Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival

Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival �� The Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival is one of the longest continually running LGBTQ+ film festivals in the world. Follow us for the latest news & events.

07/28/2026

What a weekend. ❤️🏳️‍🌈🎬

The 37th Annual Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival was one for the history books!

Mahalo to every filmmaker, attendee, volunteer, board member, Emerging Leaders Council member, committee member, staff member, and the incredible sponsors and community partners who made this unforgettable weekend possible. Your passion, commitment, and belief in the power of q***r storytelling continue to create spaces where our community can see themselves, feel celebrated, and belong.

Together, we celebrated record-breaking attendance, with more than 300 attendees at both our Friday Opening Night and Sunday Closing Night screenings, and an incredible 800 attendees joining us on Saturday. Seeing Hawaiʻi Theatre filled with love, laughter, and meaningful conversations reminded us why this festival matters.

This year also marked the exciting launch of our Lei Short Film Showcase & Scholarship, an investment in the next generation of Hawaiʻi’s q***r filmmakers. By supporting emerging local storytellers, we’re helping ensure the future of q***r filmmaking in Hawaiʻi is brighter than ever.

Check out this recap video and relive all the unforgettable moments—from the red carpet and powerful films to inspiring conversations and lasting connections.

Mahalo for being part of HRFF37. We can’t wait to welcome you back.

📅 Save the Date: July 9–11, 2027, as the Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival returns to Hawaiʻi Theatre for HRFF38! 🎥🌈

🎥 redefined weddings

🎬✨ One more chance to experience the films everyone’s been talking about!Join us for Friends in Film Talk Story as we ce...
07/21/2026

🎬✨ One more chance to experience the films everyone’s been talking about!

Join us for Friends in Film Talk Story as we celebrate local q***r storytelling with a special Lei Short Film Showcase Encore featuring Hue and In Conversation with Dan Taulapapa McMullin.

Stay after the screening to connect with fellow film lovers, meet members of our creative community, and enjoy hosted bites while talking story. 💬🌈

📅 Friday, July 31
📍 Capitol Modern
🕕 6:00–8:00 PM
🎟️ FREE admission (RSVP required), link in bio

Come celebrate the incredible talent that made HRFF37 so unforgettable—and help keep the conversation going. 💜🎥

🏆🌈 And the winners are…What an incredible weekend celebrating bold storytelling, unforgettable filmmakers, and the power...
07/15/2026

🏆🌈 And the winners are…

What an incredible weekend celebrating bold storytelling, unforgettable filmmakers, and the power of q***r voices from Hawaiʻi and around the world.

Congratulations to all of our HRFF37 Award Winners! Your stories moved us, inspired us, and reminded us why these stories matter. ❤️🎬

Mahalo to every filmmaker, delegate, juror, volunteer, sponsor, and audience member who helped make the 37th Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival one to remember. Here’s to continuing to create spaces where stories take root and communities grow.

👏 Swipe through to celebrate this year’s winners!

🌈🎥

✨ The queens have arrived… and they’re bringing the glamour. 👑🌈Kick off HRFF37 at our FREE Opening Night Red Carpet Cele...
07/07/2026

✨ The queens have arrived… and they’re bringing the glamour. 👑🌈

Kick off HRFF37 at our FREE Opening Night Red Carpet Celebration on Friday, July 10 at 5:00 PM outside Hawaiʻi Theatre! Walk the carpet, cheer on our reigning queens, enjoy live entertainment, local food vendors, and celebrate the start of an unforgettable weekend of LGBTQIA+ film and community.

Featuring our reigning queens Joslyn Paige, Jaynah B, Yazmina Flambe, Jerrica Benton, Zee With the Tea, and Maya Miracle Stone, plus live entertainment from DJ Patrick and Darren Zuko to keep the celebration going all evening!

🎟️ Free admission (ticket required). Reserve yours now and let’s celebrate where stories take root. 🌿🎬

🌿 WHERE STORIES TAKE ROOT. Wear the story.The official HRFF37 Collection has arrived! Designed and produced locally in H...
06/30/2026

🌿 WHERE STORIES TAKE ROOT. Wear the story.

The official HRFF37 Collection has arrived! Designed and produced locally in Hawaiʻi, this limited-edition matcha dye-wash tee celebrates the stories, voices, and community that make the Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival so special.

