Schedule

The 14th HIDFF (AUGUST 2026)

14th Season Schedule
This event will be held at the Sherry Theater in North Hollywood on August 30th 2026.
For details on the venue location, see our Festival page.

BLOCK A - August 30th at 12:05pm

Everyday (USA)
Languages, culture and fashion may be different, but we all agree that love is the best.
Directed by Jet Ainsworth

Dance Our Way to Heaven on Earth (USA)
Hawaiʻi born singer/songwriter, Faith Rivera, celebrates the joy of dance, self-expression, and the power of community in her latest single and music video, “Dance Our Way to Heaven on Earth.”
Directed by Alexander Nguyen
Written by Faith Rivera, Devon Lafoga, Jennifer Jimmenez
Cast: Faith Rivera, Asher Morgado, Lalaine Trujillo, Felipe Trujillo

First Encounter (China)
The story begins when a traveling painter meets a beautiful waitress in a roadside diner, falling into a dreamlike vision of love and life. Within this fleeting illusion, he experiences an entire lifetime with the heroine—embracing the sweetness of love, enduring the trivialities of daily life, and confronting the weariness of marriage. When he returns to reality and is once again given the power to choose, he must decide whether to continue alone, savoring the freedom of solitude, or, despite remembering every moment of past pain, still choose to journey with her. In this question of life, what will the protagonist ultimately choose...
Written & Directed by Anna Wang
Cast: Palina Leonchenko, Jonathan Barcelos

I Don't Care (USA)
A newlywed couple, who are now caregivers for the husband's dementia riddled mom, seek guidance in a caregiver support group only to find the advice they receive to be the unexpected.
Directed by Jay Guffey
Written by Mike Nielsen
Cast: Julia Dennis, Mike Nielsen, Laurie Okin, Lawrence A. Mandley, Karen Maruyama, Rob Elk, Shelagh Ratner, Sharron Shayne

Talented (USA)
A young musician has spent years silencing her gift out of fear and self-doubt. But when someone finally sees her for who she is, and who she could be, Mira must decide whether to keep running from her past or embrace the music within her.
Directed by Anastasia Kuplinova
Written by Sarah Jane Coleman
Cast: Jordan Cathryn, Matthew Sy

BLOCK B - August 30th at 1:20pm

Ellie (USA)
At a high school party, a bashful girl relives moments from her past relationship, realizing that true love is closer than she could have imagined.
Directed by Nicole Patton
Written by Taylor Davis
Cast: Raey Malone, Cori Peterson, Channing Scott

The Fuckboy Diaries (USA)
After her most recent breakup, Ruby vows to try everything in search of true love; she discovers her bisexuality and experiments with polyamory, but realizes that she’s turned into what she hates most: a fuckboy. Ruby must learn to love herself and therefore build a solid foundation for her future relationships to thrive.
Directed by Misha Calvert
Written by Alison Wien
Cast: Alison Wien, Raye Spielberg

The Silence in my Heart (Denmark)
A black Danish woman's journey through her own history becomes a redemptive film about finding herself after a long life's search.
Directed by Lene Kamm
Cast: Else Sørensen, Jens Kamm, Lene Kamm, Frederikke Kamm, John Owhin

BLOCK C - August 30th at 2:45pm

What We Carry (United Arab Emirates)
May and Sultan struggle to live within a home consumed by silence after a devastating loss alters their relationship forever. While Sultan clings to hope and the possibility of moving forward, May endures relentless physical pain and carries a secret she cannot bring herself to reveal. As the distance between them grows, old suspicions resurface, and the burden she bears begins to fracture the fragile foundation of their marriage.
Written & Directed by Afra AlMarar
Cast: Meral Niazi, Majed AlZubaidi, Arwa Janoubi, Ahmed AlAli

Scissors (China/USA)
Haunted by recurring nightmares, a young girl journeys through layered dreams into the pasts of her mother and grandmother, inheriting the courage of three generations of women through a pair of family scissors.
Written & Directed by Yanzhang Song

Miles To Grow (China)
Kai's father, Mr.Yang, takes his son Kai, who is in his rebellious youth, on a long-distance bicycle trip, experiencing ups and downs and witnessing his growth.
Directed by Bin Xu
Written by Bin Xu and Kaixin Chen
Cast: Yichen Liu, Kaixin Chen

BLOCK D - August 30th at 5:00pm

The Stars are Comforting (New Zealand)
New Zealand astronomer Beatrice Tinsley was the first person to prove in the 1960s that the universe would expand forever. However when she sets off to the Dallas, Texas to get her theory of the universe heard, she is met with a lot of resistance by her peers.
Written & Directed by Jen Blackburn
Cast: Amanda Mulderry, Mike Potton, Mike Newport, Dmitry Novikov, Tom van den Brink, Michael Hedges

UNDIVIDED with Simran Jeet Singh (USA)
UNDIVIDED is a docuseries that asks the question: “Who is included in the story of America?” Hosted by Simran Jeet Singh—an educator, activist, and national bestselling author—UNDIVIDED takes us on a cross-country tour to discover how the fight for freedom through American history has shaped and been shaped by our diverse religious communities.
Written & Directed by Jack Gordon
Cast: Simran Jeet Singh

People of the West (USA)
On Kumeyaay/Ipai land in 1542, a teenager’s coming-of-age ceremony collides with the arrival of Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo. Guided by elders, the village greets the strangers in cautious diplomacy—until Spain’s Requerimiento reveals conquest masked as faith. A clash over fishing rights sparks violence, and two children are abducted as “interpreters,” foreshadowing centuries of dispossession. Framed by a present-day classroom challenge, the pilot fuses oral histories, expert insight, and cinematic dramatization to reclaim first contact from an Indigenous point of view.
Directed by Bradley Munoa, Christopher Nataanii Cegielski, Phillip Montgomery, Josh Baker
Written by Maya Rose Dittolf, Bradley Jackson, Kris L. Crenwelge, Marilyn Thomas, Diego D. Moreno
Cast: Isaiah Crawfoot, David Midthunder, Tiffany Gonzalez, Apollo Rico, Kusem Goodwind, Montana Cypress, Marcus DeAnda, James Vallie

BLOCK E - August 30th at 7:10pm

Elias (USA)
On the night of his 21st birthday, a Korean-American son burdened by years of silent sacrifice spirals through Koreatown—haunted by the fear of becoming the father who left, and desperate to know if letting go is the only way to finally keep his promise to stay.
Written & Directed by Nicolas Chae
Cast: Paul Syre, Sook Hyung Yang, Luke Kim

The Perfect Knight (USA)
A young warrior joins a secret demon-fighting order to honor her dead sister. However, when she saves an innocent life against orders, it sets a conspiracy in motion that forces her mentor to choose between the woman he loves and the organization he’s devoted to.
Written & Directed by Damian King and Robin Deeter
Cast: Rebecca Stoughton, Emily Gateley, Jack Pearson

AWARDS PRESENTATION

Awards will be presented at 9:30pm on August 30th 2026.

Previous season schedule