Hawaii International Film Festival

While most people think of Halloween in October, in Hawaii, we’re all about HIFF. The Hawaii International Film Festival, now in its 31st year, is the “festival of record for emerging films from Asia and the Pacific, and a showcase for top festival films from around the world, annually screening films from over 45 countries.” In other words, the good films start here.

Scenes from Paradise Broken, directed by James Sereno and written by Chris McKinney.
Starring Dante Basco, Nadine Nicole, Khalil Kain, Katherine Emily Mills. Courtesy  Taryn Reid Photography. 

HIFF is also the premier venue for Hawaii-based talent. This year, HIFF boasts 8 locally-made films plus a number of shorts that give voice to local storytellers, offering a point of view that outsiders usually don’t see. While there’s lots of anticipation surrounding The Descendents which stars George Clooney and was shot on Kauai and Oahu, the noisiest chatter has been generated by three local productions: Paradise Broken by Kinetic Films and two anthologies, 6B by Kinetic Films, and The Short List by Talk Story Productions. Hawaii might be a small town, but judging from the body of the work, we’re a big on film.

Our NatHI recommendation: If you’re a film buff and Hawaii-bound next October, get your HIFF tickets before you get here to avoid the scramble. It’s good stuff.