Film & Cinema · Saturday, November 7, 2026

The Navigator

About

The Navigator is the Hawaiʻi International Film Festival's opening night documentary, directed by Jordan Manley, and this screening is part of the festival's neighbor island encore. It is not on Oʻahu. It plays at Kahilu Theater, 67-1186 Lindsey Road, in Waimea (Kamuela) on Hawaiʻi Island. The film follows Nainoa Thompson, who in 1980 became the first Native Hawaiian in about six centuries to navigate from Hawaiʻi to Tahiti without modern instruments. Nearly fifty years later he leads a final 2,400-mile voyage with student navigators, steering by stars and natural signs and recalling the lessons of master navigator Mau Piailug. It runs 95 minutes, in English and Hawaiian, and no rating is printed. It suits families with older children and anyone curious about Pacific voyaging. The showtime is November 7 at 7:30 PM. HIFF says tickets for most neighbor island screenings are sold through the venue's own site, kahilu.org, and HIFF's page prints no price. Kahilu Theater has a busy festival weekend. On the same day the calendar lists Guided by Horses at 3:30 PM and Ea (Sovereign) at 5:30 PM, and on November 8 it adds Protecting Kahoʻolawe at 3:00 PM and Making the Line at 7:30 PM. The Navigator also plays at The Mango Theater on Molokaʻi the next evening.

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