The 46th Hawai’i International Film Festival distributed its major awards at a ceremony on Nov. 1, recognizing filmmaking across multiple categories and regions. The festival’s top international prize, the Kau Ka Hōkū (Shooting Star) Award, went to Japanese director Kadowaki Kōhei’s animated feature “We Are Aliens,” which premiered internationally at Cannes. The jury praised the film’s use of hand-drawn animation and rotoscoping to explore a childhood friendship and its long-term consequences, noting it achieved an emotional depth unusual for a directorial debut.
In the Made in Hawai’i category, Zilla Barbosa’s “Making the Line” earned the top feature prize, with the jury highlighting its portrayal of determination in upholding Hawaiian excellence and marking a significant debut for a filmmaker from Hilo. Justyn Ah Chong’s “The Man and the Tree” secured two honors, winning the Made in Hawai’i short film award and the newly introduced Pacific Award short film category. The festival presented additional awards across multiple categories, including the Pacific Award for best feature to Jordan Manley’s “The Navigator,” which centered on indigenous knowledge transmission.
Australian drama-thriller “Faceless” by Fraser Pemberton and William Jaka claimed the HIFF Best Short Film Award, while Zou Jing’s “A Girl Unknown” from China won the Netpac/USA Award. Audience members voted Sung Kang’s “Drifter” as their favorite narrative feature, with Kang also receiving the Halekulani Maverick Award at an honoree gala on Oct. 29. Actor Ke Huy Quan, known for roles in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and “The Goonies” before his recent comeback in “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” received the Halekulani Golden Maile Career Achievement Award.
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