The 46th Hawai‘i International Film Festival opens Wednesday with the world premiere of “The Navigator,” a documentary following Native Hawaiian navigator Nainoa Thompson on a 2,400-mile voyage to Tahiti with a crew of student navigators aboard the Hōkūle‘a. The opening-night screening takes place at the historic Hawai‘i Theatre, with Thompson and director Jordan Manley both expected to attend.
The film, directed by Jordan Manley, arrives nearly 50 years after Thompson made history. According to hiff.org, “The Navigator” is a Made in Hawai‘i documentary built around Thompson’s original feat: in 1980, he became the first Native Hawaiian in six centuries to navigate a voyaging canoe from Hawai‘i to Tahiti without a compass or modern instruments, a milestone detailed on the festival’s box office page for the film. That same page notes the voyage depicted in the film is guided only by the stars, the rhythms of nature, and the teachings of the late master navigator Mau Piailug.
Thompson, who serves as a Pwo Navigator and CEO of the Polynesian Voyaging Society per hiff.org’s honoree listing, will receive HIFF46’s Halekulani Legacy Award during the festival. As reported by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, HIFF Executive Director Jean H. Lee described opening the festival with the film as a tremendous honor, saying it is deeply connected to Hawai‘i and the festival itself. Lee added that Pacific seafaring continues to live, evolve and inspire through Thompson and the Polynesian Voyaging Society, according to the same report.
A Homecoming for Opening Night
Wednesday’s premiere marks the first time HIFF has returned its Opening Night celebration to the Hawai‘i Theatre since before the COVID-19 pandemic, the festival notes. The venue’s return adds a layer of occasion to a lineup already built around what hiff.org calls this year’s theme of “voyagers and visionaries.” Thirty Hawai‘i-made films are featured across the festival, according to Hawaii News Now.
The scale of this year’s program is considerable. HIFF46 features 84 films in total, including 34 world premieres, six North American premieres, 12 U.S. premieres and three international premieres, per hiff.org. Counts on short films vary between sources: the Star-Advertiser reported 85 shorts, while Variety put the number at 86, noting that HIFF remains the only Academy Award-qualifying film festival in the state for short films. Hawaii News Now separately confirms that category winners at HIFF earn eligibility for Academy Award consideration.
Centerpiece Film Brings Sung Kang Home
Beyond opening night, HIFF46’s centerpiece presentation is the Hawai‘i premiere of “Drifter,” the feature directorial debut of actor and filmmaker Sung Kang, per Variety’s reporting. Kang wrote, directed, produced and stars in the film, which follows Tree, a former driving star seeking to return to competitive racing, and celebrates Hawai‘i’s long-standing drifting culture. Hawaii News Now reports that Kang will attend the festival in person to present the film following its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. Kang is also set to receive HIFF46’s Halekulani Maverick Award.
Other honorees include Ke Huy Quan, who will receive the Halekulani Golden Maile Career Achievement Award, and Luciane Buchanan, recipient of the Halekulani New Vanguard Award. Bryson Chun is set to receive the HIFF Leanne K. Ferrer Trailblazer Award, presented by Pacific Islanders in Communications. The Honoree Gala: Voyagers & Visionaries is scheduled for Oct. 29 at the Halekulani Hotel.
Festival Spans O‘ahu and the Neighbor Islands
HIFF46 runs Oct. 21 through Nov. 5 on O‘ahu before continuing through Nov. 15 on Maui, Molokai, Lanai and Hawai‘i Island, according to hiff.org. Variety’s coverage of the festival’s geographic footprint confirms the same island-by-island rollout. The HIFILM Industry Conference, meanwhile, returns for its second year on Oct. 24-25 at Chaminade University’s Clarence T.C. Ching Conference Center, per Hawaii News Now.
For moviegoers planning their schedules, general festival tickets are generally $17, though Honolulu Magazine notes discounts, day-of price increases and different costs for special events like the opening-night screening and centerpiece presentation. With dozens of Hawai‘i-made titles alongside international premieres, HIFF46’s opening slate sets a reflective tone for a festival built around voyagers past and present.
