Films programmed at the HRFF have gone on to win Peabody and Emmy Awards, such as the documentary, Daddy & Papa.

HRFF has worked with PBS Hawaiʻi to program LGBT content documentaries.

In-person film screenings are scheduled throughout a three-day weekend, starting on a Friday (which includes an opening reception in the evening) and ending that Sunday (with a red carpet award ceremony shortly after the final screening).

Screenings take place at Doris Duke Theatre inside the Honolulu Museum of Art.

July 30-Aug 15, 2021[11] In-person events were canceled for the second year in a row due to a spike in Hawai'i COVID-19 cases leading up to the festival.