THE 2024 PHILADELPHIA ASIAN
AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL
Thank you for creating a pathway for future generations to share their experiences through filmmaking and other forms of storytelling!
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PAAFF 2024 STAFF
Our devoted team of staff and volunteers work countless hours to make each festival program a success. Thank you to all our dedicated staff without whom this festival would not be possible! Meet our team at paaff.org/our-team!
Nani Shin
Executive Director
Joseph Carranza
Festival & Exhibitions
Director
Arzhang Zafar
Festival & Programming
Director
David Tanh
Partnerships Director
Kathy Vy Chung
Festival Art Director
Cynthia Zhou
Festival Designer
Fiona Tran
Festival Designer
Liana Irvine
Venue Manager
Sara Shin
Web Designer
Roland Bui
PR Manager
Vinh Dang
Lead Photographer
PROGRAMMERS
Aiko Hamamoto
Catherine Nguyen
Chen-Yi Wu
Julia Fan
Lillian Li
Phoebe Schaub
Wren Lee
SCREENING COMMITTEE
Aiko Hamamoto
Brittney Scurry
Caren Hosansky
Catherine Nguyen
Chen-Yi Wu
Chetana R.
Narasimha Jois
Don Thomases
Emilie Xie
James Kawano
Julia Fan
Julie Rockefeller
Klyde Breitton
Larissa Lucas
Lillian Li
Phoebe Schaub
Sharon Pearson
Shivon Pearl Love
Vu Pham
Wren Lee
Yinan Wang
Zong Sheng Tan
FESTIVAL TRAILER
Maestro Filmworks
BOARD
Kris Mendoza (Board Chair)
Tricia Coonrad
Art Gimenez
Amy Karpf
Peggy Kelly
Sreedevi Sripathy
Dyana Wing So
Winnie Wong
MUSIC
Erik Anderson
Meet our new board at paaff.org/ourboard!
SPONSORS
Presenting Sponsor
Partner Sponsors
Venue Sponsors
Foundation Support
In-Kind Support
SPONSORS
Press Partners
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Welcome to the 17th Annual Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival!
Apropos of this year’s theme, “Reflections,” it has been a year of transitions, adjustments, and anticipation for us at PAAFF. Since assuming the role of Executive Director in May, I have been fully immersed in its history, the supportive community, and the promising opportunities ahead.
As we reflect on the progress over the past 17 years, we are grateful for the contributions of the founders of PAAFF and our past leaders. It is their foresight and determination that enables us to continue our mission today. With the gift of a strong foundation, we are poised to grow and evolve to meet the current needs of our community. I thank our brilliant and dedicated core team, Arzhang, Joseph, and David who fully embrace our WHY as they thoughtfully develop impactful programs and partnerships year-round. I also want to thank our generous board, who have been an invaluable resource as we embark on this period of reflection and growth. And of course, our extended team of designers, PR/Communications, social, web, logistics, and all the volunteers… you are a dream team and we thrive because of you!
We are thrilled to announce our upcoming name change to the Philadelphia Asian American Film Foundation, (still known as PAAFF). This refresh will allow us to expand our year-round offerings to include various
forms of creative storytelling and cultural experiences, such as performance, visual, and culinary arts. Additionally, we are committed to collaborating with and advocating for other community organizations with similar missions. We will also endeavor to partner with local schools to provide a platform for future creatives and storytellers. This aligns with the original vision for PAAFF 17 years ago, which was to create a safe space and a supportive environment to showcase the works of underrepresented AANHPI filmmakers and creatives.
Please take a moment to check out our updated mission and vision statements on our website. It is through reflection that we can envision our future.
The AANHPI community has much more to say and do! There is power (and fun) in numbers! We invite you to join us on this exciting journey!
With gratitude,
Nani Shin Executive Director
FESTIVAL INFORMATION
PAAFF CONTENT POLICY
As we at PAAFF endeavor to showcase the best Asian international and diasporic films, our programming staff is sensitive to the fact that some of our official selections may have content that an audience member may find offensive or distressing. As such, we provide our patrons with film descriptions that appear on our website and in our Festival Program as a guide to a film’s specific content and themes.
While we have included some content warnings with the descriptions in this program book, please understand that we are not capable of identifying all content that could be considered especially upsetting or triggering. For this reason, if you have concerns, we ask that you please supplement our film descriptions with your own research before purchasing tickets or attending a screening. We recommend watching the linked trailers, reading any online reviews, and visiting a film’s website where possible. Please feel free to contact us at PAAFF with any questions.
We thank you for your support and understanding.
IN-PERSON EVENTS
Asian Arts Initiative 1219 Vine Street (Chinatown) Philadelphia, PA 19107
What to expect:
♦ Film programs will be held in the black box theater.
♦ The building’s front entrance has an ADA accessible ramp.
♦ Genderless bathrooms are located on the first floor.
♦ First floor windows do not open. If you need fresh air, please exit the building.
Moore College of Art & Design 1916 Race Street Philadelphia, PA 19103
What to expect:
♦ Film programs will be held in the Graham Auditorium.
♦ The venue is accessible via the main entrance on Race Street.
Vox Populi 319 N 11th Street #3 Philadelphia, PA 19107
What to expect:
♦ Vox Populi is not ADA accessible.
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FESTIVAL INFORMATION
Philadelphia Museum of Art: Perelman Building
Fairmount & Pennsylvania Avenues, Philadelphia, PA 19130
What to expect:
♦ The Perelman Building is located across the street from the main museum building, at the intersection of Fairmount Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue.
Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts 118-128 N Broad Street Philadelphia, PA 19102
What to expect:
♦ The opening night film program will be held in the Rhoden Arts Center.
♦ The opening night reception will be held
♦ PAFA’s galleries, special exhibitions and John and Richanda Rhoden Arts Center located in the Samuel M.V. Hamilton building are accessible through the front Broad Street entrance, which is on street level, and accessible restrooms are located on each floor.
♦ All floors are accessible by elevator.
ONLINE ACCESS
Shorts programs are accessible online through rentals. Once you begin watching a program, you will have 24 hours to complete it. For more information about supported browsers, availability, and geoblocking, please consult our ticketing website.
PUBLIC SAFETY PROTOCOLS
PAAFF is dedicated to safeguarding our immunocompromised, elderly, and all festival patrons. As a result, we recommend wearing masks at indoor venues when not eating or drinking. Masking is mandatory inside the screening room and must remain on throughout the film. PAAFF will have masks available at the screenings.
If you are experiencing any symptoms, we ask that you remain home to prevent the spread of illness to others. If you have prepurchased tickets/passes, we will reimburse you for the ticket(s) or exchange them for our online showcases. Please note that the in-person films are not included in the online film showcases.
SPECIAL SHOWCASES
CREATIVE DISCUSSIONS
Throughout its history, PAAFF has provided a platform not only for Asian artists and filmmakers, but also writers, critics, academics, and activists who bring valuable insight to topics relevant to our audience and touched upon in the films we curate. As part of our ongoing series of panels and conversations, we have invited new guests to speak on their approaches to craft, the intersections of documentary filmmaking and activism, and the ongoing effort to protect historical, diaspora, and working class communities. Each panelist will bring their own diverse perspective, deepening our understanding of the film industry, the power of art and media, and more.
PACIFIC SHOWCASE
Every year, PAAFF presents a Pacific Showcase with the specific goal of celebrating indigenous artists with roots in the Pacific. We aim to do our part to uplift indigenous art and artists, and advocate for education of indigenous histories and the struggle for sovereignty and selfdetermination, in the Greater Philadelphia Area and beyond. This showcase is sponsored by our good friends at the Pacific Island Film Festival.
Live Program 2024
thursday | nov 07
*OPENING NIGHT FILM*
“ALL THAT WE LOVE”
PAFA | 6–8 PM
REFLECTION GALA: Reflecting on 17 years of PAAFF and Celebrating the Philadelphia AANHPI Community
PAFA | 8–10 PM
friday | nov 08
AWARD NOMINATED SHORTS
Asian Arts Initiative | 6:30–9:30 PM
saturday | nov 09
“THE MOTHERLOAD”
Asian Arts Initiative | 12–2 PM
“CANADIAN ADOBO”
Asian Arts Initiative | 3–5 PM
“ANXIOUS.”
