MIHFF 2022 - Block One: Shorts

2 PM - 4 PM | SHORTS BLOCK

A spotlight of seven Hawai’i-made shorts including experimental, animated, narrative and documentary.

1:28 runtime + 15 minutes Q&A

Films included:

• Blue Cooler, directed by Laura Margulies

• FALLOUT : HILO (Hawai’i island), directed by BrainInACat

• Healing Land, Healing People, directed by Leah Warshawski

• ‘Ohana and ‘Aina: Connecting Family, Farming, and Freedom (Hawai’i island), directed by Jade Onaka and  Joel Serin-Christ

• The Kohala Mountain Music Project (Hawai’i island), directed by Kihei Nahale-a and Boots Lupenui

• Cashback (Hawai’i island), directed by Zoe Eisenberg

• Anton Chekhov's The Proposal, directed by Theo Coumbis

4:30 - 6:15 PM | HO’OMAU BLOCK

From some of Hawai’i’s top indigenous and indigenous-focused creatives come eight stories of overcoming obstacles to perpetuate people and culture.

2 hour runtime

• Pua Warriors, directed by Sophia Whalen

• The Pakala Kids, directed by Gavin Arucan

• Sina ma Tinirau, directed by Vilsoni Tausie Hereniko

• Fishing with Wally, Ellie Schmidt

• Ala Moana Boys, directed by Keli’i Grace

• Ka Ho?i: The Return, directed by Mitchel Merrick

• Red House, directed by Gerard Elmore

• Last Hawaiian Sugar, directed by Deja Cresencia Bernhardt

7pm | Feature Film: Water Like Fire

Directed by Mitchel Merrick

About the film: On her days off of work, Chanel finds herself at the beach. Her only source of comfort is between the waves and the sand. While surfing helps mend the emotional wounds of her parent’s death, Chanel still struggles to connect with her drug-addicted brother, Caleb. Then one day, Caleb is injured in a hit-and-run accident. While convalescing in the hospital, Chanel vows to help her brother heal his physical injuries and his drug problem. Memories of their parent’s surface while they are together and conversations about surfing binds them as one family. But while mending their broken relationship, another problem arises that challenges Caleb’s already broken spirit. WATER LIKE FIRE is a tale about the courage to walk through fire until you find peace.