The Hawaii International Film Festival will bring two film festivals to Oahu for the first time this spring.
The 27th annual HIFF Spring Showcase, presented by Halekulani, will delight movie fans from March 21-28. And the first youth film festival, HIFF “Opi-O Fest”, will be held from April 5th to 7th. Both festivals will be performed at the Consolidated Kahala Theater.
Spring Showcase is HIFF's annual “mini-festival” featuring encore screenings of HIFF43 award-winning Made in Hawaii films, as well as 20 new feature films, including Hawaii premieres from the Sundance Film Festival. will be shown.
HIFF Opio Fest is a three-day, family-friendly event dedicated to screening and celebrating short films created by young Hawaiian filmmakers. The event will include a rich panel discussion and activities for youth. General admission tickets are free for teachers and students. Student film presentations will be followed by an in-person question and answer session with the student filmmakers and the audience.
“We are expanding our programming this spring with the return of HIFF Spring Showcase, showcasing the best of this year's early films, including films from Sundance and the Berlinale, and introducing Opio Fest, HIFF's first We are thrilled to announce the launch of the Youth Film Festival,” said Becky. Mr. Stochetti, HIFF Executive Director. “We're excited about all the films in our Spring Showcase, and we're proud to announce that The Convert, a historical blockbuster starring Guy Pearce and Te Kohe Tuhaka, offers a fascinating look at the Western world, with Māori directors We are proud to open Lee Tamahori's return to Aotearoa New Zealand, telling a Māori story about an extraordinary feat of colonialism and settlement, told in the Māori language by a Māori director and directed by millions of Māori people. I'll talk about it with the cast.”
The closing night film for the Spring Showcase will be Korean movie star Don Lee's latest film, “The Roundup: Punishment.” This film is the fourth in Lee's Monster Cop series of films.
“This is a huge win, especially since the film just had its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival and HIFF is our next destination,” Stochetti said.
Last fall, HIFF43 paid tribute to Lee, who is known for films such as “Train to Busan'' and the Marvel movie “Eternals.''
“The local fans were very excited to see him,” Stochetti said.
The inaugural Opio Fest will feature a number of special guests, including actress Auli'i Cravalho, known for her roles in “Mean Girls” and Disney's “Moana.”
“For the past 10 years, HIFF has been dedicated to developing and supporting Hawaii’s student filmmakers and students through free film showcases, content creation and competition opportunities, campus visits from in-state guest filmmakers, and student advisory services. “We have invested heavily in HIFF education programs, including committees, to develop the next generation of film storytellers and film fans,” Stochetti said. “We are proud to bring this new festival to Hawaii audiences of all ages.”
For the full lineup of films for both events, visit the HIFF website here.