Next week, HIFF44 kicks off at the start of October, just in time for Honolulu Pride, which takes place at the end of the month. 2024 has been an incredible year for queer cinema, as Hollywood, popular culture, and the film industry have been increasingly recognizing the value and importance of LGBTQIA+ filmmakers, characters, and stories.
HIFF is proud to showcase and highlight an array of queer features and shorts, presenting a diverse range of stories depicting LGBTQIA+ characters and themes from France, Hong Kong, Vietnam, South Korea, and Thailand, with shorts from the United States and Singapore. The queer offerings this year span various genres, with features ranging from a genre-bending, unapologetically trans gangster movie to a quietly tragic and poignant portrait of grief between an elderly lesbian couple, offering something of interest for everyone.
The HIFF programming team is excited to present the Hawai’i, North American, and US Premieres of films featuring LGBTQIA+ characters, themes, and narratives. These selections reflect the outstanding year it has been for queer cinema and signal the future strides queer narratives are making in this industry.
ALL SHALL BE WELL
Directed by Ray Yeung
When Pat, one half of a loving lesbian couple in their 60s, suddenly dies, her partner Angie initially receives comfort from her friends and Pat’s family. However, since Angie has no legal claim to the apartment they shared for thirty years, disputes soon arise over estate claims and funeral arrangements. Seeking solace in a group of LGBTQ+ elders, Angie confronts the unraveling of cherished relationships and the painful challenges faced by those who dare to love differently. This award-winning drama directed by Ray Yeung is a spiritual sequel to his award-winning film TWILIGHT’S KISS.
EMILIA PEREZ
Directed by Jacques Audiard
Rita, played by Zoe Saldaña, is a lawyer working for a large law firm more interested in getting criminals out of jail than bringing them to justice. She is hired by a feared cartel leader, Emilia, played by trans actress Karla Sofía Gascón. Rita’s task is to help Emilia retire from her business and disappear forever by becoming the woman she’s always dreamed of being. This French-Spanish musical extravaganza, set in Mexico City, stars Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez, Edgar Ramirez and Karla Sofía Gascón.
LOVE IN THE BIG CITY
Directed by E.oni
No one believes roommates Jae-hee and Heung-soo are just friends, but they’re used to being misunderstood. Putting aside the rampant rumors churned by others, Jae-hee and Heung-soo choose to live and love on their own terms, embarking on a journey of cohabitation. Kim Go-eun and Steve Sanghyun Noh (PACHINKO) star in this romance exploring how young adults live and love in the big city of Seoul.
THE PARADISE OF THORNS
Directed by Boss Kuno
Rising Thai stars Jeff Satur and Engfa Waraha play feuding family members trying to lay claim on a house and durian orchard in this melodrama by Naruebet “Boss” Kuno. Thongkham and Sek are a devoted gay couple who worked tirelessly to build a life together, resulting in an idyllic home and a durian orchard in the Thai countryside. However, tragedy strikes when Sek suddenly passes away, revealing the harsh reality that same-sex marriage is not legally recognized in Thailand, with the house and the entire durian orchard falling under the ownership of Sek’s mother. Thongkham must find a way to reclaim the orchard, a place once filled with their love.
VIỆT AND NAM
Directed by Minh Quy Truong
In the underground coal mines, Nam and Viet, young miners (and lovers), face danger and darkness. One prepares to leave for a new life, but they must find Nam’s father’s remains, a soldier lost in a faraway forest, retracing the past through memories. Vietnamese filmmaker Trương Minh Quý imprints his film with sensual detail and mesmeric eroticism. Shot in a hypnotic style on 16mm film—and banned in its home country—VIỆT AND NAM is a remarkable work of quiet expressivity about two men with unsettled pasts and indeterminate futures.
Three short films presented with the BREAKING CYCLES SHORTS Program also spotlight LGBTQ+ narratives:
302 (BREAKING CYCLES)
Directed by Leon Cheo
Young officer cadet, Aaron Hafiz, opens a can of worms when he declares “302” to the Singapore army. Category 302 is a medical code used to classify personnel as “homosexual”. Navigating the aftermath of his decision, Aaron is forced to grapple with complex feelings, balancing the weight of his responsibilities, desires and ideals.
SATURN RISIN9 (BREAKING CYCLES)
Directed by Tiare Ribeaux, Jody Stillwater
Queer performance artist and musician Saturn Risin9 returns home to the Bay Area to share their journey of perseverance centering self discovery, healing and creative expansion poetically told through dance, visual narrative, performance, and documentary.
THREE (BREAKING CYCLES)
Directed by Amie Song
At a home gathering, a Chinese woman who has recently moved to the United States to live with her daughter tries to keep her daughter’s secrets from her new friends.
