A Film Festival Celebrating Student Filmmakers in Hawai‘i.
The Hawai‘i International Film Festival ‘Ōpio Fest is an inaugural youth film festival, which will take place in Honolulu from April 5-7, 2024. The three-day family event is dedicated to showcasing and celebrating short films made by Hawai’i’s young filmmakers. With the guidance of the HIFF team, our Student Advisory Committee, made up of student filmmakers, is helping to plan an exciting film festival for all ages. Submit your films before the last call for submissions on January 31, 2024.
The festival will feature exciting community screenings with live Q&As with student filmmakers and special guests, panels and networking sessions, and an awards ceremony. Until January 31st, HIFF is accepting student submissions to be considered for a Student Showcase and Future Filmmakers showcase that will be presented in theaters during ‘Ōpio Fest.
You can review the official rules and guidelines for the Student Showcase here and the Future Filmmakers Showcase here.
Throughout ‘Ōpio Fest, there will be opportunities for student filmmakers to meet some of their favorite film professionals who forged exemplary Hollywood careers, as they impart career advice and their own personal journeys as filmmakers to Hawai’i’s future filmmaking professionals. Past dignitaries were Harry Shum, Jr. (GLEE, CRAZY RICH ASIANS), Jacob Batalon (SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME), Phillipa Soo (HAMILTON), Destin Daniel Cretton (director, SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS), Peyton Elizabeth Lee (DOOGIE KAMEALOHA, M.D.) and Auli’i Cravalho (MOANA, THE POWER, MEAN GIRLS).
HIFF’s student screenings were previously held during the annual Hawai’i Internal Film Festival presented by Halekulani, and has grown to be a crowd favorite in the community. The education programs at HIFF reach more than 10,000 students across Hawai’i annually through free community programs available to K-12 schools, including student showcases and film competitions, in-theater and online screenings, hybrid workshops and guest filmmakers speaking in classrooms.
K-12 Student Showcase Guidelines:
Accepting student short films (micro-movies, narratives, documentaries, animations, PSAs, or broadcast journalism) made by students in Hawai‘i who are in high school or younger.
- All students must register and submit their film at https://filmfreeway.com/HIFFOpioFest (Choose Student Showcase category)
- The short film must be at least 1 minute long and no longer than 10 minutes.
- Any device may be used to make the film. Have fun! Get creative!
- Deadline is January 31, 2024. Selected films will be notified in February 2024.
- For any questions, please contact us at [email protected]
Future Filmmakers Showcase Guidelines:
Accepting student short films (narrative or documentary) to the theme of “Hawai‘i’s Youth Leading By Example” who are in middle school and high school.
- All students must register and submit their film at: https://filmfreeway.com/HIFFOpioFest (Choose Future Filmmakers category)
- Ensure the film’s story displays young people in Hawai‘i leading by example.
- The short film must be at least 1 minute long and no longer than 4 minutes.
- Students may use a smartphone, tablet, or digital camera to make their film. Animated films are welcomed. Have fun! Be creative!
- Deadline is January 31, 2024. Finalists will be notified in February 2024.
- For any questions, please contact us at [email protected]
We will be awarding select films in the Future Filmmakers category.
