us to home.

• DAN & KAT HIDE A BODY
  DIRECTOR: CLARK JACOBY DAVIS
  Dan and Kat are social media influencers on a couples vacation. On their trip, they hit a woman with their car.
• MASSAGERS 4 SALE
  DIRECTOR: CHRIS LUI
  A daughter’s relationship with her father reaches its crisis point when he mistakenly purchases a new line of ‘massagers’ and ‘toys’ for their Chinatown gift shop in danger of being closed down.
• OLI
  DIRECTOR: NICHOLAS B. GIANFORTI
  After returning home from war, Paʻakai, a Kānaka Maoli soldier, struggles with PTSD, survivor’s guilt, and reconnecting with his mother, culture, and sense of purpose.
• PR
  DIRECTOR: ELLIOT BU
  A middle-aged man in Hawaiʻi quietly trains to deadlift 300 pounds, driven by a deeply personal motivation. Through repetition and everyday local life, the film finds meaning in small acts of discipline, love, and perseverance.
• WHO RAISED YOU
  DIRECTOR: LIA ALICIA MITCHELL
  After the death of her grandmother, Tia’s party boy father inherits their family home. Afraid of the chaos he’ll bring into her life, she attempts to run away with the help of a new friend.

MADE IN HAWAI’I SHORTS #2 — Across generations, these stories trace the roots of memory, grief, art, and inheritance, finding renewal in what we carry forward and what we learn to let go.

• THE MAN AND THE TREE
  DIRECTOR: JUSTYN AH CHONG
  When the city orders the removal of the mango tree that has rooted three generations of his family, a dying grandfather beats them to it — and gives the tree, and himself, a new kind of homecoming.
• PROFS
  DIRECTOR: JESSICA B COLE, NANCIE CARAWAY
  A retiring professor and his rebellious successor confront identity, alienation, and kuleana, finding common ground in their love for Hawai‘i Nei.
• SONS ARE NOT EARTHBOUND
  DIRECTOR: LAURA LUKE
  At a grief camp in Hawaiʻi, a young boy strives to trap the endangered ʻiʻiwi bird, his late mother’s spirit animal, as he navigates the complexities of loss in a quest for closure, learning to carry forward what he fears losing most.
• STAINED
  DIRECTOR: TIFFANY LIU
  An intimate coming-of-age drama following an art therapist and nanny whose lives intersect through a wealthy client, bringing three generations of women together to confront their past and heal inherited emotional wounds.
• TUTUVI
  DIRECTOR: KEKAHI WAHI
  A portrait of Japanese-Korean artist Colleen Kimura, tracing five decades of creativity from Hawaiʻi’s cultural resurgence to the founding of TUTUVI, shaped by her experiences in Fiji. The film explores her art, community, and collaborations across Hawaiʻi.

PACIFIC SHOWCASE SHORTS: WHERE WE BELONG — Pacific Islander stories of roots, reinvention, and the search for belonging across the shifting landscapes of the West.

• IAKWE: HELLO GOODBYE
  UNITED STATES | DIRECTOR: NATHAN FITCH
  Based on real events, a young Marshallese traveling salesman adopted at birth unexpectedly meets his biological relatives while knocking on doors in Northwest Arkansas.
• LANI
  HAWAI’I | DIRECTOR: CHRISTIAN VILLAVICENCIO
  As the first LPGA golfer to represent Samoa, Tagiralani Luafalealoa navigates the pressures of competing as a Samoan woman, battles burnout, and rediscovers her love for golf and pursues the future she envisions for herself.
• OF THE LAND
  HAWAI’I | DIRECTOR: ANETTE ARINIX AMAZING AGA
  Two Samoan best friends raised in Hawaiʻi navigate identity, belonging, and cultural expectations, testing their friendship while celebrating Pasifika unity.
• OHANA VENDORS
  HAWAI’I | DIRECTOR: ALIKA TENGAN
  Born in Chuuk and raised in Guam, Mara lost her sight at age three but never let it define her. Now working at Blind Vendors ʻOhana in Honolulu, she has found purpose, independence, and community while showing the power of ability over limitation.
• THE PLATFORM
  UNITED STATES | DIRECTOR: MARK HARRIS
  Based on the true story of Ta’u Pupu’a, a Tongan immigrant whose professional football career is cut short by injury, leading him to an unlikely second act as an opera singer.
• THE RAPTURE
  AOTEAROA, NEW ZEALAND | DIRECTOR: JAIMEE POIPOI, ROO REIHANA-WILSON
  With the rapture just days away, two haututu (mischievous) cousins reunite to complete their koro’s (grandfathers) last wish, to return home. But are they ready?
• TAMAI
  UNITED STATES | DIRECTOR: ENOCH J LUI
  A son faces his biggest fear of reuniting with his distant Tongan father, who spent 15 years in prison, and now faces a new lifetime sentence — deportation.

