The Hawaiʻi International Film Festival announced the short and feature films in the running for its Made in Hawaiʻi awards on Thursday, Sept. 25, at a media event at HIFF headquarters in Kaimukī. Beckie Stocchetti, the festival’s executive director, and Anderson Le, its artistic director, also highlighted changes to the festival this year, including the addition of a new conference.
“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 and live action short film category of the Academy Awards,” Stocchetti said.
This is the ninth year in which HIFF has given out Made in Hawaiʻi Awards, she said.
The festival, presented by Halekulani Hotel, returns for its 45th year with events on Oʻahu, Maui, Lānaʻi, Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi Island and Molokaʻi. It starts Wednesday, Oct. 15, and runs through mid-November and will include 220 films, including 117 Hawaiʻi premieres and 42 world premieres, according to numbers shared at the press event. A total of 46 countries will be represented in the film program, Stocchetti said.
“We are really excited to have such a diverse program, and especially so many world premieres,” she said. “We are honored and excited to have that many world premieres.”
Nominated features for the “Made in Hawaiʻi Award - Feature Film” include:
- “A Paradise Lost” by Director Laurie Sumiye
- “Before the Moon Falls” by Director Kimberlee Bassford
- “Indigenous Naʻau” by Director Ku'ulei Ka'ili
- “Lahaina Rising” by Director: Matty Schweitzer
- “Nā Wāhine Buda Kiakahi: The Legacy of Hawaiian Buddhist Women” by Director Eleni Avendaño
- “The Price of Paradise” by Director Anabella Funk
- “Remathau: People of the Ocean” by Director Daniel H. Lin
- “Reeling” by Director Yana Alliata
Those nominated for the “Made in Hawaiʻi Award - Short Film” include:
- “The Arrangements,” by Director: Sonny Ganaden
- “Back to the Loko” by Director Ricky-Thomas Serikawa
- “Birds of Paradise” by Director Veronica Rutledge
- “Breaking the Tide” by Director Katrin York
- “Dasher” by Director Alexander Bocchieri
- “Hui O Waʻa Kaulau” by Director: Matt Yamashita
- “Māhū: A Trans-Pacific Love Letter” by Director Lisette Marie Flanary
- “Malama Mākua” by Director Mikey Inouye
- “Memory as Missionary Position” by Director Brigitte Leilani Axelrode
- “Nohoʻana Farm” by Director De Andre Makakoa
- “Salvador” by Director Gerard Elmore
- “Slack Tide” by Directors Cody Kahaku and Kurt Hoffmann
- “What We Carry” by Director Lindsay Watson
This year, the festival will end with a new event, the three-day HIFILM Industry Conference, instead of a closing night film. That conference includes networking and pau hana opportunities, as well as panel discussions, including one featuring Thomas Paʻa Sibbett, one of the screenwriters for the Apple TV+ series “Chief of War,” which he created alongside Jason Momoa. Several producers will also be part of the conversation.
“HIFF has a long-standing commitment to both showcasing film but also uplifting our local industry,” she said. “So, we looked at: how can we do that better and stronger? And the conference we're planning is really looking at bringing people together in the local film industry with talent and executives from across the world to have a really deep dive into how we can advance the film industry here in Hawaiʻi, as well as individual careers.”
Festival passes start at $200. Attendees can also purchase admission to individual films. Get tickets.
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Katie Helland can be reached at katie@alohastatedaily.com.
