Wailuku Film Festival opens June 17 with five-day program featuring more than 100 films

The inaugural Wailuku Film Festival opens June 17 with a five-day program featuring more than 100 films, establishing Wailuku town as a new gathering place for Pacific and global cinema.

Presented by Pacific Media Group, the Wailuku Film Festival runs from June 17-21, 2026, with screenings, panels, industry conversations, workshops and special presentations. The festival is an initiative of the Maui Film Office and is supported by the County of Maui as part of ongoing efforts to grow Maui’s creative economy, support local filmmakers and strengthen opportunities for film, media and storytelling in the islands.

The festival will feature 31 student films and more than 55 films from Hawaiʻi filmmakers, making it one of the most concentrated showcases of local and emerging storytelling in the state. Filmmakers represent Aotearoa, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Fiji, France, Mexico, the Netherlands, the Philippines, the Russian Federation, Tonga, the continental U.S. and Hawaiʻi, reflecting a global program grounded in the Pacific.

Core categories include Hawaiʻi, Indigenous Voices, Watersports, Student Films and Animation, spotlighting stories rooted in place while expanding international perspectives. A highlight of this year’s festival is the 31-film high school and college student film festival and competition on June 18, presented in partnership with University of Hawaiʻi Maui College, showcasing the next generation of Hawaiʻi and Pacific filmmakers.

Screenings from June 17-20 will take place at the Historic ʻĪao Theater, 68 North Market St. in Wailuku, and the Naylor Theater, 2027 Main St. in Wailuku. Tickets are $15 with no added taxes or fees.

The festival will also feature panels with actors, writers, producers and directors, in partnership with ʻĀkaku Maui Community Media, which will broadcast and stream all panels live.

Wailuku Film Festival concludes June 21 at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center in Kahului with the Wailuku Film Festival Best of Festival, presented by Hampton Inn Maui North Shore. The closing program will include Audience Choice encore screenings and the Jury Award Winner for Best Hawaiʻi Feature, Lāhainā Rising, which will receive a special encore screening in the MACC’s Castle Theater. Tickets for the Best of Wailuku Film Festival are $20 with no added taxes or fees.