PACIFIC SHOWCASE SHORTS: BETWEEN WORLDS — Journeys through fear, identity, and belonging, where finding your way home means first finding the courage to become who you truly are.

• AMID THE NOISE AND HASTE
  UNITED STATES | DIRECTOR: JULIE GOLDSTONE
  A trans woman seeks her true voice through vocal training while bracing to meet her boyfriend’s parents.
• FACELESS
  AUSTRALIA | DIRECTOR: FRASER PEMBERTON, WILLIAM JAKA
  An Indigenous man navigates three parallel lives while searching for belonging in Australian society and confronting what it means to be an outsider in his own land.
• OUR BIG GREAT TOTALLY AWESOME (AND PRACTICAL) ESCAPE
  UNITED STATES | DIRECTOR: ANGELIQUE KALANI AXELRODE
  A younger sibling sneaks their brother out of a California psychiatric ward, embarking on a surreal journey to return home to Hawai‘i as reality and fantasy begin to blur.
• POUĀKAI (RAPTOR)
  AOTEAROA, NEW ZEALAND | DIRECTOR: LIBBY HAKARAIA
  When his child is taken by a legendary giant raptor, a young Māori chief must overcome his fears and draw on the strength of his ancestors to bring them home.

PACIFIC SHOWCASE SHORTS: PACIFIC DAUGHTERS — Women across the Pacific reclaim identity, culture, and belonging, drawing strength from family, ancestry, and the lands and communities that shape them.

• EI
  COOK ISLAMDS | DIRECTOR: AUKAI LIGAIRI
  Rebecca escapes her abusive marriage in Aotearoa and returns home to the Cook Islands with her son, where they struggle to reintegrate with the small island culture and her familyʻs tradition of ei (floral garland) making.
• LIKE FATHER LIKE DAUGHTER
  UNITED STATES | DIRECTOR: OLIVÉ
  An emotionally clumsy Tongan father and daughter—and her ex-boyfriend who lives with them—spend a year having multilayered conversations and family dinners that reveal if they can accept each other for who they’ve become.
• LADY SHAKA: SONIC HANDS
  AOTEAROA, NEW ZEALAND } DIRECTOR: URSULA GRACE WILLIAMS
  A poetic portrait of Lady Shaka exploring ancestral knowledge, queer identity, and Pacific futurity. Through performance, archival imagery, and nightlife, the film transforms the dancefloor into a space of cultural reclamation, belonging, and joy across the Pacific diaspora.
• HO‘OLONO (TO LISTEN DEEPLY)
  HAWAI’I | DIRECTOR: SAMANTHA RAMIREZ-HERRERA
  Guided by Auliʻi Cravalho, HOʻOLONO journeys across Hawaiʻi Island, exploring the connections between land, language, lineage, and identity. Through ancestral knowledge and cultural practice, the film considers how Hawaiʻi can build a more resilient future amid environmental change.

PACIFIC SHOWCASE SHORTS: TRACING HOME — Journeys of finding culture, uncovering roots, and finding the way home.

• HOPE LOA
  HAWAI’I | DIRECTOR: NANEA AH YOU
  Through lei-making and song, a Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) woman explores what it means to be Aloha ʻĀina – a lover of the land.
• WHERE YOU FIND ME
  UNITED STATES | DIRECTOR: JENNIFER TOCQUIGNY
  Haunted by a lifetime of denying her multi-racial identity, one of the last surviving Munchkins from THE WIZARD OF OZ embarks on a journey to finally find her way home.
• PILI HOU-FINDING HELEN
  HAWAI’I | DIRECTOR: MARTHA LENA SHADE
  Journalist Diane Ako investigates the disappearance of her Native Hawaiian great-grandmother, uncovering a family mystery that leads to Kalaupapa, Molokaʻi, where she learns her ancestor was forcibly exiled to the leprosy settlement.
• NOBODY #9
  UNITED STATES | DIRECTOR: FRITZ BITSOIE
  Based on the memoir “The Family That Nobody Wanted,” the ninth adopted child, now in her 70s, reflects on her life while searching for her Native Hawaiian roots.

