ʻOhina debuted in 1999 to support local independent filmmakers and to give them an opportunity to exhibit their films to the community through a short film showcase. Named with the Hawaiian term for "gathering" or "collecting," ʻOhina provides an annual exclusive venue for a collection of works by Hawaiʻi filmmakers to be gathered and presented to the community. Although entries can come from around the world, there is only one requirement: a creative relationship to the Hawaiian Islands.
Over two decades later, ʻOhina has grown into a three (3) tiered media pipeline responsible for helping local filmmakers and storytellers bring cinematic visions to the big screen.
The ‘Ohina Filmmakers Lab is a two-day filmmaker educational intensive that provides Hollywood screenwriters, producers, and directors mentorship and advice in a variety of key filmmaking fields, including script development, honing pitches, production support, project guidance, and more.
‘Ohina Films is a local collective of producers, directors, crew members, and creative talent on-island to help short film concepts that have been created and written during the ‘Ohina Filmmakers Lab intensive. ‘Ohina Films is responsible for bringing to fruition the ‘Ohina Greenlight Award-winning film and moving it through the short film festival circuit.
The ‘Ohina Showcase is an annual event that brings local short films to theaters across the Hawaiian Islands. In 2019, ‘Ohina reached O‘ahu, Maui, Lāna‘i, Kaua‘i, and Hawai‘i Island. We aspire to soon reach every island in the archepelago within a single month for maximum exposure of local films to the greater Hawai‘i community.
