HIFILM BLOG | HIFF | Hawai'i International Film Festival

Hawai‘i Films

Capturing the Native Hawaiian diaspora experience on-screen through THE ALIʻI KING & KA ʻĀʻUMEʻUME: NAVIGATING HOME

THE ALIʻI KING and KA ʻĀʻUMEʻUME: NAVIGATING HOME are two films presenting Hawaiian diaspora experiences on-screen and told by Hawaiian filmmakers who are in the diaspora (living outside of Hawaiʻi) themselves. THE ALIʻI KING is a narrative short film taking place in the 1960s detailing a Hawaiian-German immigrant family road-tripping from Utah to Anaheim, California

November 16, 2023

Hawai‘i Films

DECADE OF THE DEAD is the zombie bite that Hawai‘i indie filmmaking needs

Vicious zombies, grisly action set-pieces, and shocking gore are not a regular occurrence in Hawai‘i indie films. If that doesn’t sound like your idea of a good time, then DECADE OF THE DEAD is not for you. But for those who are able to stomach such intense visuals, and even enjoy them in a perverse

November 15, 2023

Climate Gentrification

Climate Gentrification, Forced Migrations in RAZING LIBERTY SQUARE & ABOVE AND BELOW THE GROUND

In the documentary RAZING LIBERTY SQUARE, redevelopment is pushing out a poor Black community of approximately 700 families in Liberty Square, a neighborhood that sits in the middle of Miami, Florida. And in Myanmar, thousands have been relocated due to the development of the Myitsone Dam, a project funded by Chinese investment for energy production

November 14, 2023

#mauistrong

Cultivating community in UNCLE BULLY’S SURF SKOOL

Directed by husband and wife filmmaking duo, Todd Soliday and Leah Warshawski, UNCLE BULLY’S SURF SKOOL spotlights a surf instructor in Lahaina, Bull Kotter (Uncle Bully), and his dedication to serving his community amidst the pandemic and following the wake of the August 8th Lahaina wildfire. The documentary begins by showcasing Uncle Bully and the

November 13, 2023

Hawai‘i Films

MY PARTNER is a necessary addition to the ‘Boys Love’ genre

Enemies to lovers is a romance trope that has run itself to the ground ten times over. Some movies do this well, but it always somehow feels a little familiar. So what better way to add some freshness to this genre than to make a Boys Love film set in Maui with two high schoolers

November 10, 2023

Climate Gentrification

He Aliʻi ka ʻĀina, He Kauwā ke Kanaka (The Land is Chief, Man is its Servant) – KĀHULI, SEEING WITH HAWAIIAN EYES & KEEPER OF THE BAY

KĀHULI, SEEING WITH HAWAIIAN EYES, and KEEPER OF THE BAY, all official selections of the 43rd Hawai‘i International Film Festival, are three documentaries bringing awareness to topics such as climate change, rapid extinction and decline of native plants and animals, sustainable Hawaiian practices, and some of the people who are working to preserve this ʻāina.

November 9, 2023