EXPERIMENTAL SHORTS — Short films that don’t quite follow the expected formula, pushing the boundaries of what a film can be and how a story manifests.

• A LETTER HOME
  UNITED STATES | DIRECTOR: DAISY OKAZAKI
  In a letter to their grandmother who passed away 13 years ago, Daisy–a fourth generation Japanese American–reflects upon their unique relationship to history, memory, and homeland in the wake of their family’s immigration and wartime incarceration.
• AMATEUR IN THE MOON
  TAIWAN | DIRECTOR: PANG-CHUAN HUANG, CHUNNI LIN
  YOSHIKAWA Hayao (1890-1959), pioneer of amateur cinema in Asia, authored over 160 books to spread his love for moving images during the 1930s. Years later, he rediscovered a forgotten dream from his youth: to create a sci- lm set on the Moon. Inspired by Fritz Lang’s “Woman in the Moon,” the journey became more than the pursuit of a lost project; it was a return to the spirit of amateur cinema itself.
• ANGEL MAKER
  HAWAI’I | DIRECTOR: SAMUEL DAVENPORT
  Desperate for a wife, a man follows a hermit’s advice and takes a powerful dose of LSD while fixating on a female video game avatar. The ritual manifests her as a living woman, but when she discovers a USB drive containing footage of her traumatic creation, she realizes she was conjured as a mind-controlled servant.
• FOR KAPISIGA PAUL LYONS
  HAWAI’I | DIRECTOR: RICHARD HAMASAKI
  A distinctly Pacific meditation on friendship, loss, and remembrance, bringing together Niuean artist and poet John Pule, composer Edgar Henderson, and Hawai‘i filmmaker Richard Hamasaki. Blending poetry, music, and underwater imagery filmed near where Lyons’ ashes were scattered off Waikīkī, the film evokes the enduring bonds of friendship across Oceania.
• LOTUS BODY (HIROSHIMA)
  HAWAI’I | DIRECTOR: NOE NAOMI TANIGAWA
  The next nuclear war will not be a surprise.
  In this experimental documentary, bombing survivors allow us to feel the murder of 80 thousand people in the blast that vaporized Hiroshima. The same feral hate is being cultivated now. Can the outcome be any different?
• STILL STANDING
  UNITED STATES | DIRECTOR: VICTOR SUAREZ
  Shot on 16mm, this short film follows Altadena residents whose homes survived the devastating 2025 wildfire but remain contaminated by toxic debris. As insurers deem their homes habitable, residents face an impossible choice: risk their health or abandon the places they call home.
• THREE CUPS OF COFFEE
  POLAND | DIRECTOR: NATALIA KRAWCZUK
  Towards the end of the year, the protagonist returns to the city where she once lived to meet a man from her past. In the café their conversation flows to the rhythm of consecutive sips of coffee. Three cups are enough to bring back memories and try to put the past behind them.
• THE 7TH MOON
  HAWAI’I | DIRECTOR: TONY DIA
  While creating a storybook on the ancient Filipino myth of Bakunawa, an artist trapped in an abusive relationship begins to see his own life reflected in the story he is telling.
• THE CITY ON THE EDGE OF WHATEVER
  UNITED STATES | DIRECTOR: AIDAN (NAYNAY) MCDERMOTT
  Told in separate snapshots, “The City” follows the daily survival efforts of plant-and-animal people on the far-future island of Lōʻihi, including a mother rabbit and her children, several exploitative and unsafe hostels that surround them, and an office of might-be-miracle workers on the next island over.

HORROR SHORTS — It’s officially spooky season! Curl up with these unsettling oddities. Full of screams, laughs and gasps.