Asian Arts Initiative | 5:30–7:30 PM
SAVING FACE: Retrospective Presented by cinéSPEAK
Asian Arts Initiative | 8:30–10:30 PM
sunday | nov 10
“AIDA RETURNS”
Asian Arts Initiative | 12–2 PM
“Q”
Asian Arts Initiative | 3–5 PM
“CHAPERONE”
Asian Arts Initiative | 6–8 PM tuesday | nov 12
“EXTREMELY UNIQUE DYNAMIC”
Asian Arts Initiative | 6:30–8:30 PM
wednesday | nov 13
“NOBUKO MIYAMOTO: A SONG IN MOVEMENT” Asian Arts Initiative | 6:30–8:30 PM
thursday | nov 14
“DAUGHTERS OF MONSTER MAGNET” Vox Populi | 7–9PM
Program Schedule 2024
friday | nov 15
“WEEDS BY THE RIVER”
Vox Populi | 6:30–8:30 PM
saturday | nov 16
STUDENT SHORTS SHOWCASE
Moore College | 1–3 PM
*CENTERPIECE DOCUMENTARY*
“YOU DON’T HAVE TO GO HOME, BUT…”
Moore College | 5–7 PM
THE RHYTHM OF REFLECTION: PAAFF
Celebrates 17 years highlighting AANHPI DJ’s and Local Performers
Vox Populi | 9 PM–1 AM
sunday | nov 17
CULTURE CAPITAL: Presented by LIFT Labs and Comcast RISE
PMA | 12–1 PM
*CENTERPIECE NARRATIVE*
“MADINA”
PMA | 2–4 PM
*CLOSING NIGHT FILM*
“CAREFULLY TAUGHT”
PMA | 5–7 PM
BUY YOUR TICKETS AT PAAFF.ORG
DON’T MISS THE PRERECORDED FILMMAKER Q&AS
IN-PERSON OPENING NIGHT FILM NARRATIVE PROGRAM
ALL THAT WE LOVE
90 minutes | Comedy/Drama | USA | English | 2024
IN-PERSON: November 7 | 6:00–8:00 PM | PAFA
Director: Yen Tan
Following the death of the family dog, Emma Gwon (Margaret Cho) is faced with an empty nest and is compelled to forge deeper connections with the people around her. Despite good intentions, her midlife awakening makes everything more chaotic for everyone in her path. This includes her estranged ex-husband Andy (Kenneth Choi), who has returned from Singapore after his career implodes and he’s forced to moved in with his sister Raven (Atsuko Okatsuka); their free-spirited daughter Maggie (Alice Lee), who’s relocating to Australia with her boyfriend (Devon Bostick) without Emma’s approval; her best friend Stan (Jesse Tyler Ferguson), who’s also experienced a loss and is expressing his grief through a lifestyle makeover; and her work colleague Kayla (Missi Pyle), who fosters animals and may just have a four-legged friend to soothe Emma’s woes.
All That We Love is a heartfelt and poignant depiction of grief and what it means to start anew. Through richly drawn characters, the film gently blends sorrow with insightful humor in its exploration of themes that are universal to all of us: aging, friendship, parenthood, mortality, past loves, second chances, and the profound connection with our pets.
Q&A with director Yen Tan to follow the screening.
PHILADELPHIA PREMIERE
Pafa | november 7 | 8:00–10:00 pm
The Reflection Gala is the opening night reception for the 17th annual Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival and celebrates the vibrant contributions of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community of storytellers in Philadelphia and beyond. This elegant affair will take place on Thursday, November 7th at The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, bringing together filmmakers, artists, community leaders, and supporters for a night of reflection, celebration, and unity.
As PAAFF reflects on 17 years of growth, advocacy, and storytelling, the Reflection Gala will serve as a moment to look ahead to the future, honoring the resilience, creativity, and unity of the AANHPI community.
AWARD-NOMINATED SHORTS
152 minutes
IN-PERSON: November 8 | 6:30–9:30 PM | Asian Arts Initiative
BEST EXPERIMENTAL SHORT
HI ADING
6:30 PM
Director: Dinaly Tran | Canada | English, Vietnamese, Ilocano | 2023
“hi ading” is a poetic short that provides a glimpse into a love story. Speaking to their parents’ past selves, Dinaly asks and hopes that these past versions might help them realize that the decisions they may not understand are still made out of love.
DRIVE TO FREEDOM
Director: Yuqin Wu | USA | English | 2024
Driving has been promised to lead to freedom and autonomy. But for whom? This short delves into Roosevelt Boulevard in Philadelphia—one of the highways with the most traffic and pedestrian fatalities—uncovering the impact of a driver-centric landscape on people’s perception of their bodies.
RECURRENCE
Director: Ali Alizadeh | Iran | Azerbaijani | 2023
An old man can't find his cows. Realizing there's no place for him in his house, he leaves, and the cows come back.
EAST COAST PREMIERE
PHILADELPHIA PREMIERE
PHILADELPHIA PREMIERE
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
SWIMMING LESSONS
Director: Meloddy Gao | USA/China | English, Mandarin | 2024
Swimming Lessons is a personal, reflexive film that follows a daughter of Chinese immigrants who yearns to understand her transoceanic family’s expressions of grief. During a summer visit to the home her parents left behind in Beijing, China, she tries to learn what they never taught her: how to navigate a heat wave, how to cook watermelon, and how to say goodbye.
THREADING SILENCE
Director: Isabel Tay | Singapore | English, Mandarin, Hokkien | 2024
In the essay film Threading Silence, a Singaporean family's silenced grief over the death of an uncle parallels the country's removal of diverse dialects and funeral rituals that conceal mourning.
WOULDN’T MAKE IT ANY OTHER WAY
Director: Hao Zhou | USA/Guam | English | 2024
Having built a colorful queer life in Iowa, a costume designer visits their island homeland of Guam to make costumes for a children’s theatre while reconnecting with distanced parents.
EAST COAST PREMIERE
AWARD-NOMINATED SHORTS
152 minutes
IN-PERSON: November 8 | 6:30–9:30 PM | Asian Arts Initiative
BEST ANIMATED SHORT
TO THE CLASS OF US
Director: Veda Lee | Hong Kong | English | 2024
On high school graduation day, two friends learn how to say goodbye to the past -- and most importantly, to each other.
DETOURS AHEAD
Director: Esther Cheung | Canada | 2024
A road trip traces a transition of grief to acceptance through valleys, junctions, and detours. It is a meditation on solitude, and articulates my shifting relationship with place.
THE QUEEN’S FLOWERS
Director: Ciara Leina’ala Lacy | USA | English, Hawaiian | 2024
A magical take on a true story, THE QUEENʻS FLOWERS is an animated short adventure for kids that follows Emma, a Native Hawaiian girl in 1915 Honolulu, as she makes a special gift for the last monarch of Hawai`i, Queen Lili`uokalani. 6:30 PM
PHILADELPHIA PREMIERE
BEST NARRATIVE SHORT
A KARAOKE SPACE ODYSSEY
Director: Achim Mendoza | USA/ Philippines | English, Tagalog | 2023
In this campy sci-fi rom-com musical, Stella, an undocumented Filipino in pursuit of a green card, goes on a wild karaoke date with a goofy white man that turns the whole world on its ear.
DALY CITY
Director: Nick Hartanto | USA | English, Indonesian | 2024
An Indonesian boy and his mother attend a church potluck and lie about their dish.
BLOOMED IN THE WATER
Director: Joanne Mony Park | USA | English, Korean | 2024
When school picture day gets lost in translation between KoreanAmerican single mom Min and her kindergartener son Noah, Min tries to course-correct with the ragtag help of her assimilated sisters, a sharp new outfit for Noah, and an ocean's worth of determination to give him better.
PHILADELPHIA PREMIERE
PHILADELPHIA
NARRATIVE PROGRAM
THE MOTHERLOAD
91 minutes | Comedy | USA/Vietnam | English, Vietnamese | 2024 IN-PERSON: November 9 | 12:00–2:00 PM | Asian Arts Initiative
Director: Van Tran Nguyen
Conflict among the mother-daughter duo arises when Jessca embarks on a quest to find a home that once belonged to her mother’s family during pre-war Vietnam. Kim (Jessca’s mother), happy in her new but precarious position in America, fights to stay stateside. As their desires cause them to grow apart they are faced with old myths about the motherland, depicted in a public-broadcasting television show. With a cast consisting only of two Vietnamese-American women re-enacting and satirizing scenes from celebrated Vietnam War films while depicting a diasporic reality, this movie takes a closer look at what has been lost in war, what we find in the rubble, and how to hold on to what remains.
