Moviegoers looking to find a taste of Italy in Honolulu can do so at the 2026 Italian Film Festival, which runs Friday, Nov. 13, through Sunday, Nov. 15. The goal of the event is to share a “vision of the contemporary Italy,” said Iolanda Marinelli, president of the Friends of Italy Society of Hawaiʻi.
“Italian cinema is not Hollywood,” she told ASD. “It's not superheroes. It's really about relationships with people.”
The second annual festival is a collaboration between the Friends of Italy Society of Hawaiʻi, the Honolulu Museum of Art, and the Italian Cultural Institute of San Francisco. Through the partnership, HoMA provides a space for the screenings at the Doris Duke Theatre, while the Italian Cultural Institute of San Francisco pays for the rights for the films to be shared with Hawaiʻi audiences.
New this year is a chance for all moviegoers to partake in wine, plus focaccia from the Kaimuki-based Breadshop. Previously, a reception with wine and focaccia bread was open just to members of Friends of Italy Society of Hawaiʻi as a separate ticketed event.
The festival features three films: “La vita va così (Life Is Life),” “Gioia mia (Sweetheart),” and “Nonostante (Feeling Better).” Films are in Italian with English subtitles.
There will also be discussions after the screenings the first two nights of the festival. The first conversation will be led by retired University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Professor Christina Bacchilega, she said. The Hawaiʻi-based Photographer Laura La Monaca, who is from Sicily, will lead the conversation on the second evening.
The opening film is “La vita va così (Life Is Life),” which plays at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 13.
“It's about a stubborn shepherd in the land of Sardinia, which is an island of Italy, and he doesn't want to allow a big corporation to build a resort,” Marinelli said.
It will be followed by “Gioia mia (Sweatheart) at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 14. The coming-of-age film focuses on a young boy who spends time with his elderly aunt and discovers a few things about live.
“I feel like that just hits really hard the nostalgia trap for anyone remembering their childhood,” said Sarah Fang, the theatre manager and programmer for the Honolulu Museum of Art.
The festival closes with “Nonostante (Feeling Better)” at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 15.
“I just hope that when people come, they can have a fun time in our theater and really experience the joys of a collective experience in watching a film together,” Fang said. “I feel like we've lost a lot of that in this age of streaming. But some of these films you definitely won't be able to see anywhere else. We're really delighted to bring it to our community here.”
Tickets are $15 for adults; $5 for college students; and free for youth, ages 18 years old and younger. Get tickets.
Katie Helland can be reached at katie@alohastatedaily.com.
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