• A HAND TO HOLD
  UNITED KINGDOM | DIRECTOR: PHILIP CLYDE-SMITH
  After her husband dies, elderly Moira discovers his hand refuses to let go of hers, setting off a series of increasingly grotesque events. Blending horror with pitch-black Irish comedy, A HAND TO HOLD explores grief, love, and the toxic bonds that refuse to die.
• BANSHEE
  IRELAND | DIRECTOR: PETER VASS
  In 1880s Ireland, Róise’s family is haunted by a banshee after she discovers a mysterious comb, leading to a series of deaths in her village.
• BREEDER
  UNITED STATES | DIRECTOR: SAPPHIRE SANDALO
  A woman on the fence about having kids becomes hunted in her home by a demonic horse-man of Filipino folklore…
• DRY JANUARY
  UNITED STATES | DIRECTOR: C.J. ARELLANO
  When Maya commits to a month of sobriety and takes up sculpting as a hobby, her crab sculpture terrorizes her former drinking buddy, her brother Toby.
• HEIRLOOMS
  CANADA, UNITED STATES | DIRECTOR: DAN ABRAMOVICI
  After the passing of her mother, Jamie inherits an old family heirloom. It isn’t until it’s too late that she realizes heirlooms are better left alone.
• PRAYING MANTIS
  TAIWAN | DIRECTOR: JOE HSIEH
  A mysterious woman prowls the city at night, drawing men into her web as she explores the dark depths of maternal instincts.
• THE HIGHWAY
  CANADA, CHINA | DIRECTOR: YUNG CHANG
  In Chongqing, a wealthy woman encounters the aftermath of a highway hit-and-run — a body discarded like roadkill, a grim rural reality. Haunted, she returns to the scene. The Highway asks: where is the moral line between action and inaction?

KEIKI SHORTS — Fun, kid-friendly films from both around the world and close to home. Recommended for keiki under 10 years old.

• DA FARM
  HAWAI’I | DIRECTOR: ʻĀINA PAIKAI
  What stay like on da farm.
• GROUNDED
  AOTEAROA, NEW ZEALAND | DIRECTOR: CHRIS CALLUS
  Left behind as others take flight, a young ladybird discovers that sometimes in life you need a helping hand… or eight.
• IN THE STILLNESS OF THE NIGHT
  HAWAI’I | DIRECTOR: DANIEL A. KELIN, II
  At dusk, solitary voyagers glide quietly through the island rainforest on their nightly insect hunt. Hawai’i’s loneliest mammal, the ‘ōpe’ape’a (Hawaiian hoary bat), continues a tradition begun thousands of years before humans arrived, unaware of dangers posed by human hands encroaching steadily, and destructively, into their forest home.
• RAMEN WESTERN
  UNITED STATES | DIRECTOR: MELODDY GAO
  Struggling with an assignment about the American West, a young Chinese American girl journeys from Chicago’s Chinatown to California with a sentient bowl of ramen. Along the way, she encounters the enduring presence of her ancestors and reimagines what the American West means to her.
• SHARED RESPONSIBILITY
  HAWAI’I | DIRECTOR: DILLON VALENZUELA, JEWEL RACASA
  Guided by his ʻaumakua, the heʻe, young Kaimi longs for his first catch while observing the fishing traditions of ancient Hawaiʻi. He ultimately discovers his kuleana restoring a loko iʻa, bridging land and sea while bringing his community together.
• SPROUT
  UNITED STATES | DIRECTOR: JASON CHEN
  Thirteen-year-old Evie, escaping a divided world on her city’s rooftops, reunites with a mysterious companion named Sprout. Together they explore hidden wonders—frozen lakebeds, underground caves—until real life catches up, and Evie must find the courage to face it.
• ‘ULU MAIKA
  HAWAI’I | DIRECTOR: NALEIAULI’I KA’AI, GABRIEL GONZALES, CHELEE-ROSE PUA’A, AVERIE BISHAW-JUARIO, KOHZIAH PHILLIPS
  A young girl wants to be the champion of ‘Ulu Maika (a Hawaiian stone disc-rolling game), but first she must defeat an unscrupulous opponent.

QUEER SHORTS — This special collection of LGBTQIA+ films from near and far will have you laughing, crying and everything in between.

