Where Stories Take Root:
June 27-29, 2025
Doris Duke Theatre, 900 S. Beretania St.
The Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival returns on June 27-29, 2025 for an unforgettable celebration of queer storytelling, culture and community. Join us on Friday, Saturday and Sunday for screenings and exciting events at the Honolulu Museum of Art’s Doris Duke Theatre.
Presented by the Hawaiʻi LGBT Legacy Foundation, the Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival is one of the longest-running and most respected queer film festivals in the country. It features a full program of local, national and international films and shorts, creating a unique bridge between Hawaiʻi, Pacific Island communities, Asia and the continental U.S., highlighting LGBTQIA+/MVPFAFF+ stories, using the power of cinema.
Reserve your spot today
Experience Every Story
Tickets for HRFF36 screenings and events are on sale now!
Prices for individual seats and VIP passes are listed below.
Student
$25
- Access to all screenings
- Exclusive festival updates
- Choose your films
- VIP access to events
- Exclusive event invitations
- Festival swag bag
- Special pricing for currently enrolled high school and college students
Kūpuna
$50
- Access to all screenings
- Exclusive festival updates
- Choose your films
- VIP access to events
- Exclusive event invitations
- Festival swag bag
- Special pricing for currently enrolled high school and college students
All-Access VIP
$85
- Access to all screenings
- Exclusive festival updates
- Choose your films
- VIP access to events
- Exclusive event invitations
- Festival swag bag
JUNe 27 - 29, 2025
Schedule
Day 1 | June 27, 2025
Doors Open
Opening Night Reception | Doors Open at 5:00pm
Hosted Food and Live Entertainment @ HoMA. Beverages available for purchase. VIP Packet available for Pickup.
Day 1 | June 27, 2025
Heightened Scrutiny
Showing 7:30pm • 1h 25m • Doc Feature • Opening Night Film
Follows Chase Strangio, ACLU attorney and the first out trans person to argue before the Supreme Court, as he fights a high-stakes legal battle to overturn Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth.
Day 1 | June 27, 2025
SEAT 31: Zooey Zephyr
Short Film Preceding • 15m • Short Doc
After Zooey Zephyr’s expulsion from the Montana House of Representatives for defending transgender medical care, she made a nearby bench her “office.”
Day 2 | June 28, 2025
Paradise of Thorns
Showing 1:00pm • 2h 11m • Narrative Feature
When his partner Sek dies, Thongkam loses his property to his late love’s eager family and must fight to reclaim the home they built together.
Day 2 | June 28, 2025
Sisters
Showing 4:00pm • 1h 28m • Narrative Feature • Festival Centerpiece • Actor in Attendance
Lou and Esther share a bond like sisters—until Lou learns that she has a biological half-sister named Priya. As Lou shifts her focus to building a relationship with Priya, her longtime friendship with Esther begins to strain.
Day 2 | June 28, 2025
Gigi
Short Film Preceding • 15m • Short Animation
Gigi shares her gender transition journey from a troubled young mermaid to a self-assured woman. This vibrant animated story reminds us that identities are as vast and varied as the stars above.
Day 2 | June 28, 2025
First Comes Love
Short Film Preceding • 10m • Short Narrative • Director in Attendance
This coming-of-age romance follows two teenage girls as they navigate grief, identity, and first love. Its creator, Sayla U’ilani Whalen, is working to represent her Kanaka heritage and tell queer stories.
Day 2 | June 28, 2025
Queens of the Dead
Showing 7:00pm • 1h 38m • LGBTQIA+ Feature • Director & Actor in Attendance
When a zombie outbreak hits their Brooklyn drag show, drag queens and club kids are forced to set aside their rivalries and use their unique talents to take on the brain-hungry undead.
Day 2 | June 28, 2025
The 7th Moon
Short Film Preceding • 15m • Short Mixed Media • Director in Attendance
Brought to life by Hawaii filmmaker and HRFF Alum, Tony Dia, this short experimental film reimagines the Filipino myth of Bakunawa and the seven moons as an allegory for abuse, tracing the 7th Moon’s toxic cycle with his partner, Bakunawa.
Day 3 | June 29, 2025
The James Bidgood Story (and the Making of Pink Narcissus)
Showing 11:00am • 1h 37m • Doc Feature • Director in Attendance
Velvet Vision follows James Bidgood, the visionary behind the lush, fantastical imagery of 1960s queer art, whose anonymously released film Pink Narcissus sparked decades of mystery before he was finally credited as its true creator.
Day 3 | June 29, 2025
EKG
Short Film Preceding • 15m • Short Narrative • Director in Attendance
Crafted by HRFF alum, Q. Allan Brocka, EKG depicts an Asian American ER doctor, Hao Ling, as he grapples with guilt and fear after coming out, but through his first patient and the vibrant Gaysian party scene, he begins to embrace his true self.
Day 3 | June 29, 2025
Riley
Showing 2:00pm • 1h 38m • Narrative Feature • Closing Night Film • Director & Lead Actor in Attendance
A disciplined high school athlete’s world unravels when his queer identity collides with the expectations he’s been raised to uphold.
Day 3 | June 29, 2025
Just Between Us
Short Film Preceding • 20m • Short Narrative • Lead Actors in Attendance
Crafted by an HRFF alum, this short film depicts a disciplined high school athlete whose world unravels when his queer identity collides with the expectations he’s been raised to uphold.
Day 3 | June 29, 2025
Closing Night Reception
Closing Night Reception
Interested in Volunteering?
In addition to opportunities with the Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival, we are always looking for volunteers to help with the Hawaiʻi LGBT Legacy Foundation’s PRIDE365 events and programs year-round. Subscribe to our volunteer email alerts by filling out the form linked below.
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In memory of Adam Baran
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