Instagram Facebook Youtube Immigrant Filmmaker Captures True Essence of Vietnam in Ky Nam Inn Leon Le’s work as a screenwriter and director is inextricably linked to his immigrant experience. Born in Vietnam, Le initially came to the United States in 1993 when he was 13 years old. After returning to his native land years later,
Instagram Facebook Youtube Lucky Lu: Hope Springs Eternal for Immigrants in Lloyd Lee Choi Film Korean-Canadian writer and director Lloyd Lee Choi captures the duality of the immigrant experience in his debut feature film Lucky Lu, a participating film in HIFF’s New American Perspective Program. Set in present-day New York City, the film follows a
Instagram Facebook Youtube Celebrated director Shih-Ching Tsou debuts Left-Handed Girl at HIFF45 Shih-Ching Tsou is a master of filmmaking. Across her career, she has excelled as a screenwriter, director, producer, costume designer, production designer, actor, and editor. Tsou’s talents are apparent in her latest film, Left-Handed Girl, which Taiwan recently selected as its official entry
The 2025 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 and strengthen film criticism culture in Hawaiʻi across a new media multi-disciplinary approach–via online (blog, magazine) review writing, but also via more prominent mediums such
Korean cinema takes center stage this year with an exciting lineup featuring world and international premieres that demonstrate Korea’s unparalleled range and creativity. Leading the lineup is acclaimed auteur Park Chan-wook with NO OTHER CHOICE (어쩔수가없다), alongside Ra Hee-chan’s BOSS (보스) and Kim Mi-zo’s THE JOURNEY TO GYEONG-JU (경주기행). The program also includes Lee Hwan’s
HIFF45 brings a stunning collection of European storytelling that spans from the landscapes of Italy to the stark beauty of Norway. France leads with two distinctive entries, the psychological mystery, A PRIVATE LIFE and the animated film, ARCO. The France-Spain co-production SIRÂT, set in Southern Morocco, bridges cultural borders. British cinema makes its mark with
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 HOCCI supports Hawai‘i-based AANHPI critics to be a HIFF44 press cohort to cover films, panels, or filmmakers at the 44th Annual Hawai‘i International Film Festival presented by Halekulani. Film criticism will consists of four different focuses: writing, podcasting, video essays, and vlogs.
