The festival—the longest-running student-run film festival in the world—includes public film screenings from April 24-27 at the historic Minor Theatre in Arcata. HIFF 58 will feature over 30 international short films, including selections produced locally in Humboldt County. There will also be a panel discussion featuring three guest judges on Friday, April 25, from 5-6:30 p.m. in Art B Room 102. An audience Q&A will follow. This event is free and open to all. 

This year's curated lineup includes narrative, documentary, animation, and experimental films, and a specially themed spotlight program, Metamorphosis. HIFF takes pride in showcasing diverse voices and perspectives through a wide range of films exploring themes such as social justice, environmental activism, cultural identity, and human resilience. 

This year’s co-directors are Adrian Anderson, Jett Supler, and Zoe Reed.

“Film exhibitions like HIFF are important sites for the circulation of diverse cinematic stories that conventional theater-going experiences are not typically equipped to support,” says Supler. “As a film festival run entirely by students, our ongoing academic critiques of the world—whether socially, economically, or politically—inform which films we believe inspire necessary dialogue in relation to the current cultural moment. Films are mechanisms for social change, and we at HIFF conduct our programming with that in mind as a guiding tenet.”

Guest Judge Panel Event
Friday, April 25
4-5 p.m.: Film Showcase
5-6:30 p.m.: Panel Discussion
ART B Room 102

Philip Thompson (Brooklyn)
Thompson was listed as one of Filmmaker magazine’s “25 New Faces of Independent Film” in 2023 and a Sundance x Adobe Ignite and NYFF Artists Academy Fellow in 2024. His work has garnered accolades at festivals such as Onion City Experimental Film Festival, Athens International Film+Video Festival, Brooklyn Film Festival, and more. He is also co-founder of the Ithaca Experimental Film Festival.

Victoria Vincent (Vewn) (Los Angeles)
Victoria Vincent’s, known online as Vewn, work often focuses on the disillusionment and anxiety of characters living in distorted and unstable worlds. She has created over 20 short films and has been featured on Netflix, FXX, and Adult Swim. Her YouTube channel has over 1 million subscribers and over 80 million views. 

Kaya Dillon (Arcata/Brooklyn)
A Cal Poly Humboldt alum, Kaya ('10, Geography) first discovered the storytelling power of camera traveling with the University's Tibet Field Studies Program. His debut feature film as cinematographer, All Static and Noise sheds light on the harrowing experience of the Uyghur diaspora. He is the series cinematographer for the newly released Hulu docu-series Vow of Silence, a detailed account of the American Indian Movement of the 1970s. 

General admission is $12. Tickets are FREE for all Cal Poly Humboldt students and can be reserved at the Minor Theatre with proof of student ID. Reservations are on a first-come, first-serve basis. To purchase, visit www.minortheatre.com.

For more information, including a program, schedule of events, and official film selections, visit www.humboldtfilmfest.com

Click HERE for poster.