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Hawaii International Film Festival
Wednesday, 02 October 2024 until Sunday, 13 October 2024
Hawai‘i International Film Festival (HIFF) presented by Halekulani is thrilled to announce that it has been approved by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as a qualifying festival for the Short Film Awards category.
Recipients of HIFF’s Best Short Film Award and HIFF’s Best Made in Hawai’i Short Film Award are now eligible for consideration in the Animated Short Film/Live Action Short Film category of the Academy AwardsⓇ.
HIFF’s mission to enlighten, empower and entertain through the medium of film is paramount to being an integral part of Hawai‘i’s arts and culture community. Aside from exhibiting films from around the world, the Festival serves as a creative hub for individuals interested in cinema culture, either as a casual fan or for career development. HIFF’s education initiatives include free school screenings and guest filmmaker visits for youth statewide, plus panels and seminars featuring in-depth discussions with renowned filmmakers and content creators, and workshops with industry professionals.
The 44th Annual Hawai'i International Film Festival will be held October 2 -13, 2024 in person on O‘ahu, followed by neighbor island screenings on Kaua'i, Maui, and the Hawai'i Island. Screenings, events, Q&As, and talks, will take place in-person in Honolulu in theaters, with select talks and events streaming online across the United States. HIFF will mark the festival's 44th edition with a continued focus on contemporary Asian, Pacific, and North American cinema, films produced in Hawai'i, and outdoor screenings.
HIFF Grand Jury Award - Hawai‘i Competition
HIFF is proud to present TWO Grand Jury Awards for Best Hawai‘i Feature Film and Best Hawai‘i Short Film during the fall festival. All films “Made in Hawai‘i” are eligible for one of these two prestigious awards, which will be adjudicated by two grand juries made up of local and visiting film professionals. The purpose of this award is to reignite the already growing excellence in local cinema production via fiction and non-fiction narratives and to put a spotlight on emerging and established media makers from Hawai‘i, producing films about and set in this unique, vibrant and precious culture and state.
Recipients of HIFF’s Best Made in Hawai’i Short Film Award are now eligible for consideration in the Animated Short Film/Live Action Short Film category of the Academy AwardsⓇ.
Sponsor: Hawaii Film Office
Made in Hawai‘i cash prizes are generously supported by the Nichols Family Film Fund
Kau Ka Hōkū Award presented by Hawaiian Airlines
The KAU KA HŌKŪ (Shooting Star) Award presented by Hawaiian Airlines will be awarded to an emerging filmmaker (first or second feature film). Both fiction and non-fiction feature films will be nominated by the festival programmers and adjudicated by an international jury.
Sponsor: Hawaiian Airlines
NETPAC Award
Founded in 1990 by Cinemaya and UNESCO, the NETPAC award (Network for the Promotion of Asian-Pacific Cinema) is given at select international film festivals to promote Asian and Pacific cinema by spotlighting exceptional works and discovering new talent. The 2023 Hawai‘i International Film Festival NETPAC Award winner will be selected from select 1st and 2nd directorial efforts of Asian and Pacific feature films playing at this year’s festival. The winner will be announced during the Awards Ceremony and Reception by the NETPAC jury.
Sponsor: NETPAC
This prize is shared with Narrative Feature, Pacific Islander Showcase Features & Shorts and Made in Hawai‘i Features & Shorts categories.
Deep Blue Environmental Shorts Award presented by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office
The Deep Blue Environmental Shorts Award presented by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office and a $5,000 cash prize will be awarded to the best short film focusing on an environmental topic and/or theme. Both fiction and non-fiction feature films will be nominated by festival programmers and the award will be adjudicated by an international jury. Short films that cover ocean- or water-based environmental topics and/or a Powering the Blue Economy™ theme, which involves the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and jobs while preserving the health of ocean ecosystems, are encouraged.
Sponsor: U.S. Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office
Audience Choice Award
The Festival’s most coveted awards for Favorite Narrative Feature, Documentary Feature and Short Film brings the power to the people and are determined purely by audience voting. Previous winners ranged from awards buzz worthy films like LION and THE EAGLE HUNTRESS to locally made films like HO’OMAU and cult films like WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS.
Sponsor: Hawaii News Now KHNL/KGMB/KFVE
HIFF Grand Jury - Best Short Film
The Festival will give out one award for Best Short Film. With the rich plethora of perspectives provided by short films, HIFF’s mission is to champion emerging voices from around the world in the most dominant and voluminous format in the film festival circuit. Short films are sometimes under-appreciated and the goal of these awards is to shine a light on this very malleable format and a small glimpse of perspectives from across the globe.
Recipients of HIFF’s Best Short Film Award are now eligible for consideration in the Animated Short Film/Live Action Short Film category of the Academy AwardsⓇ.
Sponsor: Halekulani