Hawaii International Film Festival
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The Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF) is a film festival held in the U.S. state of Hawaii. It was started in 1981 and has been held annually in the fall for two weeks. It also features a smaller, one week festival in the Spring known as the "Spring Showcase" or the "Spring Fling."
The HIFF states that it "is dedicated to the advancement of understanding and cultural exchange among the peoples of Asia, the Pacific and North America through the medium of film." It is the largest such "East meets West" film festival in the United States.
The festival receives sponsorship from numerous corporations every year, with the largest contributor being Louis Vuitton. The festival is also known as the Louis Vuitton Hawaii International Film Festival.
Each year, renowned film critic Roger Ebert picks one film to be shown at HIFF and he sometimes travels to Hawaii in order to introduce it to the audience. The Festival gives out several awards: the top prize is named the Golden Maile and is also known as the First Hawaiian Bank Golden Maile Award. In 2004 an award for achievement in acting was given to Maggie Cheung.
