Hawai'i festival opens with voyage of The Navigator, taps Drifter as centrepiece
The Hawai'i International Film Festival will open its 46th edition with the world premiere of The Navigator, a made-in-Hawai'i documentary about wayfinder Nainoa Thompson.
The festival, known as HIFF and presented by Halekulani, has set The Navigator for opening night and Drifter for its centrepiece presentation, according to Variety. A world premiere means no audience anywhere has seen the film before. A centrepiece slot is the festival's mid-run showcase title.
The Navigator was directed by Jordan Manley and centres on Thompson. Nearly half a century ago, Thompson became the first Native Hawaiian in 600 years to sail from Hawai'i to Tahiti using no modern instruments, steering by stars, waves, wind and birds.
The new film follows Thompson on a 2,400-mile return voyage with a new generation of trainee wayfinders. It draws on lessons passed down by master navigator Mau Piailug, who taught Thompson the traditional navigation system.
The opening-night screening will be held at the Hawai'i Theatre Center. It is HIFF's first opening night in that venue since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
The centrepiece is the Hawai'i premiere of Drifter, the feature directorial debut of actor and filmmaker Sung Kang. Kang also wrote, produced and stars in the film. It is set in the drifting subculture, where drivers steer cars into long controlled slides, and centres on a lone racetrack janitor seeking redemption behind the wheel.
What makes this stand out is the pairing. One film looks to the ocean and an older knowledge system. The other looks to the racetrack and a modern car culture. Both put Hawai'i-made stories at the top of the programme.
The scale is large. The 46th edition, or HIFF46, features 84 films, including 34 world premieres, six North American premieres, 12 U.S. premieres and three international premieres, according to Variety. The programme also includes 86 short films. HIFF is the only Academy Award-qualifying festival in the state for short films, which means selected winners can become eligible for Oscars consideration.
HIFF46 also presents the second annual HIFILM industry conference for filmmakers and screen professionals. The festival is led by executive director Jean H. Lee and artistic director Anderson Le.
Tickets go on sale to members on 18 September and to the public on 22 September, according to HIFF. Passes went on sale earlier with the festival's first-wave announcement.
