HIFF 'Ōpio Fest, an inaugural youth film festival of the Hawai'i International Film Festival, is a three-day family event dedicated to showcasing and celebrating short films made by Hawai'i's young filmmakers! Make plans to join us at our first ever ‘Ōpio Fest in Honolulu April 5-7, 2024.

We encourage student filmmakers (K-12th grade) in Hawai'i to submit works from any genre in the Student Showcase category and to submit short narratives/documentaries to the theme of "Hawai'i's Youth Leading By Example" in the Future Filmmakers category (6th-12th grade).

At 'Ōpio Fest, there are also opportunities for student filmmakers to meet some of their favorite film professionals who have forged exemplary Hollywood careers, as they impart career advice and their own personal journeys as filmmakers to Hawai‘i’s future filmmaking professionals. Past dignitaries were Harry Shum, Jr. (GLEE, CRAZY RICH ASIANS), Jacob Batalon (SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME), Phillipa Soo (HAMILTON), Destin Daniel Cretton (director, SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS), Peyton Elizabeth Lee (DOOGIE KAMEALOHA, M.D.), and Auli‘i Cravalho (MOANA, THE POWER, MEAN GIRLS).

HIFF's student screenings were previously held during the annual Hawai'i International Film Festival presented by Halekulani, and has grown to be a crowd favorite in the community. The education programs at HIFF reach more than 10,000 students across Hawai’i annually through free community programs available to K-12 schools, including student showcases and film competitions, in-theater and online screenings, hybrid workshops and guest filmmakers speaking in classrooms.

For any questions, please email education@hiff.org

Awards & Prizes

We are committed to awarding the best short films created by student filmmakers in Hawai'i. We will be awarding select films in the Future Filmmakers category, open to middle school and high school students.

Rules & Terms

- The film’s director(s) must have been in high school or younger at the time of production.

- Both categories are open to Hawai'i students only with the exception of students from Alaska who may submit to the Future Filmmakers category.

- Films must be conceived, produced, and finished by filmmakers in middle school or high school with teachers and other mentors acting in advisory roles only.

- Films must have been completed no earlier than January 2023.

- All music and other copyrighted material used in the film must be properly licensed and attributed. This includes Student Music Videos.

- All films with dialogue in a language other than English must be subtitled in English for Festival presentation.

YOU MUST READ THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION BEFORE SUBMITTING:

View the Official Rules & Guidelines for the Future Filmmakers category here: https://hiff.org/futurefilmmakers/

View the Official Rules & Guidelines for the Student Showcase category here: https://hiff.org/student-showcase/

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  • Jana Park

    WOW! This was an incredible weekend-long film festival full off creative films, educational events, and valuable networking experiences. Students from all over Hawai'i (and even Alaska!) gathered together to share their art and friendship. My students will never forget this experience. Highly recommended!

    April 2024
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