• AS IT SHOULD BE
  HONG KONG | DIRECTOR: EDWIN LAI
  During a Lunar New Year reunion dinner in Hong Kong, Megan returns home from overseas to celebrate with her family. Surrounded by familiar traditions, crowded conversations, and the warmth of people who love her, she quietly carries something she’s never found the words to say. As the evening unfolds, how will her family respond?
• BETTY ST. CLAIR
  UNITED STATES | DIRECTOR: SYRA MCCARTHY, KYLE CASEY CHU
  A fledgling Chinese American Drag Queen prepares for a high-stakes performance that will change her family forever.
• DEAR BELOVED
  UNITED STATES | DIRECTOR: JARED CALLAHAN
  A creative cohort of queer & transgender artists build community across prison walls by publishing incarcerated-produced comic books.
• DELAY
  CHINA, UNITED STATES | DIRECTOR: WANG HAN-XUAN
  A Chinese gay father tries to go to his heterosexual son’s wedding in Paris, but his trip gets unpredictably delayed.
• GABE’S SISTER
  UNITED STATES | DIRECTOR: MONICA MAI
  Two young siblings get ready for their dad’s anniversary church service while navigating unspoken tensions in the household.
• O ALOFA NEI, O ALOFA NĀ
  AOTEAROA, NEW ZEALAND | DIRECTOR: GISELLE ILAOA
  Manaia, a young woman caught between expectation and self-acceptance, finds herself confronting her repressed sexuality when a chance reunion with her first love stirs old feelings.
• SHEESH, A TAYLOR LOVE STORY
  PHILIPPINES, UNITED STATES | DIRECTOR: Ramona S. Diaz
  In a country where drag is both art and survival, a Filipino impersonator named Taylor Sheesh turns Taylor Swift fandom into a movement of joy, belonging, self-expression, and empowerment — revealing the power of queer performance to make people feel seen, beautiful, and free in a region still fighting for equality.
• WHALE 52 – SUITE FOR MAN, BOY, AND WHALE 
  UNITED STATES | DIRECTOR: Daniel Neiden
  An 80-year-old man, silently grieving the death of his longtime male partner, volunteers at a school where he’s assigned to mentor a young boy who hasn’t spoken all year.

INTERNATIONAL SHORTS: THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS — A refreshing collection of coming-of-age stories (but not suitable for keiki!). Six films from five different countries featuring fresh perspectives and surprising revelations.

• ALI
  BANGLADESH, PHILIPPINES | DIRECTOR: ADNAN AL RAJEEV
  In a coastal town, women are not allowed to sing.
  A teenager joins a singing competition for a chance to move to the city, while hiding his true voice in a sinister way.
• ASTRONAUTA
  FRANCE, GUATEMALA, ITALY, MEXICO | DIRECTOR: GIORGIO GIAMPÀ
  Audely, 39, works as a lumberjack in the Guatemalan jungle. At home, his daughter Carol, 11, dreams of entering that same forest. Audely thinks about it, then goes to the moon.
• DOKOMADEMO (TO ANYWHERE)
  UNITED STATES | DIRECTOR: MAIKI KAYO
  Every Saturday since SORA was a kid, she would spend the day with her DAD—except for the last Saturday of the month when he would spend the day alone. This winter, when she must part with her childhood home, she finally questions this longstanding routine.
• HYENA
  CHINA, UNITED STATES | DIRECTOR: ALTAY ULAN YANG
  In an isolated castle, students prepare for a life-changing examination. As anticipation builds to a fever pitch, a storm strikes.
  Trapped within crumbling walls, their academic sanctuary becomes a prison, and minds begin to break.
• KATTI (UNFRIEND)
  INDIA, UNITED STATES | DIRECTOR: KANISHKA AGGARWAL
  Feeling forgotten after the birth of her baby brother, 8-year-old Bittoo clashes with her teenage sister Mitthoo as their family prepares for a traditional ceremony celebrating the long-awaited boy. Amid sibling rivalry and family expectations, the sisters discover they are each other’s refuge in a household where being a girl carries an invisible burden.
• THE BOY WITH THE DINOSAUR HEAD
  UNITED STATES | DIRECTOR: IMRAN J. KHAN
  A teacher tries to match wits with an unruly boy who identifies as a dinosaur.

INTERNATIONAL SHORTS: WILL TRAVEL — Embark on a journey with these films centered around travel – stories that explore immigration, returning home, and the time travel of growing up.

