Living Film Culture in the Aloha State
The vibrant film culture in Hawaiʻi is not a historical artifact or a once-a-year occurrence. It is a living, breathing part of the islands' contemporary identity. For visitors, this means there are opportunities to engage with local and international cinema year-round. Here is a calendar to help you plan your visit around some of the key events and venues that celebrate the art of film in the Aloha State.
Film is not just something that happens to Hawaiʻi—it's something that happens in Hawaiʻi, every single day. For a traveler, timing a visit with one of these events is a direct way to support and participate in the islands' dynamic film culture.
The Main Events: Annual Film Festivals
🏆 Hawaiʻi International Film Festival (HIFF)
HIFF45 (2025) Dates:
• October 16-26 in Honolulu (Oʻahu)
• October 28-November 16 on Neighbor Islands
Significance:
Academy Award-qualifying festival
Focus: Asian, Pacific, and Indigenous cinema
This is the crown jewel of Hawaiʻi's film calendar. As the premier festival in the Pacific for showcasing Asian, Pacific, and Indigenous cinema, HIFF is a world-class event that draws filmmakers and film lovers from around the globe. Crucially, it is an Academy Award-qualifying festival. This provides a vital platform for Native Hawaiian films to gain international recognition. It's the best place to discover the next wave of Kānaka Maoli storytellers.
⭐ Maui Film Festival
2024 Dates: August 29 - September 2
Venues: Wailea & Maui Arts & Cultural Center
Atmosphere: "Jewel box" intimate event
Special Feature: Hawaiian Short Films block
Known for its unique and inspiring atmosphere, the Maui Film Festival is often described as a "jewel box" event. It focuses on compassionate and life-affirming cinema. It has a history of stunning outdoor screenings under the stars at its Wailea venue and indoor screenings at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center. The festival offers an intimate experience with filmmaker Q&As and a strong sense of community.
📅 Film Calendar
- Major Festivals: 2 annually
- Year-round Venues: Multiple
- Academic Events: Regular
- Community Access: High
🎬 Festival Highlights
- HIFF: Academy Award-qualifying
- Maui: Outdoor screenings
- HIFF: International focus
- Both: Local filmmaker support
🔗 Film Culture Guide
Grassroots & Year-Round Screenings
Beyond the major annual festivals, Hawaiʻi's film scene thrives in local venues throughout the year. These grassroots screenings and specialized programs offer intimate access to the islands' living film culture.
🎭 Doris Duke Theatre (Honolulu Museum of Art - HoMA)
Location: Honolulu, Oʻahu | Type: Art-house Cinema
This is Oʻahu's essential art-house cinema. It offers a consistently excellent, curated program of independent, international, and documentary films. It is a key cultural hub for film lovers. The theatre hosts numerous film series, including the annual Honolulu Surf Film Festival (typically held in July). It also serves as a venue for special community screenings of locally relevant documentaries. Such as director Ryan Kawamoto's films on the Japanese American experience in Hawaiʻi during WWII, like "Removed by Force" and "Voices Behind Barbed Wire."
Programming: Independent films, documentaries, international cinema, special community screenings
🎓 University of Hawaiʻi Academy for Creative Media (ACM)
Location: Multiple UH Campuses | Type: Educational & Community Screenings
As the primary incubator for the next generation of local filmmakers, the ACM system frequently hosts events that are accessible to the public. These include student film showcases and partnerships with HIFF, such as the HIFF x ACM Accelerator program. This sometimes offers free passes to students, faculty, and the community. Keeping an eye on the ACM events calendar can provide a fantastic opportunity to see the work of emerging talent before they hit the festival circuit.
Programming: Student showcases, emerging filmmaker premieres, HIFF partnerships, community access events
🎬 Local Theaters
Location: Statewide | Type: Mainstream with Local Programming
It's always worth checking the listings at mainstream cinemas like the Consolidated Theatres chain. Alongside Hollywood blockbusters, they occasionally feature independent films with local ties or movies from the Philippines, like "MY LOVE WILL MAKE YOU DISAPPEAR," which cater to Hawaiʻi's large Filipino community. These screenings offer a glimpse into the diverse film tastes of the local audience.
Programming: Mainstream releases, occasional independent films, culturally relevant international cinema
Engaging with Hawaii's Film Community
This year-round calendar demonstrates that film is not just something that happens to Hawaiʻi. It's something that happens in Hawaiʻi, every single day. For a traveler, timing a visit with one of these events—big or small—is a direct way to support and participate in the islands' dynamic film culture.
Follow Local Calendars
Check UH ACM events, HoMA programming, and local theater listings for emerging opportunities.
Support Emerging Voices
Attend student showcases and community screenings to discover new talent before they break through.
Cultural Connection
Look for films that address local issues and represent the diverse communities of Hawaii.
Writing a New Script
I look out at Hanalei Bay one last time, the stars beginning to prick the deep indigo sky. The two film images of this place—the Hollywood fantasy and the Indigenous reality—no longer feel like they are in conflict. Instead, they feel like two parts of a much larger, more complex story. A story that is still being written.
The future of Hawaiian cinema isn't about choosing between the blockbuster and the indie film. Between the spectacle of Jurassic Park and the raw truth of Waikiki. It is about understanding that both narratives exist and that they have both shaped the islands we see today. Hollywood's lens brought the world to our shores. It created an economic engine and a global fascination with our home. Now, the lens held by Kānaka Maoli filmmakers is showing the world who we are. In our own voices and on our own terms.
As visitors, we are not passive observers in this story. We are active participants. We have the power to write a new, more thoughtful script for tourism. We can choose to look beyond the green screen.
We can stand where the dinosaurs ran and also listen for the echoes of the aliʻi who walked there first. We can enjoy the thrilling adventure of a Hollywood stunt show and then support a local filmmaker's screening that same evening. We can seek out the locations, but more important, we can seek out the stories.
This is how we travel with aloha.
This is how we ensure that our visit is one of respect, support, and genuine connection. And this is how we, as travelers, can help foster a future where the Hawaiʻi we see on screen is as deep, vibrant, and authentic as the islands themselves.