The School of Cinematic Arts (SCA) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa is celebrating the impressive achievements of its faculty, alumni, and students at the 44th Hawaiʻi International Film Festival (HIFF). This year, their creative works earned prestigious awards, nominations, and widespread recognition, highlighting UH Mānoa’s influence on Hawaiʻi’s cinematic landscape.
“The faculty of SCA have done an amazing job throughout the years mentoring these talented students, so it is quite gratifying to see the success of the alumni and the level of talent in the upcoming group of students and recent graduates,” said Christine Acham, a professor and chair at SCA.
SCA alumni awards
SCA alumnus Alika Tengan made a remarkable impact at HIFF44 with his feature film Molokaʻi Bound, winning the coveted Made In Hawaiʻi award for Best Narrative Feature. Tengan’s work, which explores themes of family and redemption, also earned him the prestigious Kau Ka Hōkū award for Best Emerging Filmmaker.
SCA alumna Erin Lau was also honored with the Made In Hawaiʻi award for Best Documentary Feature for producing the powerful film Standing Above the Clouds. The documentary captures the resilience of Native Hawaiian women fighting to protect Maunakea.
SCA alumni Arsenio Salvante also earned a nomination for HIFF’s Made in Hawaiʻi Best Short for his film Victoria. The 12-minute Korean drama showcases a woman’s journey back home to Hawaiʻi to sell her late-father’s home. The film was co-written by SCA alumna Keana Alea, with fellow alumnus Vincent Bercasio as director of photography.
SCA alumnus Alexander Bocchieri also directed feature length documentary Shaka and SCA alumna Shaneika Aguilar directed a segment of Real Wāhine of Hawaiʻi (season 5) which also premiered at the festival.
Students make their mark
SCA student Alexander Cleary earned the HIFFxBMW Hawaiʻi Driven Student Filmmaker Award for his short film Stitches, securing a $3,000 cash scholarship.
Two more students, Steven Loya-Montoya and Josiah Castillo, received honorable mentions for their films Where Do Butterflies Go When They Die? and Anxious.
In total, seven short films from SCA were selected for HIFF’s University Showcase: Anxious (Castillo), Ikiryo (Ty Everheart), James (Anne Di Martino), Once in a Life Time (Rickey Brunty), Stitches (Cleary), The ʻĀina Within (Marcus Goh) and Where Do Butterflies Go When They Die? (Loya-Montoya).
Faculty excellence
SCA Professor Vilsoni Hereniko’s short film Woven made its world premiere at HIFF and was nominated for the Made In Hawaiʻi award for Best Short.