• GIRL | DAD
  UNITED STATES | DIRECTOR: LIANZI FIELDS
  Decades after an eccentric father builds his adopted Chinese daughter a playhouse to shield her from a world that won’t accept her, dementia forces her to become the architect of his fading memory.
• LUCKY
  UNITED STATES | DIRECTOR: RYAN MALLOY, MICHAEL LANGAN
  Tess is minutes into a blind date when the world suddenly collapses. Should she accept Sebastian’s offer to escape to his remote island? It would mean leaving behind everyone she loves for an uncertain future with a stranger. It might also be her only chance to survive. She’s got six minutes to decide.
• MILK & HONEY
  UNITED STATES | DIRECTOR: RACHEL LEYCO
  An ambitious Filipina nurse leaves her family behind in the Philippines to chase the American Dream in the 1990s, only to find herself battling loneliness, cultural barriers, and unexpected hardships as she works to reunite with her daughter.
• NOT VALID FOR TRAVEL
  CHINA, UNITED STATES | DIRECTOR: JIAYING LIN
  To reunite with her long distance partner in Toronto, a young Chinese woman boards a cross-border bus with a forged travel document.
• THE WIND IN ASH
  CHINA | DIRECTOR: SUN KUN
  A tomboy returns to her hometown for a funeral, sparking a journey of self-discovery and a shift in her perception of her mother.
• VATERLAND
  GERMANY, INDONESIA | DIRECTOR: BERTHOLD WAHJUDI
  When German-Indonesian Yanto (mid 20s) visits his younger sister in Yogyakarta, he expects a simple reunion – until he realises she belongs more effortlessly than he ever has. As envy and dissonance between siblings surface, Yantos journey becomes a bittersweet exploration of mixed-race identity.

INTERNATIONAL SHORTS: STILL, LIFE — Seven films from six different countries! Windows into unexpected stories from around the world that capture the perseverance and resilience of the human spirit.

• ADAPTATION
  CANADA, FINLAND | DIRECTOR: ASLAK PALTTO
  In the far north of Sápmi, young Sámi reindeer herder Nils-Jonas confronts a rapidly changing climate threatening a way of life sustained for generations. Through his struggle, VUOGÁIDUVVAN explores the profound impact of climate change on Indigenous identity, tradition, and survival.
• AGAPITO
  PHILIPPINES | DIRECTOR: ARVIN BELARMINO, KYLA ROMERO
  It’s the last day of the month. Bowlers flock to the lanes of a bowling alley that has seen better days. Mira, the manager, decides to close early.
  She’s awaiting the arrival of a special visitor.
• GOD SLEEPS ON SUNDAYS
  ZIMBABWE | DIRECTOR: NAISHE NYAMUBAYA
  A disgraced preacher sent to build a rural church clashes with Chirongoma, a revered traditional healer occupying the land. GOD SLEEPS ON SUNDAYS explores the collision of religion and Indigenous tradition, confronting the displacement and erasure wrought by colonial faith.
• MANONGS
  UNITED STATES | DIRECTOR: COLIN GALESTE
  Set in 1965 California, an immigrant Filipino farm worker must decide whether to join NASA’s Astronaut Program or stay and strike with his fellow workers.
• THE DREAM IS A SNAIL
  VIETNAM | DIRECTOR: THIEN AN NGUYEN
  Huy, a struggling background actor, lands an odd gig at a senior rejuvenation workshop where snails race across his body. Briefly transformed into an unlikely attraction, he’s soon replaced by a more appealing performer. Unable to forget the feeling of being seen, Huy spirals into obsession, returning to reclaim that fleeting validation.
• TIDES OF LIFE
  UNITED KINGDOM | DIRECTOR: TATIANA MCCABE
  Richard Tesore, a 63-year-old entrepreneur, turned his love for wildlife into action by founding “S.O.S Rescate de Fauna Marina”, Uruguay’s first center for marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation. With a deep commitment to coastal Uruguay’s marine life, he’s a local hero who keeps his community informed and aware of environmental issues through his strong social media presence.
• VETERANO
  UNITED STATES | DIRECTOR: PATRICK EPINO
  In 1981 San Francisco, an aging Filipino WWII veteran, denied the citizenship and benefits he was promised, takes to the streets on a desperate mission that leads him to a bank. VETERANO is a taut neo-noir thriller about one man’s fight to reclaim what America owes him.