The Hawaiʻi International Film Festival (HIFF) is an annual film festival held in the United States state of Hawaiʻi.
HIFF focuses on Asian-Pacific cinema, education, and showcasing the work of new and emerging filmmakers. HIFF's main festival takes place annually in Honolulu in October and November, with additional screenings and events held across the Hawaiian Islands of Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi, Kauaʻi and Maui.
HIFF is the only statewide film festival in the United States, and the only Academy Award-qualifying film festival with a focus on Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander filmmaking.
History
HIFF was founded in 1981 by Jeannette Paulson Hereniko as a project of the East-West Center, an independent research institute located at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa campus in Honolulu. Due to this academic association, HIFF prominently featured academic seminars and discussions in its early years, and was delivered free to the public. The relationship between HIFF and the East-West Center ended in 1994.
Over the next decade, HIFF introduced a Neighbour Island program with screenings in Hawaiʻi Island and Maui, facilitated the development of the East-West Film Journal (1986-1994), and launched the East-West Center Film Tour (1989-1993) as a travelling exhibition in the continental United States. Film critics Donald Richie and Roger Ebert had close personal relationships with the festival and frequently attended before their deaths.
HIFF was spun off as an independent not-for-profit entity in 1990, and ended its partnership with the East-West Center in 1994. Due to contractions in state funding, the festival introduced paid ticketing in 1997.
The festival grew considerably in the early 2000s by placing a greater focus on commercial and educational partnerships. Louis Vuitton was the festival’s presenting sponsor between 2002 and 2008, later replaced by Halekulani in 2011. HIFF introduced a student film showcase in 2004, Following the establishment of the Academy for Creative Media at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa that same year.
HIFF celebrated its 40th edition in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic with a hybrid festival combining online video on demand streaming with drive-in theaters and a small number of conventional cinema screenings.
HIFF launched its industry development program, HIFILM, in 2023. HIFILM is the year-round industry and professional development initiative of the HIFF, dedicated to supporting filmmakers, content creators, and media professionals in Hawai‘i and across the Asia-Pacific region. Through workshops, masterclasses, networking events, mentorship programs, filmmaker labs, and the annual HIFILM Industry Conference, the program fosters career development, creative collaboration, and industry access for emerging and established storytellers. HIFILM expands HIFF’s mission beyond film exhibition by strengthening Hawai‘i's creative economy and connecting local talent with international film, television, and new media professionals.
Sections From its early history, HIFF has maintained a programming focus on films from the Asia-Pacific, with an emphasis on new and emerging filmmakers. As of 2025, HIFF has fourteen feature film programs, in addition to its short film programs.
Documentaries: a selection of US and international documentary feature films Eat.Drink.Film: feature films themed around food and global culinary culture. HIFF Extreme: genre and horror films screened in late night slots throughout the festival. Indigenous Lens: a collection of feature and short films produced and directed by Indigenous outside of Hawaiʻi. Made in Hawaiʻi: a showcase of local short and feature filmmaking from the state of Hawaiʻi, alongside films produced by the Native Hawaiian diaspora. After the festival each year, a selection of Made in Hawaiʻi films are made available as in-flight entertainment on Hawaiian Airlines flights. New American Perspectives: a program of feature films directed by immigrant filmmakers and artists in the United States, presented by the Vilcek Foundation. Pacific Showcase: a program of short and feature films from Pacific Islander filmmakers, produced in partnership with Pacific Islanders in Communications. Panorama: a selection of feature films selected from the international film festival circuit. Spotlight on China: a selection of feature films from the People's Republic of China. Spotlight on Hong Kong: a selection of feature films from Hong Kong, presented by Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office. This spotlight is often accompanied by a high-profile visiting filmmaking, including Wong Kar-wai, Ann Hui and John Woo. Spotlight on Japan: a program of popular and art films from Japan. Spotlight on Okinawa: select screenings of films from Okinawa. Spotlight on Taiwan: feature films produced in Taiwan, presented by Taiwan Academy and Taiwan's Ministry of Culture. Short film programs
Awards
HIFF annually presents a series of prizes for established and emerging filmmakers, announced at its Awards Gala at Halekulani. In addition to its main competitions, the festival also honors filmmakers for special accomplishments and contributions to cinema culture.
