35th Celebration Alongside HIFF46
PIC Celebrates 35 Years of Pacific Storytelling, Alongside HIFF46
Pacific Showcase features 32 films from across the Pacific | Seven PIC-funded films, including four world premieres, will screen at the festival
PRESS RELEASE
October 14, 2026 (Honolulu, HI) – Pacific Islanders in Communications (PIC) will celebrate its 35th anniversary at the 46th Hawai‘i International Film Festival (HIFF), where seven PIC-funded films will screen and the PIC-sponsored Pacific Showcase will feature 32 films highlighting Indigenous cinema and Pacific Island stories.
Since 2010, the Pacific Showcase is the festival’s only showcase dedicated to Pacific Island stories. This year’s lineup includes 10 feature films and 22 shorts from Aotearoa (New Zealand), Australia, the Cook Islands, Hawai‘i, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Tonga.
PIC will present the HIFF Pacific Award for Best Feature Film and, for the first time, Best Short Film.
“For 35 years, Pacific Islanders in Communications has been committed to supporting Pacific Islander storytellers and ensuring our stories are told in our own voices, grounded in our cultures, and shared with the world,” said Maluhia Kaimikaua Snook, PIC’s interim executive director. “Our stories carry our histories, reflect who we are today, and shape how future generations will see themselves and their place in the world.”
PIC-funded films selected to screen
- “Iakwe: Hello, Goodbye,” directed by Nathan Fitch.
- “Lady Shaka: Sonic Sands,” directed by Ursula Grace Williams.
- “Like Father Like Daughter,” directed by Olivé. (World Premiere)
- “The Man and the Tree,” directed by Justyn Ah Chong. (World Premiere)
- “Niu Forever,” directed by Alex Cantatore. (World Premiere)
- “Of the Land,” directed by Anette Arinix. (World Premiere)
- “Sukundimi Walks Before Me,” directed by Matasila Freshwater and Lachlan Mcleod.
PIC will also present the Leanne K. Ferrer Trailblazer Award to Bryson Chun, a Native Hawaiian screenwriter whose credits include Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Moana 2” and Disney+’s “Doogie Kamealoha, M.D.” An alumnus of the Sundance Native Shorts Lab and a CAPE Fellow, Chun has also been recognized by the Black List’s Indigenous List. He wrote “Dasher,” winner of the HIFF 2025 Audience Award.
Since 2017, PIC has presented the award to cinema artists of Pacific Islander heritage who bring Pacific Islander stories to the world stage through their work in independent and global cinema. Past recipients include Taika Waititi, Keala Settle and Kerry Warkia.
PIC will mark its anniversary at its annual Producers’ Reception on October 28 at 6pm HST at 3660 On the Rise in Honolulu, HI. The gathering will bring together filmmakers and supporters to celebrate PIC’s history and the films selected for the festival.
“As we celebrate our anniversary, we remain committed to creating opportunities for Pacific Islander voices to be seen, heard, and valued, for generations to come,” Snook said.
HIFF46 runs Oct. 21 through Nov. 5 on O‘ahu, with screenings on neighboring islands continuing through Nov. 15. For screening schedules and tickets, visit hiff.org.
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Media Contact
Athena Taitingfong | Creative Communications Manager at PIC
ataitingfong@piccom.org
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