Maui Film Festival

MISSION & OBJECTIVE
The Maui Film Festival strongly believes in the power of Original Cinema and in its ability to move culture, shift paradigms and meaningfully help to create a future worthy of today and seven generations to come.

We exist to ignite passions, visions and missions in our ‘Ohana (extended family) and yours to reveal the essence of life on Earth.

Simply put, whether sharing fictional stories or documenting reality, Original Cinema is the window through which we best see ourselves and and explore humankind’s triumphs and challenges. And doing it all while opening our hearts and minds to the ongoing tug-of-war with our planet's astonishing natural beauty and its threatened ecosystems and cultures.

In short, the Maui Film Festival strives to be a 'jewel box’ film festival that digs deep to find cinematic diamonds in coal mines and share them with all our patrons and the planet we all share.

OUR ORIGIN STORY
Since its inaugural year in 2000, the Maui Film Festival has produced an under-the-stars and lit-by-the-moon film festival and culinary arts celebration. Starting with its 10th annual event in 2010, the Maui Film Festival evolved into a one-of-a-kind solar powered open air festival presenting a panorama of global cinema with a shared commitment to the presentation of compassionate vision and transformative storytelling.

WELCOME TO THE “JEWEL-BOX"
IndieWIRE knows a good thing when it sees it. That’s why they described the Maui Film Festival as a "jewel-box festival-able to handle anything without becoming unwieldy or impersonal. Flawlessly planned. Watch for even greater things to come. The national press is taking notice, with the Hollywood Reporter, Variety, The Los Angeles Times, CNN, E!, Entertainment Tonight and Vanity Fair all reporting on its goings-on.”

Every year since its inaugural year of 2000, the Maui Film Festival has presented five days and nights of under-the-stars Film Premieres, Special Screenings, Festival Tributes, Filmmakers Panels, and world-class Special Events and Culinary Arts Celebrations.

FESTIVAL FORMAT
Maui Film Festival is a hybrid film festival, featuring a magnificent In Person festival at the Under the Stars Lit by the Moon and Powered by the Sun Open Air Venue the Stardust Cinema and/or a colorful array of Virtual Cinema feature film premieres highlighting politically, culturally and socially relevant films from diverse storytellers from around the world at the Speed of Light Virtual Cinema. All accepted films will be displayed either in person at the Stardust Cinema, OR online as part of our Speed-of-Light Virtual Cinema. Audience Awards are applicable all accepted films whether shown in person or online.

WHAT MOVES US
We come to work every morning to celebrate filmmakers, from the U.S and around the planet and their projects, by curating and supporting emerging and established voices with innovative explorations of life well-lived via screenings, tributes and panels.

Eligible projects include feature films (run time 40 minutes +) and short films (run time less than 40 minutes); including Narrative, Documentary, Animated and Experimental films.

As importantly, from the perspective of filmmakers considering submitting their work for consideration, the Festival has also been hailed as "Hawaii's Answer to Sundance" in the Los Angeles Times by respected entertainment writer John Horn.

In addition, among others, the list of outlets that have covered the Maui Film Festival has included: Associated Press, International Herald Tribune, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Vanity Fair, LA Weekly, People, Rolling Stone, Screen International, USA Today, Vanity Fair, VH1 Music, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, E! Online, Entertainment Weekly, The Hollywood Reporter, Huffington Post, indieWIRE, Bravo, CNN, Entertainment Tonight, Jimmy Kimmel Live, E! (US + Intl), Late Night CNN International, Modern Luxury Hawaii, Angeleno, San Francisco Magazine and Los Angeles Magazine.

The festival has had the honor of screening films, with budgets between $50,000 and $100,000,000, that have been provided by major studios and their mini-major divisions, independent distributors and both longtime and first-time filmmakers.

We also take great pride in our hard earned reputation in the industry as reflected in the kind words from two highly regarded pillars of the industry — Variety and The Hollywood Reporter who honored us with these kudos….

The Hollywood Reporter wrote "The Maui Film Festival is the embodiment of relaxed elegance providing ample opportunity to enjoy stargazing of both the Hollywood and heavenly varieties shoulder-to-shoulder with its A-List honorees.”

The mavens at independent film's touchstone 'publication' indieWIRE noted that "The Maui Film Festival Serves Up Feasts, Stars and Enlightenment. It's where the seaside rules and studio execs retreat and where there's enough A-list presence on and off screen to make it an island celebration deserving of its industry recognition.”

Last but not least, Variety, the often cited 'Bible of the Entertainment Industry’, reported that the “The Maui Film Festival is growing as an international destination for cineastes and industry insiders and is becoming the circuit's favorite sun-baked sibling while celebrating cinema from the intersection of smart and heart. With open-air screenings, the festival once again ditches traditional Hollywood devices like black ties and red carpets for flip-flops, all for the sake of a more intimate experience. The fest's lineup, which includes Hollywood fare (alongside) a selection of smaller cinematic endeavors from around-the-world that focus on human triumph.”

We hope you'll choose to honor us with your submission and we look forward to viewing your submission and thoughtfully considering it for inclusion in exemplary 2023 MFF film program.

Whether expanding the mind through mindfulness, psychedelic journeys, the joy and rush of extreme sports, the search for multi-cultural empathy, shared pleasures or immersing oneself in lives, actual or fictional, protecting and celebrating the planet, it's people and their kaleidoscopically unique art forms — to explore, reveal and enlighten their audience’s world view through Original Cinema is one hell of a ride. Jump on board!

"The Maui Film Festival exceeded my expectations. It’s one of the best places anywhere to launch a movie.” — Trevor Groth, Longtime Programming Director, Sundance Film Festival

OUR STAFF
Barry Rivers serves as the founder/director of the Maui Film Festival alongside, and with the much appreciated above and beyond support of the 700+ talented, dedicated and creative staff, artisans, activists and festival volunteers who collectively all share our commitment to manifesting positive and sustainable cultural change with an ever-expanding wave of Original Cinema in 2023 and beyond!