2018 HIFF Awards Gala Silent Auction

The Hawaii International Film Festival presented by Halekulani is proudly celebrating its 38th Anniversary as the leading film festival supporting film and filmmakers from Asia, the Pacific, and North America. Our Awards Gala is our annual event that celebrates the achievements of legendary and breakthrough directors, producers, writers, and actors.

HIFF and Halekulani will present the Festival’s coveted awards program, including celebrated honorees, the second annual Made-In-Hawaii competition awards, and a new competition category for outstanding new achievement. On Friday, November 16th, 2018 hosted in the luxurious Halekulani Ballroom, guests are wined and dined with a five-course meal from award-winning chefs, live entertainment, a coveted silent auction, and special gifts. To purchase tables or individual tickets to the premiere red carpet event of the season, go to www.hiff.org/awardsgala

The star-studded event will showcase a red-carpet and dinner with talent from Asia, America, and the Pacific that have reached enormous success in their careers. Awards will also highlight emerging talent and provide a stronger platform for the incredible stories and breakout talents from the Hawaii and Pacific film communities. HIFF is proud to use our established international legacy to shine light on local, Pacific Rim talent, and further engage our growing audience with the most innovative creatives of our time.

Your attendance at the Awards Gala supports the fundamental mission of HIFF, a 501(c)3 charitable cultural organization. All net proceeds from your tax-deductible contributions support our mission. In addition to a fun, star-studded event, your attendance helps to provide access to acclaimed international films, deepen our service to the industry, host free public seminars, and grow our education programs to better serve and cultivate the burgeoning industry in the Pacific - highlighting media literacy, authentic representation, new technologies, and quality storytelling.

Established in 1981, the Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF) is a non-profit 501(c)3 charitable organization with a mission dedicated to advancing understanding and facilitating cultural exchange among Asia, the Pacific, and North America through film. Featuring world premiere screenings, panel discussions, industry events, and gala celebrations, HIFF acts as a creative pipeline to the Pacific, showcasing new and emerging talent from Asia and the Pacific Islands. HIFF promotes career development and original collaborations through education and media literacy programs, and celebrates achievements of legendary directors, producers, writers, and actors.

Annually, HIFF holds nearly 300 screenings of films from over 40 countries to an audience of nearly 50,000. Now in its 38th year, HIFF has earned the distinction of being the nation’s primary source for the discovery and exhibition of Asian and Pacific feature films, documentaries, and new media. HIFF`s programming has two particular mandates: to be a festival of record for emerging films from Asia and the Pacific, and to present the top festival films from around the world.

HIFF’s stature enables it to successfully compete for the rights to screen dozens of premieres from around the world. HIFF is the only film festival in the United States that has been granted the privilege of presenting the Award for Best Asian Film from NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema). It is also the only American partner of the prestigious Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF).

We are proud to present the 38th Hawaii International Film Festival presented by Halekulani, and to continue the festival’s proud tradition of showcasing content and creatives from the Pacific, Asia and North America. Our festival this year features over 180 films, talks and events from 37 countries, with 47 US, International and World Premieres across 32 sections. 2018 continues the tradition of programming a selection of critically-acclaimed and highly-anticipated films from Asia and around the world, while also giving a platform from emerging creative talents from across the Hawaii-Pacific region. As always, outstanding films are accompanied by stars and filmmakers from around the world, connecting East and West through a dedication to discussion, diversity and creativity.

For the first time ever, HIFF will present the HIFF VR Lounge, bringing together a selection of exciting contemporary Virtual Reality projects from around the world free to the public at SALT At Our Kakaako. HIFF has always been on the cutting edge of new media trends in the Pacific, and we are proud to extend our celebration of cinema and storytelling through new virtual reality projects that present an entirely new level of entertainment and engagement for viewers. We have also launched a competition for student filmmakers in collaboration with the Daniel K. Inouye Institute to foster creativity, civic engagement and media making in the state of Hawaii, hosted by actor Harry Shum, Jr (CRAZY RICH ASIANS). In addition, we maintain our commitment to new and challenging ideas across our Green Screen and Film for Thought sections, and to nurturing the imaginations of future generations we need to solve the world’s most pressing issues through our educational initiatives. HIFF38 features panels, masterclasses and Q&As with a focus on emerging international and Pacific filmmakers.

On November 16, Halekulani hosts HIFF’s spectacular awards gala, where we honor the contributions of artists and changemakers internationally. Each year, we present the Maverick Award to an individual who pushes boundaries and redefines what is possible in their creative discipline. In 2018, we are excited to present the award jointly to Steven Yeun, star of BURNING and THE WALKING DEAD and Awkwafina, actor, rapper and star of CRAZY RICH ASIANS and OCEAN’S EIGHT. The PIC Trailblazer Award, honoring a breakthrough filmmaker from the Pacific Islands, is awarded to Heperi Mita for continuing the legacy started by his mother, the late Merata Mita, of portraying and preserving indigenous works on the the big screen. The prestigious Career Achievement Award goes to South Korean actress Moon So-ri for her amazing body of work as one of Asia’s best actresses working today, but also for her second career as an emerging filmmaker. We will screen her directorial debut THE RUNNING ACTRESS as part of this year’s film program.

Other festival highlights include our Opening Night Film, SHADOW, the latest masterpiece from Chinese auteur Zhang Yimou set within the climactic warring ‘Three Kingdoms’ period. Our Centrepiece Gala, GREEN BOOK, unites Viggo Mortensen with Oscar-winning actor Mahershala Ali in a powerful road journey through segregation-era Deep South. The film won the coveted People’s Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival, which is considered an early barometer of a lucrative awards season. Our Closing Night Film, MOANANUIĀKEA: ONE OCEAN. ONE PEOPLE. ONE CANOE., is years-in-the-making, definitive film chronicling the recent voyage of the Hōkūleʻa and the next generation of navigators who traveled around the world and meeting peoples and cultures, fulfilling the vision of Nainoa Thompson and his contemporaries. Finally, we are extraordinarily honored to host acclaimed director Wong Kar-wai, widely regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers alive today, for a special retrospective of his key works including a post-film discussion with the auteur after a screening of the digitally restored CHUNGKING EXPRESS.

We so gratefully acknowledge the sponsors, volunteers, audiences, board of directors, staff and HIFF members, without whom this festival would be impossible. HIFF is incredibly fortunate to have one of the most enthusiastic local communities in the cinematic world, as well as a dedicated board committed to excellence and the continuing growth of the festival. We are also incredibly grateful to our valuable sponsors and key presenting sponsor Halekulani for making this important cultural event possible. On behalf of the HIFF Board of Directors and the HIFF Team, we extend our warmest aloha and mahalo nui loa. We hope you enjoy HIFF38!

We have all the items at the Silent Auction at the Halekulani on Friday November 16th, 2018 for the HIFF Awards Show.