Honors
HIFF annually honors filmmakers for outstanding contributions to world cinema and the arts. The Halekulani Career Achievement Award is given to filmmakers with an established body of work for significant contributions to the arts. The Halekulani Maverick Award is given to accomplished artists and filmmakers with unconventional career trajectories, often to rising stars of the global film industry. The Pacific Islanders in Communications Trailblazer Award honors a cinema artist of Pacific Islander descent for producing award-winning work in independent and global cinema. In 2020, HIFF introduced the Halekulani Golden Maile for Career Achievement. The first recipient of the Golden Maile was Ann Hui.
Previous HIFF honorees include Awkwafina, Joan Chen, Sonny Chiba, Maggie Cheung, Destin Daniel Cretton, Dave Filoni, Stan Grant, Sterlin Harjo, Josie Ho, Samuel L. Jackson, Jung Woo-Sung, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Jason Scott Lee, Dana Ledoux Miller, Moon So-ri, Elisabeth Moss, Randall Park, Albert Pyun, Keala Settle, Taika Waititi, Ken Watanabe, Wong Kar-Wai, John Woo, Steven Yeun, and many other Hollywood luminaries.
In 2022, HIFF awarded festival founder, Jeannette Paulson Hereniko with the inaugural HIFF Legacy Award for her lifetime of dedication and contributions to film and cinema in Hawaiʻi and many film festivals around the world.
Kau Ka Hōkū Award
The Hawaiian Airlines Kau Ka Hōkū (Shooting Star) award is HIFF's main competitive prize and is awarded to emerging filmmakers for their first or second feature film by an international jury. Both fiction and non-fiction feature films are nominated by the festival programmers and adjudicated by an international jury.
YearFilmDirector2018People's Republic of DesireHao Wu201937 SecondsHIKARI2021Dark Red ForestJin Huaqing2022Bad AxeDavid Siev2023AsogSeán Devlin2024Molokaʻi BoundAlika Tengan2025Ky Nam InnLeon Le
Made in Hawaiʻi Film Awards
The Made in Hawaiʻi Film Awards is presented by the Nichols Family Fund and Hawaii Film Office for feature and short films produced by local filmmakers.
YearFilmDirector1990My Aunt MayRoland Tharpe1991Hawaiʻi: Beyond the Feathered GodsPaul Atkins1992Simple CourageStephanie Castillo1993From Hawaiʻi to the HolocaustJudy Weightman / Ryan Sexton1994GanbareRobert Bates1995Words, Earth and AlohaEddie Kamae1996Lemon Tree Billiards HouseTim Savage1997E Ola Ka ʻOlelo HawaiʻiNa Maka O Ka ʻAina1998KahoʻolaweDavid Kalama Jr1999Red Turtle RisingJay April2000KaʻililauokekoaKalaʻiokona Ontai2001Blood of the SamuraiAaron Yamasato2002 2003The RideNathan Kurosawa2004Silent YearsJames Sereno2005FishbowlKayo Hatta2006Na Kamalei: Men of HulaLisette Marie Flannery2018Bethany Hamilton: UnstoppableAaron LieberMade in Hawaii Audience Award2018The Moon and The NightErin LauMade in Hawaii Best Short2019Molokaʻi BoundAlika Maikau Made in Hawaii Best Short2019Down on the Sidewalk in WaikikiJustyn Ah Chong Made in Hawaii Best Short, Second Place2020Hawaiian SoulʻĀina PaikaiBest Short + Audience Award Short2020WaikikiChris KahunahanaBest Feature + Best Cinematography2021River of Small GodsBradley TangonanBest Short2021I Was a Simple ManChristopher Makoto YogiBest Feature2022The Wind & the ReckoningDavid L. CunninghamBest