Q&A with directors Van Tran Nguyen and Alex Derwick to follow the screening.
PHILADELPHIA PREMIERE
DOCUMENTARY
PROGRAM
CANADIAN ADOBO
90 minutes | Documentary | Canada | 2024
IN-PERSON: November 9 | 3:00–4:00 PM | Asian Arts Initiative
Director: Kent Donguines
The decision of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) to leave their modest comforts in the Philippines for the promise of a brighter future in Canada is examined through the raw and intimate lens of group therapy. This documentary captures the emotional struggles of parents striving to provide for their families back home, only to face the unexpected challenge of reconnecting with their children, who are also grappling with their new lives in Canada.
Building on his previous work, “KALINGA (Care),” filmmaker Kent Donguines delves deeper into the impacts of domestic workers' migration, this time including the perspective of the children. Through candid discussions, the film explores untold stories of family bonds strained by distance and explores the complex journey of healing and understanding. A film that doesn't just highlight the sacrifices made by OFWs but also provides a platform for their children to express their experiences—both the joys and the heartaches—shedding light on the multifaceted reality of immigration and the enduring hope for reconciliation.
NARRATIVE
PROGRAM
ANXIOUS.
97 minutes | Comedy/Drama | USA | English | 2024
IN-PERSON: November 9 | 5:30–7:30 PM | Asian Arts Initiative
Director: Nida Chowdhry
Nida Chowdhry directs, writes, and stars in her debut feature film ANXIOUS., a surreal dark comedy feature film about a woman named Ruby who has an anxiety attack and trips down the rabbit hole of her mind, where she meets versions of herself who take over her life. Inspired by the surrealism of Eternal Sunshine, quirky characters of Amelie, and the whirlwind journey of Alice in Wonderland, this fastpaced fashion film is set against the colorful backdrops of Little Saigon and Little India in Orange County, California.
The screening will be followed by a conversation between director Nida Chowdhry and Sonalee Joshi, Education Resource Lead at South Asian Americans for Change.
PHILADELPHIA PREMIERE
NARRATIVE PROGRAM
SAVING FACE: RETROSPECTIVE PRESENTED
BY CIN É
SPEAK
91 minutes | Romantic Comedy | USA | English, Mandarin, Shanghainese | 2004
IN-PERSON: November 9 | 8:30–10:30 PM | Asian Arts Initiative
Director: Alice Wu
Wil is a lesbian, but she doesn’t dare tell her widowed mother, Hwei-lan, or her very traditional grandparents. She's shocked, however, to find out she's not the only one in her family with romantic secrets when she learns that her 48-year-old mother is pregnant. Unwilling to reveal who the father is, Hwei-lan is kicked out of her parents' home and must move in with Wil, which puts a strain on Wil's budding relationship with openly gay Vivian.
This year marks 20 years since the international premiere of the acclaimed queer film Saving Face, Alice Wu’s debut feature before she went on to direct The Half of It (2020). After 20 years, this film remains extremely relevant as an essential Chinese-American and lesbian film.
PRESCREENER : I WANNA BECOME THE SKY
12 minutes | Drama/Fantasy | USA | English, Mandarin | 2023
Director: Jess X. Snow
In a dystopian near-future of Chinese Exclusion, when a young student visits the studio of a charismatic artist to get her first tattoo, she is forced to confront a shared cultural secret that awakens the burgeoning force inside of her.
DOCUMENTARY PROGRAM
AIDA RETURNS
78 minutes | Documentary | Canada/Lebanon/Palestine | Arabic, English, French | 2023
IN-PERSON: November 10 | 12:00–2:00 PM | Asian Arts Initiative
Director: Carol Mansour
This poignant documentary accompanies director Carol Mansour as she engineers a way to return her mother, Aida, to Yafa in search of eternal rest and peace, a return that is aided by an unlikely set of friends and strangers all coming together to facilitate what should have been a simple journey. This journey is at the same time very private and personal, while resonating with hundreds of thousands of Alzheimer’s sufferers and their families as well as hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees awaiting their return home.
Aida Returns is a tribute to the lost past of the director’s family, an attempt to restore part of both an individual and a collective memory, and a poetic nod and affirmation to all those exiled Palestinians forbidden from returning to their hometowns, even after death.
PRESCREENER : YOUNG HEARTS
4 minutes | Documentary | Egypt | Arabic | 2024
Director: Marwa El Sharkawy
A poetic reflection on one child’s questions and thoughts about the Gaza war and the fate of children his age in it.
U.S. Premiere
DOCUMENTARY PROGRAM
Q93 minutes | Documentary | USA/Lebanon | Arabic, English | 2023 IN-PERSON: November 10 | 3:00–5:00 PM | Asian Arts Initiative
Director: Jude Chehab
Where do we draw the line between love and devotion? An intimate and haunting portrayal of a quest for love and acceptance at any cost, Q depicts the insidious influence of a secretive matriarchal religious order in Lebanon on three generations of women in the Chehab family. Filmmaker Jude Chehab potently documents the unspoken ties and consequences of loyalty that have bonded her mother, grandmother, and herself to the mysterious organization. A masterful portrait of the toll that decades of unrequited love, lost hope, abuse, and despair takes on a person, Q is a multigenerational tale of the eternal search for meaning. A love story of a different kind, this documentary delicately portrays the complexities of unseen power that intermesh the lives of those who love a woman whose heart is in the hands of someone else.
NARRATIVE PROGRAM
CHAPERONE
100 minutes | Comedy/Drama | USA | English | 2023
IN-PERSON: November 10 | 6:00–8:00 PM | Asian Arts Initiative
Director: Zoe Eisenberg
Misha Miyamoto, 29, lives alone in the house her grandmother left her, has held the same job since high school, and likes her life as is: simple. Unfortunately, her satisfaction disappoints everyone around her. Her boss can't fathom why she won't take a promotion, her lack of ambition dissuades potential love interests, and her parents push her to sell her estate since she has no interest in starting a family. These pressures leave Misha isolated and sick of justifying her choices. When an earnest 18-year-old mistakes Misha for a fellow student, she finds solace in his lack of expectation and begins a relationship with him. But as their relationship grows, so does Misha’s reckless behavior.
Q&A with producer Devin Murphy and actor Mitzi Akaha to follow the screening.
PHILADELPHIA PREMIERE
NARRATIVE PROGRAM
EXTREMELY UNIQUE DYNAMIC
82 minutes | Comedy | USA | English, Cantonese | 2023
IN-PERSON: November 12 | 6:30–8:30 PM | Asian Arts Initiative
Directors: Harrison Xu, Ivan Leung, and Katherine Dudas
Ryan and Daniel, two childhood best friends and aspiring actors, spend one final weekend together before Ryan moves to Canada with his fiance. Wanting to create one lasting memory, they decide to make a movie... about two guys making a movie.. about two guys making a movie. Along the way, bottled-up secrets arise as they unpack their decades-long friendship and put their extremely unique dynamic to the test.
PRESCREENER : SEOUL SWITCH
13 minutes | Comedy | USA | Korean, English | 2024
Director: Liann Kaye
When an insecure, Korean American boy meets an International K-Pop Star who looks just like him, they decide to switch identities.
Philadelphia Premiere
PHILADELPHIA PREMIERE
DOCUMENTARY PROGRAM
NOBUKO MIYAMOTO: A SONG IN MOVEMENT
55 minutes | Documentary | USA | English | 2024
IN-PERSON: November 13 | 6:30–8:30 PM | Asian Arts Initiative
Directors: Tadashi Nakamura and Quyên Nguyen-Le
After decades of groundbreaking cultural work that unites communities and sets the bar for Asian American storytelling, Miyamoto reflects on a life that has bridged coasts, industries, families, and history. Featuring rare archival footage, Nobuko Miyamoto: A Song in Movement is a story of a changing community told through the singular life of one of its most beloved storytellers.
