THURS NOV 15 (Opening Night Film)
MOANANUIĀKEA: ONE OCEAN. ONE PEOPLE. ONE CANOE. (Hawaii)
6:30 PM (148m long) - Film makers to join us!
In 1976, a voyaging canoe sparked a cultural revival that quickly spread throughout Polynesia, breathing life into ancient myths and legends. More than four decades later, Hōkūleʻa continues to inspire a new generation of navigators and voyagers to gather their courage and sail beyond the horizon of the Pacific. MOANANUIĀKEA: ONE OCEAN. ONE PEOPLE. ONE CANOE. celebrates the historic Worldwide Voyage that connected countless communities from around the globe. A voyage that also represented the fulfillment of the vision of Nainoa Thompson and his contemporaries, the passing of the mantle to the next generation of kānaka maoli who will retain the skills of their ancestors and perpetuate this tradition for generations to come. HIFF is honored to present this engaging film as the Closing Night Presentation.
FRI NOV 16
EATING UP EASTER | Rapa Nui, United States
6:15 PM
Rapa Nui (Easter Island) straddles the fault line between local identity and the opportunities presented by globalism. As the local economy is subjugated by the demands of tourism, locals must contend with the contrasting expectations of indigenous culture and Western industrial capitalism amidst the fear that old practices are not valued or protected unless performed for visitors. EATING UP EASTER is a timely reminder of the challenges facing indigenous peoples maintaining their culture while surviving in the modern world.
FOR LOVE'S SAKE (Japan)
8:00 PM
Shiori is a star student with an incredible palate for wine who dreams of studying winemaking in France. However, to her dismay she is assigned to a rural sake brewery for her internship. To make matters worse, upon arrival she discovers that the brewery owners don’t exactly want her around. But when the brewery owner falls ill, and his upstart son is forced to take the lead, Shiori may provide the spark that can save the brewery and change her own life in the process.
SAT NOV 17
FIRST LOVE (Philippines)
1:45 PM
Filipino Romantic-comedy (brand new!). Synopsis coming soon...
UNITED SKATES (US)
4:00 PM
Director Dyana Winkler is from Kauai, and will join for a Q&A!
When America’s last standing roller rinks are threatened with closure, a community of thousands battle in a racially-charged environment to save an underground subculture. At a time when our country feels painfully divided, and fly-over states often feel overlooked, the story of a community crisscrossing our nation to celebrate what unites them, is more important now than ever. Co-directed by Kauai-native Dyana Winkler, UNITED SKATES is a heart-thumping, beat-pumping and liberating look at the fight to keep the roller rink alive.
WACHIGAI-YA ITOSATO
6:00 PM
3 memorable women – 3 love affairs. Times were changing during one of the most turbulent eras of war in Japan. Through the eyes of young Itosato, we find a woman’s struggle for love and happiness. Three women, risking everything for life and love had to make hard choices. Collaboration, secrets & suicide. Based on actual events and one of the biggest assassination mysteries of all time, this movie shows a unique view of the bloody yet beautiful world of war and love in 1863.
FENGSHUI (South Korea)
8:15 PM
A follow-up to the HIFF 2013 hit, THE FACE READER, FENG SHUI is Korean period drama at its best. Set in the Joseon period, the film follows a star Feng Shui master (Cho Seung-woo) who’s fateful recommendation for a burial plot lands him on the wrong side of a murderous royal plot, leading to his banishment from the court. Years later he once again finds himself embroiled in a battle over a propitious site for a grave, bound to produce two kings...
SUN NOV 18
VOICES BEHIND BARBED WIRE (Hawaii)
1:00 PM
While the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II has been well documented on the U.S. Mainland, new information about the sites and untold stories continue to emerge from Japanese Americans in Hawai‘i who endured this dark chapter of history. VOICES BEHIND BARBED WIRE is a series of four short films that explore the personal stories of Japanese Americans living on O‘ahu, Maui County, Kaua’i and Hawaii Island.
MIRAI (Japan)
3:15 PM
When entitled only child Kun meets his newborn sister Mirai for the first time, he struggles to adapt to the new family dynamic. Everything changes when Kun discovers a magical portal in his garden and meets younger and older versions of his family, including his sister Mirai as a teenager. Blending time travel hijinks with a universal story about family and the struggles of growing up, MIRAI cements Mamoru Hosoda (BOY AND THE BEAST, HIFF 2015) as one of Japan’s foremost animation directors working today.
THIS AND NOTHING ELSE: REDBULL WA'A + SURFING TO COPE (Hawaii)
5:15 PM
Director of SURFING TO COPE is from Kauai, and will join for Q&A!
THIS AND NOTHING ELSE — RED BULL WA’A is a short documentary that chronicles an outrigger canoe team from Kona, HI and is part of an ongoing series about those who follow their passions… no matter what. This film will be preceded by SURFING TO COPE as we follow surfer Brianna Cope, as she attempts to make the Women's Championship Tour while coming to terms with a physical challenge that has shaped her life.
HANALEI BAY (Japan)
7:00 PM
Based on a short story by Haruki Murakami, comes a tale of loss and connection on the north shore of Kauai. Sachi’s son dreamed of surfing in Hawaii, but when he’s killed in an accident at Hanalei Bay, she can’t fathom how to reconcile the sudden loss. Traveling to Kauai’s north shore each year on the anniversary of his death, she seeks healing. When she befriends two Japanese boys her sons age at the Bay, this new connection may hold the key to grieving her loss. Entire movie shot on North Shore of Kaua'i!
HAWAII INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL KAUAI
November 15, 16, 17 & 18, 2018
2018 TICKET PRICES for the Historic Waimea Theater
$100.00 HIFF Kauai Pass + Opening Night
$75.00 HIFF 3-Day Pass (Friday, Saturday, Sunday)
$40.00 Opening Night Film + Event
$10.00 General Admission