“Thankstotheleadership andthehardworkofagreat teamofvolunteers,wehave afilmfestivalthatinspires thebestinallofus.”
-StewartBarns
OPENING NIGHT NARRATIVE
FORGE
Directed by Jing Ai Ng | 112 Mins
Thurs. 10/16 7:00PM | Coolidge Corner Theatre
In Miami, siblings Raymond and Coco Zhang run a profitable art forgery ring. When the Zhangs cross paths with millionaire Holden Beaumont, they're coerced into creating counterfeit masterpieces as a front for his old American family's art collection, only to become entangled in a web of deception. Followed by Q&A.
LOVE, CHINATOWN
Directed by Lukas Dong
WORLDPREMIERE
Fri. 10/17 6:00PM | Emerson Paramount Center
Chinatown resident Cynthia Yee embarks on an open-hearted walking tour of Boston’s Historic Chinatown in all its vibrancy extending a discerning welcome to neighborhood newcomers while boldly confronting the community’s past trauma with the help of an unexpected local compatriot: bright-eyed undergrad, Gwen Followed by Q&A.
Shorts include: Teb Chaw (Land) Directed by Joua Lee Grande • Beauty of Sorrow
Directed by Josh Park • Dear Watsonville Directed by Sandra Lucille • Little Bird
Directed by Oanh-Nhi Nguyen
Love, Chinatown (Encore Screening) Followed by Q&A
Sat. 10/18 4:30PM | Emerson Paramount Center
DOCUMENTARY
THE ROSE: COME BACK TO ME
Directed by Eugene Yi | 85 Mins
Fri. 10/17 9:00PM | Emerson Paramount Center
The Rose: Come Back to Me is an intimate documentary chronicling the remarkable journey of The Rose— from their humble beginnings as a South Korean indie band to their emergence as a global sensation. Followed by Q&A.
DOCUMENTARY
BETWEEN GOODBYES
Directed by Jota Mun | 96 Mins
Sat. 10/18 1:00PM | Emerson Paramount Center
When a queer Korean adoptee visits her original mother in Seoul, long-held regrets and cultural misunderstandings come to the surface alongside tenderness, humor, and tenacity. Followed by Q&A.
Boston Asian American Film Festival (BAAFF) empowers Asian Americans through film by showcasing Asian American experiences and serving as a resource to filmmakers and the Greater Boston Community.
CENTERPIECE NARRATIVE ROSEMEAD
DIRECTED BY ERIC LIN | 97 MINS
SAT. 10/18 8:00PM | EMERSON PARAMOUNT CENTER
In a race against time, an ailing woman is stricken by the discovery of her teenage son’s violent obsessions and must go to great lengths to protect him, and possibly others, in this portrait of a Chinese American family. Followed by Q&A.
SHORTSPROGRAM
ACROSSTHEDIVIDE
Sun.10/1912:00PM|EmersonParamountCenter
CheckPleaseDirectedbyShaneChung•TechniciansCo-DirectedbyKellyLuu& KevinLuu•BakunawaDirectedbyJessicaStutman•Long’sLongLost&MiniMart DirectedbyJulianDoan•God&BuddhaAreFriendsDirectedbyAnthonyMa•Saint AndrewsDirectedbyErinRamirezFollowedbyQ&A.
DOCUMENTARY
YEAR OF THE CAT
Directed by Tony Nguyen | 98 Mins
Sun. 10/19 3:00PM | Emerson Paramount Center
Year of the Cat follows filmmaker Tony Nguyen on an extraordinary quest to solve the mystery of his father, lost in the chaos of the Fall of Saigon 50 years ago. Followed by Q&A.
CLOSING NIGHT NARRATIVE
MUSTACHE
Directed by Imran J. Khan | 84 Mins Sun. 10/19 6:30PM | Emerson Paramount Center
In the mid-1990s in Silicon Valley, Ilyas is a 14-year-old Pakistani-American who is forced to leave his private Islamic school to attend a public school. Adding to his struggles is a mustache that he has been growing since he was ten, to his chagrin. Followed by Q&A and Closing Reception.
SPECIAL PRESENTATION NARRATIVE CAN I GET A WITNESS?
Directed by Ann Marie Fleming | 110 Mins Fri. 10/24 7:00PM | Museum of Science
It’s the future and we’ve solved all the world’s problems, with just one catch: humans have to end life at 50 and teenage artists have to document it. It’s Kiah’s first day on the job. Followed by Q&A.
ACROSSTHEDIVIDE
AcrosstheDivideexploresstoriesofunlikelyconnections,whethercultural,economic,oreven supernatural.Thesefilmsdemonstratethepowerofcreatingnewbondsagainstallodds.
CheckPleaseDirectedbyShaneChung•TechniciansCo-DirectedbyKellyLuu&KevinLuu• BakunawaDirectedbyJessicaStutman•Long’sLongLost&MiniMartDirectedbyJulianDoan• God&BuddhaAreFriendsDirectedbyAnthonyMa•SaintAndrewsDirectedbyErinRamirez
BUILDINGOURHISTORIES
BuildingOurHistoriesspotlightsstoriesofcreatingandmaintainingAPIspacesfrom Boston’sChinatowntocommunitiesaroundtheglobe
TebChaw(Land)DirectedbyJouaLeeGrande•BeautyofSorrowDirectedbyJoshPark• DearWatsonvilleDirectedbySandraLucille•LittleBirdDirectedbyOanh-NhiNguyen
MYOWNWORSTENEMY
MyOwnWorstEnemyinterrogatestheinsecuritiesthatweallholdwithinourselvesandhow wecanworktoovercome(orendupsuccumbing)tothem
Respectyourelders
PorelessDirectedbyHarrisDoran•OneNote(单注)DirectedbyJamieTing•Clementine DirectedbySallyTran•IntroducingMimiDirectedbyEmaiLai•StandInDirectedbyHiromi Yamawaki•PubertyforHumansDirectedbyWesterDemandante
QUEER&HERE
NIGHTVISIONS
NightVisionsisashowcaseoftheweirdandthewacky,filmsthatdon’teasilyfitintoanyone box.Theseshortssubverttheexpectationsandsurpriseaudiencesateverytwistandturn.
Don’tF*ckwithBaDirectedbySallyTran•BetterLifeDirectedbyJessicaLiu•KumarKumar DirectedbyKiranKoshy•FiveStarDirectedbyKaiHamadaHasson•DaddyisaHunter DirectedbyMarcusFahey•Cherry-ColoredFunkDirectedbyChelsiePennello
AstapleofeveryBAAFFseason,QueerandHerehighlightsstoriesofself-expressionand thecomplexitiesofidentityandintersectionality,beyondorientation.
BabyGayDirectedbyArielleFrancisBagood•BabaI’mFineDirectedbyKarinaDandashi• BloomedintheWaterDirectedbyJoanneMonyPark•I’mtheMostRacistPersonIKnow DirectedbyLeelaVarghese•AfterWhatHappenedattheLibraryCo-DirectedbySyra McCarthyandKyleCaseyChu•ZariDirectedbyShrutiParkh
RESPECTYOURELDERS
RespectYourEldershonorsouroldercommunitymembers,showingusthatoureldersstill havemuchtosharewiththeworld.
GloriaDirectedbyKimBlanck•TheTaleofMariDirectedbyAnyaVaughn•TheLastResort DirectedbySaritaKhurana•LolaDirectedbyCarloAng•ToDanceAgainDirectedbyM.G. Evangelista•WhyMyDadLovesDirectedbyNkaujouaXiong