PHILADELPHIA PREMIERE
NARRATIVE PROGRAM
DAUGHTERS OF MONSTER MAGNET
47 minutes | Experimental/Sci-Fi | USA | English | 2024 IN-PERSON: November 14 | 7:00–9:00 PM | Vox Populi
Director: Kosaku Horiwaki
Lili is a psychonaut, a traveler who traverses alternate dimensions, changing her consciousness. At 13, Lili Mukaijima lives in solitude, crafting a dollhouse and daydreaming about alien abductions. A year ago, she lost her mother to self-immolation, and her dog ran away shortly after. Burning dolls' clothing becomes a ritual for Lili to confront her trauma, while a dog-like monster in her daydreams frightens and comforts her.
On her 14th birthday, consumed by despair, Lili considers selfimmolation. Instead, her imagination soars to new heights. She encounters “Teacher“ in a UFO, gains an understanding of her mother's death, and transforms her trauma into a new beginning.
PRESCREENER : LUKA
AND THE FLOWER OF THE SUN
29 minutes | Animation/Fantasy | Japan | Japanese | 2024
Director: Tomoyasu Murata
A story depicting the bond between childhood friends Luka, a musician, and Rosa, a girl with the power of the sun, set in a village beset by icy cold temperatures caused by immovable clouds.
Their bond is tested when Rosa is told of a sure-fire but dangerous way to clear the clouds by a witch named Kiyu and her furry familiar Orico. Meanwhile, Luka yearns to see the world after meeting a traveling band. International Premiere
PHILADELPHIA PREMIERE
NARRATIVE PROGRAM
WEEDS BY THE RIVER
94 minutes | Drama | China | Mandarin | 2024
IN-PERSON: November 15 | 6:30–8:30 PM | Vox Populi
Director: Ayang Gao
During a hot and humid summer in the south, Mr.Wang mysteriously disappears after playing by the river, and the neighbor who secretly loves him, Xiao Fei, falls into sadness and confusion She works numbly during the day, and wanders the river like a ghost at night to find the traces of Mr.Wang. One night, Xiao Fei comes to the temple by the river to pray, the river at night reflects the whole world like a mirror. She seems to shuttle between the boundary of reality and unreality, meeting a fisherman who looks like Mr.Wang. Memory, reality and illusion are intertwined at this moment, and it is difficult to distinguish whether it is the real world or the illusion of a projected inner world… U.S.
BREAKING THE FRAME: STUDENT SHOWCASE
68 minutes | Curated by: Catherine Nguyen
IN-PERSON: November 16 | 1:00–3:00 PM | Moore College
Young, emerging filmmakers from Asia and the Asian diaspora are pushing the boundaries of storytelling, redefining the cinematic landscape with their fresh perspectives and captivating short-form narratives.
UNTIL HE’S BORN
Director: Qingxuan Wang | USA/China | Mandarin | 2024
After the only boy accidentally “killed” an unborn brother during the one-child policy period, an encounter between him and a little boy dissolves his years of guilt.
U.S. Premiere
MIKE
Director: Duc Anh Nguyen | USA | English, Vietnamese | 2024
On his first day of school, a Vietnamese exchange student is determined to make friends at an all-white Christian high school in South Dakota.
East Coast Premiere
THE ISLAND
Director: Jungho Lee | Korea, Republic of | Korean | 2024
First, do not go outside the house. Second, take a pill and go to bed when it gets dark. Third, do not even try to touch the locked door. Jae-jun lived under three rules set by his father all his life. He begins to break the rules one by one as he reaches puberty.
International Premiere
PUZZLE PIECES
Director: Zhuyu Liao | USA | Mandarin | 2024
As Joy is packing her luggage for moving out from home, in her bedroom where she grows up, she accidentally digs out some “pieces” of memories.
Philadelphia Premiere
ĀN-DÉ-LU
Director: Alan He | USA | English, Mandarin | 2024
A young Chinese-American baseball player must confront his internalized racism after his overbearing father comes to his rescue.
Philadelphia Premiere
CENTERPIECE DOCUMENTARY
YOU DON’T HAVE TO GO HOME, BUT…
80 minutes | Documentary | USA | English | 2024
IN-PERSON: November 16 | 5:00–7:00 PM | Moore College
Director: Aidan Un
You Don’t Have to Go Home, but… is an ode to dancing bodies, a grimy love letter to Philadelphia, a story about what to do when the DJ has played the last song, the club’s lights have come on and you gotta go… somewhere. Following three dancers at different stages of their lives, with legendary Philly dance party Second Sundae as backdrop, this documentary film examines the possibility of spiritual fulfillment in a socioeconomic configuration that ultimately doesn’t value the practices that make us free.
Q&A with director Aidan Un to follow the screening.
PRESCREENER: ROCK SPRINGS
15 minutes | USA | Mandarin | 2024
Director: David Huang
A fictional retelling of the Rock Springs Chinese Massacre of 1885, in which over 30 Chinese miners were killed by their white counterparts in a labor dispute in Rock Springs, Wyoming.
East Coast Premiere
The Rhythm of Reflection
Vox Populi | november 16 | 9:00 pm–1:00 am
Rhythm of Reflection, a vibrant and electrifying closing party celebrating the spirit of the AANHPI (Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander) community. This high-energy event will take place on Saturday, November 16th at Vox Populi, featuring an incredible lineup of AANHPI DJs. Enjoy a musical journey through genres like hip-hop, electronic, K-pop, house, and more, as talented AANHPI DJs and local drag artists set the mood with mixes that honor both cultural heritage and contemporary artistry.
This night will feature a screening of the short film “Always on my mind”, a performance by local drag talent Asia Monroe, and sounds by Human Records, Azure, and Barangay.
DOCUMENTARY PROGRAM
CULTURE CAPITAL: PRESENTED BY
LIFT LABS AND COMCAST RISE
IN-PERSON: November 17 | 12:00–1:00 PM | PMA
Presenting Episode Two of a three-part docuseries, hosted by Felecia Hatcher, showcasing nine game-changing entrepreneurs of color who are laying the foundation for the future. The series illuminates the realities of creating competitive businesses in today's market. This series not only highlights the unique challenges and achievements of these entrepreneurs but also provides viewers with an in-depth understanding of the entrepreneurial journey, celebrating the innovative spirit that transforms visions into lasting legacies.
The screening will be followed by a Q&A with REC Co-Founder and CCO William Toms and FRIEDA Founder David Wong, moderated by Chung Li, Executive Director of Comcast Impact & Inclusion.
IN-PERSON CENTERPIECE FILM NARRATIVE PROGRAM
MADINA
73 minutes | Drama | Kazakhstan | Kazakh | 2023
IN-PERSON: November 17 | 2:00–4:00 PM | PMA
Director: Aizhan Kassymbek
Nestled in the harsh winter lands of Kazakhistan, a single mother, dancer, breadwinner struggles to take care of her old grandmother, a withdrawn younger brother, and a 2-year-old daughter. As she fights for alimony and battles the conundrum to give in to the demands of a wealthy admirer; her baby brother shares a harsh shocking revelation about his childhood. Madina discovers within her an undeniable resilience and courage to tell the truth-seeking justice for her brother and eventually finding her nurturing self roar to protect her own.
PRESCREENER : SOMETHING BLUE
14 minutes | USA | Cantonese, English | 2024
Director: Jinsui Song
A young woman returns home to attend her cousin’s wedding. In this jovial setting, she struggles to confront the source of her past trauma.
Philadelphia Premiere
CW: The films in this program contain references to sexual violence.
PHILADELPHIA PREMIERE
IN-PERSON CLOSING NIGHT FILM DOCUMENTARY PROGRAM
CAREFULLY TAUGHT
81 minutes | Documentary | USA | English | 2024
IN-PERSON: November 17 | 5:00–7:00 PM | PMA
Director: Cynthia Kao
Carefully Taught is a thought-provoking and at times comedic documentary revealing the intricate web between US policies, Asian stereotypes and media representation. Experts and artists deconstruct these images and share personal stories about its impact on individual lives. A timely countermeasure for rising Sinophobia in the West, this film confronts the surge in anti-Asian hate crimes and issues a powerful call for societal and individual reconstruction and solidarity.
The screening will be followed by a panel discussion featuring director Cynthia Kao, Nathan Ramos-Park, and Rosalind Chou, moderated by WHYY’s Shirley Min.
PRESCREENER : THE FIRST FILM
24 minutes | India | Hindi | 2023
Director: Piyush Thakur
In a small town of 1960's India, where cinema is forbidden for women, a 14-year-old embarks on a quest to watch her first film.
