Animated Feature 'We Are Aliens' Takes Top Prize at HIFF

The 46th Hawai’i International Film Festival concluded its awards cycle at the Halekulani Hotel in Waikīkī on Nov. 1. The event capped a season that began on Oct. 21 at the Hawaii Theatre and continues through Nov. 15 with screenings across the islands.

Kadowaki Kōhei’s animated feature “We Are Aliens” received the festival’s top international honor, the Kau Ka Hōkū Award. Presented by Hawaiian Airlines, this prize specifically targets an international filmmaker’s first or second feature. The film had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival before arriving in Honolulu. It tells the story of a childhood friendship that fractures over a minor incident, tracking the consequences of that break over three decades.

The jury for the award included Samuel Jamier, Jesse Hawthorne Ficks, and Mia Lee Vicino. They cited the film’s use of hand-drawn animation and rotoscoping as key factors in the decision. The panel stated that the work gave childhood a physical presence while capturing the cruelty children learn from one another. They unanimously awarded the prize for an emotional force they believed should not be allowed in a first feature.

Local filmmakers also secured major victories during the ceremony. Zilla Barbosa’s “Making the Line” was named best Made in Hawai’i feature. The jury noted that the film marks a triumphant debut for a director from Hilo who has long worked in music and radio. Justyn Ah Chong’s narrative short “The Man and the Tree” won two awards: best Made in Hawai’i short and the Pacific Award’s short film honor. The short now qualifies for Oscar consideration.

Earlier in the week, on Oct. 29, the festival honored long-time contributors in the film industry during a gala in the Halekulani Ballroom. Ke Huy Quan received the Halekulani Golden Maile Career Achievement Award. Known for his roles in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and his Oscar-winning turn in “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” Quan recently published his memoir “Never Say Die.” He is set to reprise his role as Gary De’Snake in “Zootopia 3.”

Sung Kang, best known for the “Fast & the Furious” franchise, accepted the Halekulani Maverick Award. Kang wrote, directed, produced, and stars in “Drifter,” a film about a janitor who finds community through competitive drifting. Master navigator Nainoa Thompson received the Halekulani Legacy Award for guiding a voyaging canoe from Hawai’i to Tahiti in 1980 without modern instruments. Luciane Buchanan took the New Vanguard Award, and screenwriter Bryson Chun received the Leanne K. Ferrer Trailblazer Award.

Festival audiences voted for their favorite films, selecting “Drifter” as the top narrative feature. The documentary “Beyond the Smiles: Yani Tseng” won the audience award for nonfiction, while Lauren Luke’s “Sons Are Not Earthbound” took the honor for short films. These audience awards are presented by Hawai’i News Now.

Jean H. Lee, the festival’s executive director, stated that the winners reflect the strength and diversity of cinematic storytelling in Hawai’i and the region. The festival is currently moving to Kapolei, Maui, Moloka’i, Hawai’i Island, and Lāna’i for its final week of programming.