HIFF Talks: The Official Podcast of the Hawai‘i International Film Festival

Over his extensive career in entertainment, Dante Basco has always kept his identity and culture close to his heart. His latest film - a fun close-to-real-life collaboration with several of his family members - reflects his undying hunger to continue to tell his truth through storytelling. Meanwhile, his interviewer Lee Ngo is trying very hard not to reveal how much of a fan of Avatar: The Last Ai...

As this year's recipient of the Halekulani Golden Maile Career Achievement Award, Maui-born Destin Daniel Cretton has had an amazing year. We talk about his humble origins of discovering filmmaking as a youth to building up his career through the film festival circuits. Now, he's an internationally recognized and award-winning filmmaker, most recently shattering box office records with t...

For some reason, ʻĀina Paikai does not have an official film in HIFF 41. Yet his contributions as an actor, producer, and director have honored festivals past, not to mention that his face from DOWN ON THE SIDEWALK OF WAIKIKI was plastered all over HIFF 39's promotional efforts. What has ʻĀina been up to since last year? Artistic Director Anderson Le "confronts" this talented man ov...

Ty Sanga has been a pioneer for Native Hawaiian filmmaking, inspiring others in the community through his work and mentorship to tell their own story. Yet he's far from done telling his own stories as well, with his latest work HE KAU HEAHEA A HI‘IAKA making it into HIFF's Pacific Shorts Showcase this year. Ty chats with HIFF's Anderson Le about his latest work and how he's evo...

Serial HIFF contributor and perpetual friend to the community, filmmaker Justyn Ah Chong’s work has always been interested in telling stories from a native Hawaiian perspective. Listen as Justyn shares his past, current, and upcoming work with HIFF’s Artistic Director Anderson Le.  Guest - Justyn Ah Chong Interviewer and Executive Producer - Anderson Le  Producer - Lee Ngo Executive Producer - Bec...

Making a documentary about Native Hawaiian Duke Paoa Kahanamoku was both a dream come true and a huge responsibility for director Isaac Halasima. How does one depict an actual legend, trailblazer, and superhero to his people and community? Much to the delight of interviewer Lee Ngo, Isaac drew from recent Superman films ... and also BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA? Listen to these two fanboys pay homa...

Keli'i Grace's submission to the 2021 Hawaii International Film Festival takes on a heavy subject that still resonates strongly well into the present: the infamous Massie trials of the 1930s. A dark and challenging exploration of racism, criminality, and broader power regimes in Hawai'i, Grace talks about the process of making this film and his own connection to the multiracial and...

Danis Goulet shares her eight-year journey to create NIGHT RAIDERS, a dystopian sci-fi thriller that explores poignant themes such as nationalism, indigenous autonomy, militarization, and state-sanctioned violence. While set just 22-years into the future (as of the recording of this podcast), Goulet's concerns are deeply personal, ingrained in the present struggles of colonialism disguised wi...