Feature2022InheritanceErin LauBest Short2022Pōʻele Wai (Dark Water / As the Water Darkens)Tiare RibeauxHonorable Mention (Short Film)2023Hōkūleʻa: Finding the Language of the NavigatorTy SangaBest Feature2023AikāneDaniel Sousa, Dean Hamer and Joe WilsonBest Short2023My PartnerKeliʻi GraceHonorable Mention (Feature)2024Molokaʻi BoundAlika TenganBest Narrative Feature2024Standing Above the CloudsJalena Keane-LeeBest Documentary Feature2024The Queen's FlowersCiara LacyBest Short Film
Shorts Jury Awards Recipients of HIFF's Best Short Film Award and HIFF's Best Made in Hawaiʻi Short Film Award are eligible for consideration in the Animated Short Film/Live Action Short Film category of the Academy AwardsⓇ in the concurrent season, without the standard theatrical run and provided the films comply with Academy rules. +YearFilmDirectorAward2022The Red SuitcaseCyrus NeshvadHIFF Best Short Film Award2022Kumu NiuAlex CantatoreDeep Blue Environmental Shorts Award2023Closing DynastyLloyd Lee ChoiHIFF Best Short Film Award2023Spear, Spatula, Submarine: Floridians Fight to Take Back Their WatersShannon MorrallDeep Blue Environmental Shorts Award2024Chamoru: A Lost LanguageBrian MunaHIFF Best Short Film Award2024Talk To MeJimmy Ming ShumHonorable Mention
NETPAC Award
Since 2000, HIFF has partnered with the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema to deliver the NETPAC Award for outstanding filmmaking in Asia and is the only film festival in the United States to present the award.
YearFilmDirectorCountry2000Breaking the SilenceSun ZhouChina2001Devils on the DoorstepJiang WenChina2002Eyes of a BeautyGuan HuChina2003 2004Peep "TV" ShowYutaka TsuchiyaJapan2005Season of the HorseNing CaiChina20064:30Royston TanSingapore2007Owl and the SparrowStephane GaugerVietnam2008Brutus - The AdventureTara IllenbergerPhilippines2009Castaway on the MoonLee Hae-junSouth Korea2010MongaDoze Chen-Zer NiuTaiwan ROC2011HanaanRuslan PakSouth Korea, Uzbekistan2012Aparisyon (Apparition)Isabel Sandoval (credited as Vincent Sandoval)Philippines2013Monsoon ShootoutAmit KumarIndia2014TitliKanu BehlIndia2015The KidsSunny YuTaiwan2016Knife in the Clear WaterWan XueboChina2017One Thousand RopesTusi TamaseseNew Zealand2018Still HumanOliver ChanHong Kong2019Another ChildYoon-Seok KimSouth Korea2021AnimaCao JinlingChina2022KāingaGhazaleh Golbakhsh, Nahyeon Lee, Angeline Loo, HASH (Hash Perambalam), Asuka Sylvie, Yamin Tun, Julie Zhu, Michelle AngAotearoa New Zealand 2023If Only I Could HibernateZoljargal PurevdashiFrance, Mongolia2024Sister MidnightKaran Kandahari
Pasifika Award In 2022, HIFF partnered with Pacific Islanders in Communications to present the inaugural Pasifika Award for Best Feature Film. +YearFilmDirectorCountry2022WhinaPaula Whetu Jones and James Napier RobertsonAotearoa (New Zealand)2023No Māori AllowedCorinna HunzikerAotearoa (New Zealand)2024We Were DangerousJosephine Stewart-TewhiuAoteroa (New Zealand)
New American Perspectives
From 2007 to 2015, HIFF partnered with the Vilcek Foundation to curate the New American Filmmakers program to celebrate the work of foreign-born filmmakers and cinema artists currently contributing to American cinema. In 2019, this program was relaunched as the New American Perspectives.