Early bird submissions open for second Wailuku Film Festival

Filmmakers can now submit work for the second annual Wailuku Film Festival, which organizers say will return to Wailuku town in mid-June 2027 with two new categories.

Early bird submissions opened Thursday through FilmFreeway at a discounted rate through Jan. 1, according to a news release from the festival. Organizers did not announce specific festival dates or submission fees.

The festival is an initiative of the Maui Film Office, supported by Maui County. Its 2027 theme is “Where Stories Gather.”

New categories

The festival will keep its four existing categories: Hawaiʻi, Indigenous Voices, Watersports and Student Films. It is adding Animation and Ocean Conservation.

Organizers said the Animation category is for visual storytelling and creative experimentation. Ocean Conservation will focus on marine ecosystems, environmental stewardship and people’s relationship with the sea. The Watersports category accepts surf films, ocean adventures, athlete profiles and stories about communities shaped by the sea.

Juried and audience awards will go to narrative, documentary, feature-length and short-form films, the release said.

Submission deadlines

• Jan. 1: Regular submissions begin
• March 1 to April 1: Late submission period
• April 1: Final general submission deadline
• May 1: Student film submission deadline

High school and college filmmakers have until May 1 to submit.

First-year results

Festival organizers said the inaugural five-day festival in 2026 drew more than 5,300 attendees to Wailuku town and the Maui Arts & Cultural Center. They said it screened more than 100 films, including more than 55 made in Hawaiʻi and more than 30 student films, representing 15 countries and Indigenous nations. Organizers said several screenings at the historic ʻĪao Theater sold out and that the festival generated more than 12.5 million media impressions.

Festival Director Brian Kohne, who is also Maui’s film commissioner and an assistant professor at the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College, said residents and visitors both attended, which helped small businesses in town.

“For year two, we endeavor to expand the program while attracting greater levels of participation,” Kohne said in the release.

Kohne said the Student category continues the county’s support for island creatives from education into industry. He said the festival, along with the college’s Creative Media program, is part of the infrastructure for building an independent film industry rooted in Hawaiʻi.

The festival’s organizers said it is grounded in the Hawaiian values of aloha, kuleana and mālama.

More information is available at the festival website.