U.S. Premiere
EAST COAST PREMIERE
A SWEET TREAT
61 minutes | Curated by:
Aiko Hamamoto
Sometimes life gets the best of you—you get caught in a lie, parents become too overbearing, or things just are not going your way—and you need a sweet treat to get you through the day. It may not solve everything, but it serves as a reminder that life in the present moment is not completely terrible. In the same way these characters soothe their worries with something delicious, may this showcase serve as a little treat for your viewing experience.
THE ORDER
Director: Zasha Makabenta | USA | English | 2024
As two siblings travel to make an important request, they struggle with the worrisome, possible outcomes that could come from such a consequential order.
HOMECOMING
Director: Junhyuk Lee | Korea, Republic of | Korean | 2024
13-year-old Jian doesn't like her mom, who recently divorced, leaving the house where she lived with her dad to move and going to see her new house.
PLACES WE KNEW
Director: Oliver William Staton | Japan | Japanese, English | 2023
A young Japanese American returns to his childhood home in Japan and reunites with his estranged mother and uncle. As he navigates the challenges of reconnecting with his family, he faces a difficult decision.
DALY CITY
Director: Nick Hartanto | USA | Indonesian, English | 2024
An Indonesian boy and his mother attend a church potluck and lie about their dish.
THE JOURNEYS THAT SHAPE US: AN ANIMATION SHOWCASE
71 minutes | Curated by: Aiko Hamamoto and David Tanh
Journeys take many different shapes and sizes. Some are physical—like treks through harrowing landscapes—and others are emotional—such as working through the rollercoaster of grief. Journeys mold us and our outlook on life. And they are almost impossible to go on entirely alone— there will be friends, family, and strangers along the way in small and large capacities. Travel with these characters through fantastical worlds, various animation styles, and all the joys and sorrows of moving forward toward the next adventure.
7 17 NOV
THE LEGEND OF THE STARLIGHT BEETLE
Director: Mabel Ryu | USA/Korea, Republic of | English | 2024
In a post-apocalyptic world, Bluebell visits places she went with her friend Willow to find her after they got separated.
A SHADOW’S GLOW
Director: Josh Mizrahi and Cole Fourqurean | USA | 2023
In a world where light and shadow are personified, a creature of shadow must journey across his dark homeland to return a young spirit of light back to his home. On his journey, he must battle the elements, his own people, and his instincts as a creature of shadow.
NUUNZAYA
Director: Lan Wang | USA/China | Mongolian | 2024
Nuunzaya is an animated film centering the dilemma faced by generations of Mongolian women – their struggle against the harsh environment, and the conflicts between their nomadic lifestyle and the traditional marital constructs.
TESTIMONY
Director: Su Min Ha | USA/Korea, Republic of | English | 2024
After being found alone in an abandoned castle, young Emile is taken to a monastery. He insists his guardian is a vampire named Charlie. A skeptical nun, assigned to interview him, becomes drawn into his vivid story, questioning reality versus imagination.
TO THE CLASS OF US
Director: Veda Lee | Hong Kong | English | 2024
On high school graduation day, two friends learn how to say goodbye to the past -- and most importantly, to each other.
DETOURS AHEAD
Director: Esther Cheung | Canada | 2024
A road trip traces a transition of grief to acceptance through valleys, junctions, and detours. It is a meditation on solitude, and articulates my shifting relationship with place
A PIECE OF MINE
Director: George Park | USA | Korean | 2024
When a documentary team comes to interview NajeonChilgi master Lee Chun-Yeon, Laon somehow refuses to be interviewed and introduced as a successor of the tradition.
COLD SODA
Director: Huayi Yu | USA/China | English | 2024
Your dog is always thinking about you and wants to get you a cold soda.
LUCKY DOG
Director: Ujwal Nair | India | English | 2023
An Indian dog dreams of immigrating to Canada to be reunited with his owner. But first, he needs a visa.
OUR BIGGEST SUPPORTERS: FAMILY SHORTS
73 minutes | Curated by: David
Tanh
Have you ever been confused or lost or even hurt? What happens when you don’t know the answer or what to do? Never Fear! You have your very best friends, your brother, your sister, parents, teachers, and even pets! They will lend an ear, cheer your spirits, give good advice, and unconditionally love you. The following animation and live action films show that there is always someone there lifting you up when you are down.
FINLEY
Director: Laina Fulle | USA | English | 2024
7 17 NOV
Finley, a little frog who lives in the forest, is turning 4 today! He couldn't be more excited about his special day, and to spend it with his friends.
AMON
Director: Justine King | USA | English | 2024
This is a story of how Amon becomes the king that he has to be.
BLUE HOUR
Director: Esther Um | USA | Korean, English | 2024
A young Korean American boy attempts to draw a portrait of his busy blue-collar immigrant father for a school assignment.
UPROOTED
Director: Becca Jackson | USA | Japanese | 2023
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor 8-year-old Hanako and 120,000 other Japanese Americans are abruptly uprooted from their communities, relocating to isolated internment camps and navigating the unjust upheaval of their lives.
THE QUEEN’S FLOWERS
Director: Ciara Leina’ala Lacy | USA | Hawaiian, English | 2024
A magical take on a true story, THE QUEENʻS FLOWERS follows Emma, a Native Hawaiian girl in 1915 Honolulu, as she makes a special gift for the last monarch of Hawai`i, Queen Lili`uokalani.
MY TURN!
Directors: Isabelle Tumboimbela and Daisha Sherman | USA | 2024
A short film about the importance of sisterhood through a wacky, slapstick-filled morning race to the bathroom.
HOT SEAT
Director: Johmar Damiles | Philippines | Tagalog | 2023
When two young siblings are accused of theft by a convenience store owner through the CCTV footage, they are thrust into a challenging situation that unravels their family's deep-seated trauma, forcing them to confront their past and find a way to heal.
PLAY WITH ME
Director: Julie Zheng | USA | 2024
A film about a cat, a human and three stuffed animals.
SPOTLIGHT
Director: Maya Puyat | USA | Tagalog, English | 2023
Uncomfortable in her own skin, Mabel relives past experiences that defined her insecurities, and navigates her way towards self-love.
LOLA
Director: Grace Hanna | USA | English | 2024
A thirteen-year-old science prodigy journeys into her grandma's deteriorating mind to save one precious memory they have together.
ECLIPSE
Director: Mina Chacko | USA | English | 2024
A girl responsible for rotating the Moon reminisces about her former life on the Sun.
MIND GAMES
67 minutes | Curated by: David Tanh and Phoebe Schaub
These films explore the horrors that exist within our own bodies and minds–our deepest fears, our worst case scenarios, and the possibility that what we believe is true may not actually be. Journey with us from occult scream queens to anthropomorphic animations, from underyour-skin jump scares to every parent’s worst nightmare, from surrealist fantasies to the unshakeable feeling that you are being watched. Every film in this block is full of surprises and will keep you second-guessing what you’ve seen and experienced long after the credits roll.
CW: The films in this program feature some violence and gore.
FORTUNE COOKIE
Director: Fu Yang | USA/Taiwan | 2023
A fortune-cookie-head crumbles himself, piece by piece in order to keep devouring creatures out of his way…
DREAM MAKER
Directors: Mohsen Mehri Darouei and Milad Kiaei | Iran | 2024
After an unintended incident, a man was tragically blamed for the death of her daughter. Burdened by guilt, he endeavors to replace the haunting memories of his past with artificially crafted, sweeter ones.
POSEUR
Director: Allan Zhang Tran | USA | English | 2023
A fashion photographer’s infatuation with her latest muse takes a strange and grotesque turn when she invites the model over to her home studio for a private session. RENTAL 7 17 NOV
NANI GA MIEH RU!
Director: Jaewoo Jang | Korea, Republic of | Korean, Japanese | 2023
Sion, the leader of an occult club, uses Japanese Sasori in every occult consciousness experiment with club members. In the interim, Sion breaks the neck of Sasori's cherished Kimono doll, causing Sasori to smile unknowingly. Members of the club became interested in the popular Japanese game “ NANIGA MIEH RU,“ which moves to an empty space…
THE BAGGAGE
Director: Hasti Hosseini | Iran | Farsi, Arabic | 2024
Soheyla is a woman who escaped from a fanatical city. She is a single mother. In order to protect her child, she hides him in baggage.
ROACHES!!!
