"We Are Aliens" Takes the Shooting Star at the Hawai'i International Film Festival
Kadowaki Kōhei's "We Are Aliens" has won the Kau Ka Hōkū (Shooting Star) Award at the 46th Hawai'i International Film Festival, according to Variety. The jury prizes were handed out at an awards reception at the Halekulani Hotel in Waikīkī on Nov. 1.
The Shooting Star is presented by Hawaiian Airlines. It is reserved for an international filmmaker's first or second feature, so the win goes to a director early in a career. "We Are Aliens" is a 2026 Japan-France co-production. It runs 117 minutes, is in Japanese, and has English subtitles.
The film had its world premiere at Cannes. Its Hawai'i premiere came at this year's festival, where it played in the Spotlight on Japan section. It had also been listed as a Shooting Star nominee in the festival programme.
The festival's other awards went to a wide spread of films. "The Seoul Guardians" received an honorable mention for the Shooting Star. "The Navigator," directed by Jordan Manley, won the Pacific Award for best feature.
The Made in Hawai'i competition, which celebrates local filmmaking, had its own winners. Zilla Barbosa's "Making the Line" was named best Made in Hawai'i feature. In the shorts category, "The Man and the Tree," by Justyn Ah Chong, took the top prize and also won the Pacific Award short film honour. Aukai Lagiri's "Kukulu" earned an honorable mention in the same category. Ty Sanga's "Lahaina: Voices of Change" received honorable mentions from both the Made in Hawai'i and Pacific Award juries.
The festival's Best Short Film Award went to "Faceless," by Fraser Pemberton and William Jaka.
The Hawai'i International Film Festival is a non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organisation. It describes its mission as fostering cinematic excellence and cultural exchange. Beyond Honolulu, its Neighbor Islands Encores screened films in Kapolei, Waimea on Hawai'i Island, Maui, Lāna'i, Moloka'i and Hilo. Consolidated Theatres also presents HIFF Wednesdays, a biweekly theatrical series curated by the festival.
For anyone who has not followed the festival circuit, the pattern is worth noticing. A film can premiere at Cannes and then reach a Hawai'i audience months later, with local films sharing the same stage. The awards mark the close of this year's programme, and the winners now move on to whatever screenings and sales come next.
