SATURDAY MAY 14
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.
Full film descriptions for all shorts can be found at www.mihff.org.