Director: Sheryl Zhang | China | English | 2024
It’s about cockroaches…
CLASS CRUSH
Director: Katherine Lynn-Rose | USA | English | 2023
An introverted high school student forms a connection with her class crush, but their romantic homecoming dance takes a chilling turn when her actions are revealed.
GOING THE DISTANCE
69 minutes | Curated by: Phoebe Schaub
Lives interrupted, forbidden love affairs, caretakers and children finally having it out, people desperate for success–and the physical, emotional, and psychological distance sparked by these moments. This block of short films depicts the nonlinear spectrum of human connection, detachment, and loss. You’ll watch characters in their struggle to navigate distance of all kinds, including stories of those working to bridge the gap between their lofty dreams and their humbling realities.
GO BACK TO THE SKY
Director: Nina Zarabi | Canada/Iran | Farsi | 2022
Due to an unknown brain deficiency, Raha sees everything upside down. She’s happy with her new eyesight, it entertains her & helps her forget what she’s been through.
MARISOL
Director: Aubrey Azmar | Mexico/ Philippines | Tagalog, Spanish, English | 2023
What happens when two languages, two cultures, and two worlds collide? One would assume tragedy. But “Marisol” proves that despite differences, love manages to bloom anywhere—no matter the distance, no matter the circumstance.
SEVENTEEN
Director: Geqi Li | USA/China | Henan Chinese, English | 2023
A Chinese American teenage girl, Jasmine, gets pregnant and wants to keep the baby, while her pornstar mother, Yan, insists on having an abortion.
INTO THE EMERALD SEA
Director: Asuka Lin | Japan | Japanese | 2024
Suzu emerges back to their quiet seaside town in Japan, and finds their grandmother reincarnated into a sea turtle.
ONE NOTE
Director: Jamie Ting | USA | Mandarin, English | 2024
A dark comedy about a neurotic but driven 17-year-old Chinese-American violinist on a mission to get admitted to Harvard at any cost.
THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT: TRANS AND NONBINARY ASIAN CHILDHOOD
46 minutes | Curated by: Wren
Lee
While many countries and communities are starting to embrace transgender, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming (TGNC) people, stigma remains in some places. Around the globe, TGNC people are being attacked by anti-trans legislation. Certain US states ban genderaffirming care; others prevent gender or name changes. Some countries put trans people in jail or worse. In the US, the supporters of anti-trans laws say they want to protect children while ignoring the trans youth they're hurting. They say children don't and can't identify as TGNC because they're too young. These shorts feature trans youth from the US, South Korea, and Iran coming to terms with their identities and finding their community, proving anyone at any age can be trans.
ADJUSTMENT
Director: Mehrdad Hasani | Iran | Farsi | 2023
The nine-year-old Shahrokh, assigned male at birth, wants her family and friends to recognize her as a girl and to adjust to this new identity.
BLOOMED IN THE WATER
Director: Joanne Mony Park | USA | Korean, English | 2024
When school picture day gets lost in translation between Korean-American single mom Min and her kindergartener son Noah, Min tries to course-correct with the ragtag help of her assimilated sisters, a sharp new outfit for Noah, and an ocean's worth of determination to give him better.
SQUEEGEE BOY
Director: Chung-Wei Huang | USA | Mandarin, English | 2024
On a quest for belonging and acceptance, a trans teenager yearns to become part of a tight-knit group of squeegee boys in Baltimore city.
QUEER (BE)LONGING
73 minutes | Curated by: Wren Lee
Everyone wants to find their people. Humans crave connection and intimacy whether searching for a friendship or a romantic relationship. Sometimes, we find lifelong partners and friends. Other times, we're left wanting more time, more depth, more people, just more. The desire for belonging and acceptance is universal across genders, sexualities, and countries but is uniquely felt by those with marginalized identities such as LGBTQ+ people. These films capture the heartache and frustration of seeking acceptance and love, contrasted with the joy and relief when you find someone who cares for you deeply.
IT WAS LOVE TO ME
Director: Raza Rizvi | USA | English | 2024
NOV
7 17
A complex, intimate relationship brews between a 15-yearold tennis player and the 18-year-old prodigy he looks up to.
ANG HULING SAYAW
Director: Edrian Pangilinan | USA | Tagalog, English | 2023
A middle-aged widower and a 30-something runaway secretly meet at a hotel one stormy night. The two bond in a way they would never have expected.
ALLERGIC TO
Director: Sumin Kwon | Korea, Republic of | Korean | 2024
Haesoo, who is allergic to lying, is uncomfortable with her first kiss with Siyeon. After that, whenever she says “I love you”, allergies begin to bloom.
DIANA
Director: Luo-Bing Pan | USA | Mandarin, English | 2023
A young Chinese trans woman navigates through a fraudulent marriage and a turbulent friendship as a recent immigrant in the United States.
ON THE ROAD
61 minutes | Curated by: Chen-Yi Wu
“...The answer might be that people, many people, have lost all their political bearings. Mapless, they do not know where they are heading. Every day people follow signs pointing to some place which is not their home but a chosen destination. Road signs, airport embarkment signs, terminal signs. Some are making their journeys for pleasure, others on business, many out of loss or despair. On arrival they come to realize they are not in the place indicated by the signs they followed. Where they now find themselves has the correct latitude, longitude, local time, currency, yet it does not have the specific gravity of the destination they chose. They are beside the place they chose to come to…” – John Berger, Ten Dispatches About Place
IRON, BUTTERFLY
Director: Ke Liu | China | Mandarin, Cantonese | 2023
To catch up with work, a burdened blacksmith in rural China decides not to visit his wife, who works in the city all year round, until a visit from a privileged artist alters his outlook on life.
DRIVE TO FREEDOM
Directors: Yuqin Wu | USA | 2024
Driving has been promised to lead to freedom and autonomy. But for whom? This short delves into Roosevelt Boulevard in Philadelphia—one of the highways with the most traffic and pedestrian fatalities— uncovering the impact of a driver-centric landscape on people’s perception of their bodies.
LICENSE PLATE
Director: Shiva Niroumand | Iran | Farsi | 2024
The tale of a decrepit car, shown in six decades, depicting different time periods across Iran. Each decade is indicated by characters who are either the passengers or the temporary owners of the car.
A WAYFARER
Director: Roselyle Zhao | USA/China | Mandarin, English | 2024
A young Chinese immigrant moves to the United States, and tries to find a new home. the story follows her journey, unraveling struggles as an immigrant and minority.
RECURRENCE
Director: Ali Alizadeh | Iran | Azerbaijani | 2023
An old man can't find his cows. Realizing there's no place for him in his house, he leaves, and the cows come back.
LOVE STORIES BEFORE DAWN
62 minutes | Curated by:
Chen-Yi Wu
In the quiet hours before the sun rises, we reach the raw edges of human connections, where they begin in darkness, grapple with inner turmoil, and ultimately reveal their most vulnerable yet beautiful truths in unexpected forms.
RAT CITY SYMPHONY
Director: Adam Zheng Yuan | USA/China | Mandarin, English | 2024
After a long day dressed in a Mickey Mouse costume, illegal immigrant Yun finds a rat in her basement. Searching for rat poison at midnight in NYC, she feels akin to the rats and slowly hears sounds that only “rats“ understand.
IT’S BEEN A LONG TIME
Director: Yuxi Yin | China | Mandarin | 2023
A heartbroken woman, armed with a knife and memories of a lost love, confronts her ex-boyfriend.
29 HOUR FAMINE
Director: Etzu Shaw | USA | English | 2024
When a devout teenager discovers evidence of someone eating at her church youth group’s annual fasting event, she goes to absurd lengths to catch the culprit.
GROWING PAINS
Director: Shengwen Ruan | China | Mandarin | 2023
Dance major student Xiao Yong accidentally obtains a “Body Art” magazine and goes through a complex growth process.
THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS
67 minutes | Curated by: Julia Fan
Oftentimes, people say that the one thing they want out of life is true happiness. This showcase features films about characters reflecting on where they are in life and whether or not they feel fulfilled. Within these stories, characters try to understand what choices they can make to pursue happiness within their life and current situation and if they are willing to take risks. From choosing a career despite parental disapproval, to searching for “the one” for marriage, to exploring new experiences despite societal expectations, to becoming a first time father, these stories demonstrate how the choices we make can shape how we go about finding what makes us feel happy and fulfilled in our lifetime.
DID YOU EAT YET?