🎟️ Grab your shirt and your festival tickets:
📍 Wednesday, July 1 – PEWA by Pono Potions
📍 Thursday, July 2 – Hula’s Bar & Lei Stand
🕔 5:00–7:00 PM

At $35, every purchase helps support the arts, independent filmmakers, and LGBTQIA+ storytelling in Hawaiʻi.

🌿 Limited quantities available—once they’re gone, they’re gone. Get yours before HRFF37 kicks off!

📺 Don’t miss the encore showings of the HRFF37 takeover on Island Life Live!Missed it the first time? We’ve got you cove...
06/29/2026

📺 Don’t miss the encore showings of the HRFF37 takeover on Island Life Live!

Missed it the first time? We’ve got you covered! Catch the encore broadcasts and get a sneak peek at what’s in store for the 37th Annual Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival—plus exclusive screenings of the award-winning shorts Aikāne and Kapaemahu.

📅 Encore Showings:
🌈 Monday, June 29
📺 4 PM on KITV
📺 9 PM on KIKU

🌈 Saturday, July 4
📺 5 AM on KIKU

Celebrate powerful q***r storytelling rooted in Hawaiʻi and join us as we count down to HRFF37! 🎬🏳️‍🌈

🏆 The competition is on.From groundbreaking documentaries and powerful short films to the inaugural Lei Short Film Showc...
06/29/2026

🏆 The competition is on.

From groundbreaking documentaries and powerful short films to the inaugural Lei Short Film Showcase & Scholarship, HRFF37 celebrates the storytellers pushing q***r cinema forward.

Who will take home Best Feature Film? Who will win the Adam Baran Award? And who will earn the votes of our audience?

Join us July 10–12 at Hawaiʻi Theatre to experience all 18 films, then be there as this year’s winners are revealed.

🎟️ Tickets on sale now at HRFF.org

🎬 We’re taking over Island Life Live! 🌈Kick off your week with a special preview of the 37th Annual Honolulu Rainbow Fil...
06/29/2026

🎬 We’re taking over Island Life Live! 🌈

Kick off your week with a special preview of the 37th Annual Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival as we celebrate powerful q***r stories rooted in Hawaiʻi. Join us Monday, June 29 at 10 AM on KITV & KIKU (with an encore at 9 PM on KIKU) featuring two unforgettable films: Aikāne and Kapaemahu.

These stories honor love, culture, and the enduring legacy of our LGBTQIA+ community—and they’re just a taste of what’s in store at HRFF37, July 10–12 at Hawaiʻi Theatre.

📺 Monday, June 29
🕙 10 AM on KITV & KIKU
🕘 9 PM encore on KIKU

See you on air… then see you at the festival! 🌈🎥

🎟️ Get your tickets at HRFF.org

🎬🌈 The record-breaking continues!Our Saturday Night Feature, MĀHŪ: A Trans-Pacific Love Letter, has officially become th...
06/24/2026

🎬🌈 The record-breaking continues!

Our Saturday Night Feature, MĀHŪ: A Trans-Pacific Love Letter, has officially become the highest-selling single screening in Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival history with 500 tickets sold and counting! 🔥

This powerful celebration of māhū identity, culture, resilience, and aloha has captured the hearts of our community and beyond. And the experience doesn’t stop with the film.

Join us for the final live performance of The Return of Kapaemahu by the legendary Kumu Hula Patrick Makuakāne, making this a truly unforgettable evening of storytelling, history, and cultural preservation.

Mahalo to everyone who continues to show up for q***r stories, local voices, and community. Together, you’re helping make HRFF37 our biggest festival yet.

🎟️ A limited number of tickets remain. Don’t miss your chance to be part of this historic night.

☀️🎬 Kūpuna Movie Morning gets a special HRFF37 takeover!Designed to bring our kūpuna and community together through film...
06/23/2026

☀️🎬 Kūpuna Movie Morning gets a special HRFF37 takeover!

Designed to bring our kūpuna and community together through film, conversation, and connection, this special edition features We Are Pat—an acclaimed documentary exploring the legacy of one of pop culture’s most talked-about characters and the evolution of LGBTQ+ representation.

🎥 Preceded by the short film Finding YiYi
📅 July 11, 2026
⏰ 11:00 AM
📍 Hawaiʻi Theatre

Join us for a morning of storytelling, reflection, and community. 🌈

🎟️ Purchase tickets at HawaiiTheatre.com

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2270 Kalakaua Avenue
Honolulu, HI
96813

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