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A still from the film IF ONLY I COULD HIBERNATE

The 43rd Hawaiʻi International Film Festival (HIFF) took place in Honolulu from October 12 to 22, 2023. 

Recognized as the vanguard forum of international cinematic achievement in the Asia-Pacific region, HIFF 2023 opened with Taika Waititi's comedy feature NEXT GOAL WINS (USA, 2023), along with feature documentary UNCLE BULLY's SURF SKOOL (2023, Hawaiʻi), they served as HIFF 43's two "Opening Night Films." Legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki's new animated feature THE BOY AND THE HERON (2023, Japan) was this year's Closing Night Film. 

Spotlighting exceptional works and discovering new talent, the NETPAC Award at HIFF honors one Asian Pacific title that is the first or second feature from the filmmaker(s). This year, the HIFF NETPAC Jury was composed of Gemma Cubero del Barrio (documentary filmmaker/producer, Talcual Films), Yuka Sakano (Executive Director, Kawakita Memorial Film Institute, Tokyo), and jury chairperson George Chun Han Wang (Professor, ACM: The School of Cinematic Arts, University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa, and NETPAC/USA Treasurer). 

George Chun Han Wang and Gemma Cubero del Barrio announce the NETPAC Award winner at the HIFF 43 Awards Gala on October 22, 2023

On October 17th, a brunch honoring the NETPAC jury was held at the Waihonua Clubroom. The event was hosted by NETPAC/USA president Vilsoni Hereniko and NETPAC Advisory Council member Jeannette Paulson Hereniko, and was attended by filmmakers and festival guests including actress Amy Hill, HIFF Artistic Director Anderson Le, and HIFF Executive Director Beckie Stocchetti. 

The HIFF NETPAC jury reviewed 8 feature films nominated by the festival this year. They are: CORD OF LIFE (China), A GIRL OUT OF THE COUNTRY (Taiwan), MY HEAVENLY CITY (Taiwan), ORPA (Indonesia, Papua), IF ONLY I COULD HIBERNATE (Mongolia), WHICH COLOR? (India), INSIDE THE YELLOW COCOON SHELL (Vietnam), and YOU & ME & ME (Thailand).

At the deliberation meeting that took place at the Halekulani Hotel on October 19 from 9:30 to 11:30am, the NETPAC jury selected IF ONLY I COULD HIBERNATE from Mongolia as this year's NETPAC Award winner at HIFF. An uplifting tale of survival and hope, IF ONLY I COULD HIBERNATE is the feature debut of Mongolian filmmaker Zoljargal Purevdash. Inspired by her own life experience of growing up in the impoverished yurt district in Ulaanbaatar, Purevdash's refreshing coming-of-age tale of a teenage boy’s arduous journey to keep his family warm while pursuing an alternative future through the promises of a better education, is also a gentle but unambiguous criticism of her fast-industrializing homeland's toxic air pollution that is taking a heavy toll on the vulnerable populations simply trying to keep themselves warm in the harsh winter months. 

George Chun Han Wang and Gemma Cubero del Barrio announced the NETPAC Award winner at HIFF 43's Awards Gala, held on Sunday October 22, 2023 at the Halekulani Hotel. IF ONLY I COULD HIBERNATE director Zoljargal Purevdash graciously accepted the award through a pre-recorded video speech. 

Other awards presented at the Gala include: HIFF Halekulani Maverick Award for Korean actor/producer Don Lee; HIFF Halekulani Vanguard Award for Japanese actress Sakura Ando; and HIFF Leanne K. Ferrer Pasifika Trailblazer Award for New Zealand actor Cliff Curtis. As HIFF 43 concluded on the island of Oʻahu, the festival continued through November 5, 2023, with screenings on neighbor Islands including Hawaʻi Island (Big Island), Kauaʻi, Lanai and Maui. 

Vilsoni Hereniko, Gemma Cubero del Barrio, Jeannette Paulson Hereniko, Anderson Le, Beckie Stocchetti, George Chun Han Wang, and Yuko Sakano at the HIFF 43 NETPAC/USA Brunch on October 17, 2023

by
George Chun Han Wang (NETPAC/USA)

Jury Members:

George Chun Han Wang (USA) (Jury Chairperson)

Gemma Cubero del Barrio (USA)

Yuka Sakano (Japan)

NETPAC Award:

IF ONLY I COULD HIBERNATE
(Mongolia, 2023, 96 minutes, Colour)

Directed by Zoljargal Purevdash (Mongolia)

Citation:

"for its insightful and cinematic portrayal of a teenage boy’s arduous journey to keep his family warm, while pursuing an alternative future through the promises of a better education."

Brief Synopsis:

A poor but prideful teenage boy Ulzii determines to win a Physics competition for a scholarship, but his illiterate mother finds a job in the countryside and leaves him with his siblings in the middle of the winter.