Director: Alicia Qian | USA | Mandarin, English | 2023
As Eunice prepares a meal for her mother, she struggles to navigate the blurred lines of what it means to be a “good daughter,” and the sacrifices that come with chasing your dreams.
WHAT IS THE CRITERIA?
Director: Aneesa Khan | USA | Urdu, English | 2024
A Pakistani-American woman’s life changes when a pair of magical glasses help her reevaluate what it means to find real love and happiness in her world.
THE FIRST FILM
Director: Piyush Thakur | India | Hindi, English | 2023
In a small town in 1960's India, where cinema is forbidden for women, a 14-year-old embarks on a quest to watch her first film
DESI STANDARD TIME TRAVEL
Director: Kashif Pasta | Canada | Urdu, English | 2023
When a new father suddenly loses his own dad, an opportunity to travel back in time for an evening gives him a chance to end things on a better note.
STORIES OUR MOMS NEVER TOLD
71 minutes | Curated by:
Lillian Li
What don't we know about our mothers? Who are they beyond the defining and confining role of motherhood? This showcase delves into the hidden realms of mothers, soon-to-be mothers, and grandmothers— women with secrets, aches, longings, dreams, and griefs. These are the stories our moms never told.
IPDEOT
Director: Dokyun Im | USA | Korean, English | 2024
Hawa and Adam are an immigrant couple. She has been turned away by her family due to an unexpected pregnancy, and the two are now relying on each other while facing the threat of deportation from the United States.
BALIKBAYAN
Director: Rebecca Rajadnya | USA | Tagalog, English | 2022
A Filipina immigrant grapples with the physical distance from the family she left behind and the cultural disconnect from her daughters in the United States.
SANSEDAI
Director: Kayli Kimura | USA/Japan | Japanese | 2024
Through intimate conversations over old photobooks and home movies from the 1930s, SANSEDAI (三世代) explores themes of identity and belonging as it follows the filmmaker’s 92-year-old grandmother’s journey growing up during war, migrating to a country that was once deemed an enemy, and what it means to be Japanese-American.
SPASM
Director: Sahra Asadollahi | Iran | Farsi | 2023
A girl who has dreamed of acting since childhood, like a horse that wants to be the first in all competitions... She enters the film office for an audition, but…
POETRY OF TIME
80 minutes | Curated by:
Arzhang Zafar and Lillian Li
The films in this showcase explore themes of age, memory, separation, and reunions; they capture the silent poetry of life, where time is sculpted through long, lingering gazes and stories unfold not in action, but in the spaces between. We celebrate the beauty and significance of time, and how it can be experienced in diverse and meaningful ways.
MOON IN THE WATER
7 17 NOV
Director: Jingwen Fang | USA | Chinese, English | 2024
After relocating to New York from China, Zhulan finds herself struggling to adjust to her new life. The language barrier, cultural differences, and diverse religious beliefs make her feel exceptionally lonely and she must find a way to adapt before it's too late to save her 45-year-long marriage.
SARAJIN
Director: Justin Kim | USA | Korean, English | 2023
In a remote Alaskan town DongSu, a snow crab fisherman, is struggling to make ends meet for his immigrant family. When the snow crabs he depends on suddenly disappear due to climate change, he and his family have to decide whether to stay or leave their new home behind.
SOMETHING LIKE HAPPINESS
Director: Apar Pokharel | USA | Hindi, English | 2024
When two friends reunite in New York City after more than a decade, suppressed memories and desires resurface, forcing them to confront the bittersweet question of what could have been.
A SUMMER’S END POEM
Director: Lam Can-Zhao | China | Min Nan Chinese | 2024
Shortly before the end of the summer holidays, a country boy spends his savings on his dream of a city hairstyle—with surprising results. A story about bidding farewell to childhood and the poetic end of a summer.
SWIMMING LESSONS
Director: Meloddy Gao | China | Mandarin, English | 2024
Swimming Lessons is a personal, reflexive film that follows a daughter of Chinese immigrants who yearns to understand her transoceanic family’s expressions of grief. During a summer visit to the home her parents left behind in Beijing, China, she tries to learn what they never taught her: how to navigate a heat wave, how to cook watermelon, and how to say goodbye.
STEPPING STONES
56 minutes | Curated by:
Arzhang Zafar
Past and present reflect one another in this trio of short documentaries about islands caught in the web of United States influence, and people living in the shadow of that impact. Covering nearly a century of war, exploitation, and emigration, these stories reflect just a fraction of the breadth of identities and experiences blooming in the many corners of the contemporary world’s most prominent empire. The histories of these countries and communities are ripples in a stream, their present circumstances shaped subtly over all that time.
IN EXILE
Director: Nathan Fitch | USA/Marshall Islands | Marshallese, English | 2023
A short film that explores the US nuclear legacy in the Pacific through the lens of members of the Marshallese community in Springdale Arkansas. Each year they gather to commemorate the bombing of Bikini Atoll in 1946 and ask questions such as Why did the United States choose their islands, and what are the ongoing impacts upon their indigenous Pacific Island community?
WHEN THE WORLD CHANGES
Directors: Benjamin Caruccio and Changhee Chun | USA/Korea, Republic of | Korean | 2024
Through insightful interviews with a state representative and a historian/activist, the history of the Jeju Massacre is uncovered, as well as its links to modern day Korean politics.
WOULDN’T MAKE IT ANY OTHER WAY
Director: Hao Zhou | USA/Guam | English | 2024
Having built a colorful queer life in Iowa, a costume designer visits their island homeland of Guam to make costumes for a children’s theatre while reconnecting with distanced parents.
TALKING ABOUT IT
61 minutes | Curated by: Arzhang Zafar
A documentary can take many shapes, whether expository, investigative, or even pure entertainment. One of the most effective uses of the form, however, is as an avenue for the documentarian to bare their soul, to express themselves without holding back. In this way, the documentary can become an intimate portrait, a point of true emotional catharsis, or even a confessional. These films, though differing in style and the content of their stories, were all made with the intent of shedding light on the personal, whether that means hidden truths, repressed traumas, or even unspoken appreciation and love. To both heartwarming and heartbreaking effect, these courageous and insightful filmmakers have used documentary to uncover the hidden depths of both themselves and their subjects.
HI ADING
7 17 NOV
Director: Dinaly Tran | Canada | Ilocano, Vietnamese, English | 2023
A poetic short that provides a glimpse into a love story. Speaking to their parents’ past selves, Dinaly asks and hopes that these past versions might help them realize that the decisions they may not understand are still made out of love.
READING YOU
Director: Angeline Teh | Malaysia | Min Nan Chinese, Mandarin, English | 2023
An immersion into memories where absence of a person takes hold. Through the diaries left behind by the filmmaker's mother 20 years ago, Reading You is an attempt to reconcile with the decisions made in the past.
THREADING SILENCE
Director: Isabel Tay | Singapore | Mandarin, Hokkien, English | 2024
In this essay film, a Singaporean family's silenced grief over the death of an uncle parallels the country's removal of diverse dialects and funeral rituals that conceal mourning.
CAN I HUG YOU?
Director: Elaheh Esmaili | Iran | Farsi | 2023
In the religious Iranian city of Qom, there are restrictions imposed on women in the name of “sexual safety.” Hossein grew up in this context, but as a young boy he found himself victimized, left to carry this secret into adulthood. Now, with the help of his wife Elahe, he is confronting his trauma.
MOANANUIĀKEA: AN ANTHOLOGY OF US
83 minutes | Curated by: PAAFF and the Pacific Island Film Festival
Moananuiākea - the ocean, not only connects millions of miles between the islands of the Pacific, but connects the people who inhabit it. The Anthology of Us are the stories that tie people together across time and space. It aims to celebrate the diversity of human experiences from the Native Hawaii'an and Pacific Islander point of view, while also reflecting on the universal emotions and connections that define “us” as a community or society.
NGAU KAHUA
Director: Loreto Vaikapua Gomez Campos | Chile | 2023
After feeling homesick for Rapa Nui, Tai immerses himself in virtual reality to relive his childhood on the Island. After remembering that nothing is actually real, he decides to leave the simulation and focus on the present.
SINA MA TINIRAU
Director: Vilsoni Hereniko | USA/Fiji | Rotuman, English | 2022
When a prince is cursed to become an eel and has to win the love of a beautiful woman to be human again, he gifts her with his body in the form of a coconut tree in a seductive display.
