Instagram Youtube Facebook Spotify Rss
FEATURES
Features

Tenderness & Defiance: LGBTQIA+ Cinema at HIFF46

At the 46th Hawai‘i International Film Festival presented by Halekulani, this year’s LGBTQIA+ films arrive in many forms: intimate coming-of-age stories, audacious comedies, sweeping dramas, documentaries, animation, and stories of chosen family and cultural identity. What connects them is not a single definition of queer experience, but their remarkable humanity. Among the festival’s major highlights

Read More »
HIFF Programming October 6, 2026
Features

SPOTLIGHT ON KOREA: South Korean Cinema in all its forms at HIFF46

Presented by the Korean American Foundation of Hawaii (KAFH) The 46th Hawai‘i International Film Festival (HIFF46) presents a dynamic cross-section of contemporary Korean cinema with its SPOTLIGHT ON KOREA, presented by the Korean American Foundation of Hawaii (KAFH). This year’s nine-film showcase brings together U.S. and International Premieres, acclaimed auteurs, emerging filmmakers, documentaries, genre cinema,

Read More »
HIFF Programming October 5, 2026
Features

SOUTHEAST ASIAN SHOWCASE: The Best Of The Region Comes To HIFF46

Southeast Asia continues to produce some of the most exciting, adventurous, and socially incisive cinema on the international festival circuit. At HIFF46, the SOUTHEAST ASIAN SHOWCASE brings together six films representing the breadth of contemporary filmmaking from the region—from bold new voices making their feature debuts to internationally acclaimed auteurs returning with deeply personal new

Read More »
HIFF Programming October 5, 2026
Features

AAPI FILMMAKERS IN FOCUS: Remembering Japanese American History

At HIFF46, AAPI FILMMAKERS IN FOCUS, presented by the Daniel K. Inouye Institute, celebrates the power of AAPI filmmakers to preserve, reclaim, and pass down histories that should never be forgotten. This special program brings together two new short films—Brian Tee’s ENOUGH and Chris Naoki Lee’s THUMBPRINT—that examine the Japanese American experience during World War

Read More »
HIFF Programming October 4, 2026
Features

HIFF46 SPOTLIGHT ON HONG KONG Celebrates The Past, Present And Future Of Hong Kong Cinema

The 46th Hawai‘i International Film Festival presented by Halekulani (HIFF46) continues its longstanding celebration of Hong Kong cinema with the SPOTLIGHT ON HONG KONG, presented by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in San Francisco (HKETO SF). Spanning six films, this year’s program brings together a new generation of filmmakers and performers alongside beloved

Read More »
HIFF Programming October 4, 2026
Features

From Cannes to Hawai‘i — Four Animated Films to Watch at HIFF46

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,

Read More »
HIFF Programming October 4, 2026
REVIEWS
Podcast
YouTube
Blog Categories

The HIFF ONLINE CREATIVES & CRITICS IMMERSIVE (HOCCI) program, powered by Critical Minded, supports sustainable film criticism in Hawai‘i through mentorship and paid career opportunities. The mission of HOCCI is to broaden diversity in film criticism across the Pacific region and use influencer branding strategies to spark career opportunities in Hawai’i, not be hampered by oceans, state borders and distance, because geography is no longer a barrier.

The 2024/25 HOCCI supports Hawai‘i-based critics to be a HIFF45 press cohort to cover films, panels, or filmmakers at the 45th Annual Hawai‘i International Film Festival presented by Halekulani. Film criticism will consists of four different focuses: writing, podcasting, video essays, and vlogs.

Learn more >>

SUBSCRIBE

HIFF eNews

Search

Follow Us

HIFF © 2021 All Rights Reserved