The Hawaii International Film Festival opens next month with its biggest lineup yet and a new leader at the top — good news for local filmmakers and island moviegoers.

• Tickets are now on sale for the October festival, which runs across Oahu theaters.
• Jean Lee, a longtime foreign correspondent who opened the Associated Press bureau in Pyongyang, takes over as executive director.
• The lineup has more than 80 features and 80 shorts, with 55 premieres and about 30 Hawaii-made films.
• Opening night brings the world premiere of "The Navigator," a documentary on Nainoa Thompson's likely final voyage, at the Hawaii Theatre for the first time since the pandemic.
• A two-day industry conference adds panels with Marvel director Destin Daniel Cretton and other filmmakers with Hawaii ties.

Outlook: The festival kicks off October 21 and organizers say tickets are already selling out.