LAO LAO LAO LE
Director: Julie Zhu | New Zealand | Mandarin, English | 2023
When a young boy is left home alone with his increasingly unwell grandmother, he is forced to come to terms with her deterioration.
MARAHORO
Director: Sofía Rodríguez Pizero | Chile | Rapa Nui, Spanish | 2024
A 15-year-old Rapa-Nui boy finds in an ancient holler the strength to confront his father's harshness and pursue his calling from the voices of the sea.
HAFEKASI
Director: Annelise Hickey | Australia | English | 2023
Mona is a 10-year-old TonganAustralian girl who begins to realize she's different to her single, white mum and family. Both mother and daughter navigate identity and belonging in Melbourne suburbia during the 90's.
KŪKINI
Director: Mitchell Merrick | USA | Hawaiian | 2024
In 1790 Hawaiʻi, an elite warrior must leave his family behind when sent on a deadly mission to report on the bloody war waged by Kamehameha against Maui. When captured by the enemy, he is miraculously saved by someone who has a message for him of their own.
MAKE IT POP
52 minutes | Curated by:
Joseph Carranza
When you have a brilliant idea or when something stands out in the midst of a crowd those are the moments when you... make it pop. This curation of short films utilize the magical combination of music and film to tell stories of love, laughter, and loss.
ALWAYS IN MY HEAD
Directors: Randal & Malou Kamradt | USA | English | 2023
Rising popstar Garth gets in way over his head when he falls in love with a mysterious woman and gets tangled in a net of deception, mind-inhabitation, zombies, and beer.
MURMURATION
Director: Priya Sircar | USA | Bengali, English | 2023
A meditation on shared experience as generations of a family intertwine during a brief moment in time.
SEOUL SWITCH
Director: Liann Kaye | USA | Korean, English | 2024
When an insecure Korean American boy meets an International K-Pop Star who looks just like him, they decide to switch identities.
NO CLOUDS IN MY SUMMER
Directors: Mood Infinite & Jason Poon | USA | English | 2024
During a heated argument with his girlfriend, Tom's memories begin to splinter & merge with his present.
A KARAOKE SPACE ODYSSEY
Director: Achim Mendoza | USA/Philippines | Tagalog, English | 2023
In this campy sci-fi rom-com musical, Stella, an undocumented Filipino in pursuit of a green card, goes on a wild karaoke date with a goofy white man that turns the whole world on its ear.
JURY BIOS:
NARRATIVE:
JON HILL
is an Emmy-award winning producer and director living in Los Angeles. Originally from Abington, PA and a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, Jon is the Director of Creative Video at Fox Sports Digital. His first feature film, Above the Clouds, is being released later this year.
STACEY YOUNG
is a San Francisco Native, residing in New York City. As the founder and executive director of the Pacific Island Film Festival NYC, and board member of Hālāwai NYC and Dancers Unlimited, Stacey uses her passion to provide for her community and is creating solutions to meet unmet opportunities. Professionally, Stacey is a Product Leader in the AdTech industry, where she has worked to set industry guidelines, and holds technology patents in the US and EU.
STUDENT SHORTS:
TONY BUI
is a Sundance award-winning writer, director, and producer. He is currently Artist-in-Residence at Columbia University and teaches in Columbia’s School of the Arts graduate film program. His feature film debut, Three Seasons, was the first American-Vietnamese co-production to be filmed entirely in Vietnam. As Artist-in-Residence at Columbia, Tony has brought filmmakers, Pulitzer Prize- winning journalists, global activists, and more to the campus as guest speakers to engage in vital conversations about the role of artists and truth seekers.
KESHIA HANNAM
is a writer, speaker, and documentary filmmaker based in New York. Keshia currently serves as Editor in Chief for Asian media platform Eastern Standard Times. Growing up mixed race and then living as an immigrant across Hong Kong, India, Australia, the UK, and now the US, Keshia was always drawn to how belonging and assimilation affect identity.
JURY BIOS:
DOCUMENTARY:
JO SHEN
is a Chinese-American director and producer based in Philadelphia, whose work quietly illuminates the overlooked moments, inviting us to reflect on the delicate, unspoken threads that define a life fully lived. As Creative Director at Maestro Filmworks, she has crafted an impressive body of commercial and documentary work, always with an eye for the human element. Her projects include the Tribeca-selected docu-series Taking Root: Southeast Asian Resettlement Stories and the featurette, For The Win (FTW) Philly, which was picked up by NBC. Jo’s storytelling, steeped in subtlety and depth, has earned her two directorial Emmy Awards, a testament to her ability to unearth beauty and meaning in the everyday.
NATE SHU
is the Co-Programming Manager for Boston Asian American Film Festival, which just wrapped up its 16th season this October. For his day job, he spearheads ArtsBoston's calendar accessibility initiatives and helps run NAACBoston, a network of BIPOC arts administrators in Massachusetts. He is also a contributing writer for Asian CineVision’s CineVue and a freelance stand up comedian and producer in the Boston area.
SWETA VOHRA
(she/her) is the Head of Production and a producer at Multitude Films. Her latest films include the Oscarshortlisted How We Get Free (HBO Documentary Films) and Netflix Original Power (Sundance 2024). She also co-executive produced the shorts collection Queer Futures (CPH:DOX 2023). Prior to joining Multitude, she was a producer/director on the first season of The New York Times series The Weekly on FX and Hulu, and produced and directed over a dozen films for Al Jazeera English’s award-winning show FAULT LINES. She also produced the Netflix / BBC Studios feature documentary, The Anthrax Attacks. Sweta is a 2021–2022 DOC NYC 40 Under 40 Filmmaker and has received the National Association of Black Journalists Excellence Award, the Radio Television Digital News Association Kaleidoscope Award, and three News and Documentary Emmy® nominations for her work.
JESS X. SNOW
(they/them/他) is a non-binary filmmaker, multi-disciplinary artist and author of the JiangXi Chinese diaspora. Recently named one of Filmmaker Magazine's 25 New Faces of Independent Film, their boldly poetic short films have screened in community gardens and dozens of film festivals including BFI London Film Festival, BlackStar, Ann Arbor, New Orleans, Outfest, Durban and many more. They received their MFA from NYU’s graduate film program and are in development for their first feature film. Alongside their work as a filmmaker, for the last decade they led many community murals for migrant, climate and racial justice movements and performed their poetry on stages, and in backyards & living rooms. Their forthcoming books include the picture book We Always Had Wings (Make Me A World/Random House 2025) and the full-length poetry collection, To Remember Our Magical Identities.
KELLY CONRAD
(she/her) is a Philadelphia based performer and teaching artist. Kelly currently performs with Crossroads Comedy Theater’s Not Yet Rated: An Improvised Movie and is a regular on the podcasts Evesdropping and The Beacons Are Lit. Kelly can also be seen performing with NYTEShift – an all POC comedy troupe. Kelly has performed with sketch team The Decoy and improv house team Hooch at Philly Improv Theater, as well as Theater Unspeakable’s American Revolution, Anti Gravity Performance Project’s Dear Diary LOL, and most recently in WHYY’s Albie’s Elevator.
LUCY SOUTTER
is a NYC based filmmaker and photographer. Her most recent short film The Mountain Rabbit premiered at PAAFF 2023 and is presently wrapping up its festival run. Her work largely leans experimental, with recurring motifs of intergenerational stories, surreal dialogue, and chronically sweaty characters.
THANK YOU
Asian Arts Initiative
♦ Dave Kyu
♦ Matt Nelson
BlackStar Film Festival
♦ Heidi Saman
♦ Nehad Khader
♦ Akili Davis
CineSPEAK
♦ Sarah Mueller
♦ Vernon Jordan
♦ Kristal Sotomayor
Maestro Filmworks
♦ Lexi Morrison
The Rail Park
♦ Rebecca Cordes Chan
Scribe Video Center
♦ Kiera Abdur-Rahman
Twelve Gates Arts
♦ Aisha Z. Khan
♦ Atif Sheikh
♦ Mir Masud-Elias
♦ Umika Pathak
Philadelphia Asian Performing Artists
♦ Cat Ramirez
Asian Americans United
♦ Vivian Chang
Preview Party Vendors
♦ Baisun Candle Co.
♦ Baby's Kusina + Market
♦ Chaotic Neutral
♦ Peri Law
♦ Rikumo
♦ The Healing Arts Center
