FEATURE FILMS
Follow your calling. Create stories that matter.
The road to filmmaking is rarely easy. It is filled with challenges, perseverance, and continued growth, yet many graduates of the program have gone on to write, direct, and produce stories of their own.
Many of these productions were developed in-house through 24 Frames, the school’s Hawaii-based film collective, where alumni continue creating original projects while gaining experience across active productions.
Resilience (2026)
Written by Madi Grace Cunningham & Kenna Cunningham
Directed by Kenna Cunningham
Produced by The Cunningham Sisters
Created in partnership with 24 Frames and the film school initiative, Resilience is another grassroots effort. It’s an independent feature film produced with a crew primarily made up of film school alumni, including several actors from the School of Acting for the Screen.
Inspired by real events, the film follows a teenage girl trapped within the foster system who is sent to a correctional facility operating under the guise of therapy. As she struggles to survive emotional and physical abuse from both staff and fellow students, she and the girls around her are forced to confront their trauma while searching for hope within a deeply broken system.
Visit the website for more info:
https://cunninghamsistersproductions.com/
Even the Darkness (2025)
Produced & Directed by Michael Lienau
Produced by Shari Lienau & Bob Maddux
Co-Written & Co-Produced by Larisa Koenig
Created in partnership with 24 Frames and the film school initiative, Even the Darkness is a grassroots independent television series produced with a crew primarily made up of film school alumni, including several actors from the School of Acting for the Screen.
Set near a Native American reservation in the Pacific Northwest, the series follows a teenage boy named Josh whose unsettling gift of second sight begins to intensify as mysterious disappearances, strange lights, and unseen creatures emerge around him. Torn between skepticism and the supernatural, Josh finds himself caught in a growing conflict tied to hidden truths, ancient mysteries, and the darkness surrounding the reservation.
Blending mystery, suspense, and supernatural storytelling, the series explores themes of fear, faith, identity, and the unseen world lurking beneath reality.
Visit the website: https://www.eventhedarkness.com/
Historias Invisibles (2024)
Written & Directed: Guillermo Navarro
Produced by: Guillermo Navarro & Sofía Toro Pollicino
Historias Invisibles is a socially driven feature film centered around the present-day realities of human trafficking in Argentina. Produced on location in Argentina with local cast and crew, the film was developed with the goal of bringing awareness to an urgent and deeply relevant issue through narrative storytelling.
Grounded in realism and human vulnerability, the film reflects the school’s ongoing emphasis on meaningful storytelling.
Following its theatrical release in Argentina, Historias Invisibles reached the national top 10 box office and went on to receive recognition across multiple film festivals and award platforms.
Visit the website for more info:
https://www.historiasinvisibles.com/
The Umbrella (2016)
Directed by Jason Solari
Written by Josh Potthoff & Jason Solari
Produced by Jason Solari
Produced independently through the SDF’s sister school initiative in Australia, The Umbrella (2016) was developed in collaboration with film school staff and alumni from multiple SDF courses and years. Director Jason Solari originally completed his filmmaking training through the SDF in Kona before continuing his work internationally.
The drama feature film follows a man who relies on an imaginary umbrella to shield himself from life and human connection until he is challenged to confront reality through the simple act of carrying a real umbrella.
Created outside of the 24 Frames collective, The Umbrella reflects the broader international filmmaking community connected through the SDF. It highlights alumni-driven independent productions developed beyond Hawai‘i.
Midori in Hawai‘i (2015)
Written & Directed by John Hill
Executive Producer: Guillermo Navarro
Produced by 24 Frames
Produced in-house through our 24 Frames production team, Midori in Hawai‘i is a U.S.–Japan co-production that explores themes of identity, family, and belonging against the backdrop of Hawai‘i’s cultural landscape.
The feature film brought together an international cast and crew while continuing the school’s emphasis on meaningful storytelling and independent film production. The film screened internationally and remains part of the school’s growing body of in-house feature film work.
The Land of Eb (2012)
Written by John Hill & Andrew Williamson
Directed by Andrew Williamson
Executive Producer: Guillermo Navarro
Produced by 24 Frames
Another in-house 24 Frames production, The Land of Eb offers a contemplative look at a forgotten community in Hawai‘i that is still struggling to recover from the effects of the nuclear age.
The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and continued its festival run internationally, screening in cities including Boston, Chicago, Nashville, Seattle, Hawai‘i, Fiji, and St. Tropez.
Relapse (2008)
Written & Directed by Guillermo Navarro
Executive Producer: Guillermo Navarro
Produced by 24 Frames
Relapse is the first independent feature film created through the 24 Frames in-house productions. It pioneered this initiative and helped establish the foundation for future narrative projects. The story centers around addiction, personal collapse, and redemption.
The feature received multiple festival recognitions, including the Award for Excellence in Filmmaking at the Honolulu International Film Festival and a Silver Remi Award at the WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival.
