The Hawai’i International Film Festival will launch its 46th edition with a world premiere that celebrates Native Hawaiian heritage. “The Navigator,” directed by Jordan Manley, will open the festival at the historic Hawai’i Theatre Center. The documentary follows Nainoa Thompson’s return voyage across the Pacific Ocean, retracing a historic journey he completed nearly 50 years ago as the first Native Hawaiian in six centuries to sail from Hawai’i to Tahiti using only traditional navigation methods. The film documents Thompson’s 2,400-mile voyage with a group of apprentice wayfinders learning ancient techniques from master navigator Mau Piailug.
Festival executive director Jean H. Lee emphasized the film’s cultural significance, noting that Thompson’s accomplishments represent the preservation and transmission of ancestral knowledge across the Pacific region. The opening marks the festival’s return to the Hawai’i Theatre Center for its premiere event since the pandemic began.
“Drifter,” the feature directorial debut by actor and filmmaker Sung Kang, has been selected as the festival’s centerpiece presentation. The film, which Kang also wrote, produced, and stars in, tells the story of a racetrack janitor seeking redemption through competitive racing while learning to trust others.
HIFF46 will showcase 84 films total, including 34 world premieres and selections from major international festivals including Cannes, Sundance, Berlin, and Busan. The program features 86 short films and maintains its status as the state’s only Academy Award-qualifying festival for short films.
Originally reported by Variety →
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