PAAFF.ORG
00:01
00:02
PAAFF.ORG
welcome to the 19th
Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival
Presented by PAAFF.ORG
00:03
Festival Info 00:08
Paaff Staff
00:10
Sponsors
00:12 Letter from the executive director 00:14 Letter from the Festival director 00:16 Live program schedule 00:18 Paaff content policy & Safety Protocols 00:19 In-person events
In-Person Programming 00:22
Opening night
00:30
Storyteller spotlight
00:37
centerpiece film
00:46
Storyteller summit
00:54
Closing night
Programming 00:60 Community Screenings & Events 00:62
Virtual Festival
Meet the Juries 00:74
Narrative Jury
00:75
Documentary Jury
00:76
Shorts jury
Awards 00:80
TRAILBLAZER AWARD
00:81 Vijay Mohan Social Change Award
Thank Yous 00:84
Thank you!!
Buy tickets at
PAAFF.ORG
00:06
PAAFF.ORG
Festival Info
PAAFF.ORG
00:07
The 2026
PAAFF Staff We warmly welcome you! 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!
00:08
PAAFF.ORG
Foundational Staff
Festival Staff
Nani Shin Executive Director
Kierra Mateo Festival Experience Manager
Joseph Carranza Creative Director
Kathy Vy Chung Festival Art Director
Arzhang Zafar Festival & Programming Director
Queenie Chen Festival Designer
David Tanh Partnerships Director Monyvathana Ear Design Intern Yashvi Bharariya Design Intern
SCREENING COMMITTEE Aiko Hamamoto Ailin Zhou Caren Hosansky Chaiya Vong Chen-Yi Wu
Karen Louie Lead Content Producer
Donavan Wilkins
Patty Kuo Volunteer Manager
Emily Lin
Cindy Ngo Operations Manager
Jemy Varghese
Cassy Bishop Tech Specialist
Justin Pergolini
Elijah Fischer
James Kawano
Julia Yun
Liana Irvine
PROGRAMMERS
Lillian Xuege Li
Chen-Yi Wu
Meloddy Gao
Phoebe Schaub
Michele Hau
Aiko Hamamoto
Nova Meng Patty Kuo
Guest Programmer Ivan Leung
Phoebe Schaub Sharon Pearson Tai Manheim, T.K. Vedha Pranesan
FESTIVAL TRAILER Maestro Filmworks
PAAFF.ORG
00:09
Festival sponsors
venue sponsors
foundation support
in-kind support
00:10
PAAFF.ORG
community partners
Media partners
PAAFF.ORG
00:11
A letter from our
Executive Director Nani Shin
00:12
PAAFF.ORG
Dear Friends, Welcome to the 19 Annual Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival! th
This year asked a lot of us, requiring us to raise funds, restructure internal operations, and make staffing changes just to stay afloat. Not to mention navigating a year of real threats to democratic norms and free expression, all while working to protect our own history and stories from being erased or rewritten. This year also gave us so much: new partnerships, new stories, and new proof that this community shows up for each other. I am deeply grateful to the institutional funders, sponsors, and individual donors whose belief in our mission kept PAAFF going; to the storytellers who trust us with their work; and to the community and film organization partners who remind us, year after year, that we are stronger together. Please take a moment to review our sponsor and partner pages…they truly are our lifeline.
Nineteen years in, I understand more clearly what’s at stake in this work: the power of authentic stories, the importance of representation, and the responsibility of protecting our cultures and our personal experiences from being told by others outside of our community, or not told at all. That is the work. It always has been. This year’s festival theme, Migration Patterns, invites us to trace the threads that connect our stories across borders, generations, and oceans. As we look ahead to our 20th year, I am reminded of how far this festival has come, and all those dedicated individuals who have been part of that journey. This isn’t just PAAFF’s story. It’s yours too. So as we prepare to celebrate two decades, we want to hear from you: What’s your favorite PAAFF memory? What would you like to see next? How do you want to celebrate our 20th together? Email us at info@paaff.org, with the subject line PAAFF20. Thank you for being part of our story. Here’s to the next chapter. Enjoy the festival! With gratitude, Nani Shin Executive Director, Philadelphia Asian American Film Foundation
PAAFF.ORG
00:13
A letter from our
Festival & Programming Director Welcome, friends, to the 19th Annual Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival. I am in some sense obligated to address the fact that we are living in turbulent times, though I have no doubt you are already well aware of this. As culture workers, artists, curators, and cinephiles, we are liable to fall into the trap of cultural myopia, conceiving our world through the narrow lens of the media we consume and create. During the best of times, this can lead to alienation and prevent us from engaging with society writ large. In the present moment, it is simply unconscionable, and those of us with the privilege to watch films for pleasure must remember to look beyond the screen.
00:14
PAAFF.ORG
One word on my mind during the curation of this year’s festival program was displacement. The displacement of communities by data centers and corporate campuses. The displacement of Palestinians within their own homeland-turned-open-airprison. The displacement of entire Pasifika nations by the rapidly accelerating climate crisis. And the displacement of the individual from a sense of normalcy that once buoyed us through life. That last one, at least, may be a change for the better – only time will tell. Most of the stories we are presenting here are about immigrants, refugees, and people displaced by other means. These stories can inspire, but they can also dampen hope. It is, of course, the prerogative of the artist to convey what they believe to be the truth. Happy endings are certainly not guaranteed, though portrayals of perseverance and love will still move us despite the outcome. What is valuable, in my opinion, is the opportunity to see the
Arzhang Zafar
entire world as interconnected, communities as shifting and amorphous, and borders as artificial. Within this framework, filmmakers and other creatives have shown themselves capable of eschewing limited ideas of state-sanctioned representation in favor of more honest visions and voices not bound to popular culture and mainstream media. After all, organizations like PAAFF originated as alternative platforms, not springboards to assimilation. As I write this, the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran is ongoing, though it is unclear what shape it will take in the coming days, weeks, months. As the war raged on this year, I somewhat absurdly communicated in both friendly and formal terms with many Iranian filmmakers who wished to present their work at this year’s festival. You will have the chance to see some of their films. While I am on the one hand honored to share them with you, on the other I am embarrassed
that I have carried on with my personal and professional life as normal, here in the very country dropping bombs on schools and bankrolling genocide. I can only hope that there is some value in connecting you to them, to us, to everyone, in some small way through these stories. I sincerely hope that you enjoy this year’s programming. I hope that you are inspired, enraged, and saddened. I hope that you can laugh and think and cry, both in joy and sorrow. There is much to be done, so much life to live, but for a little while, I hope you can join us and feel a part of everything. Your support really means the world. Arzhang Zafar Festival & Programming Director
PAAFF.ORG
00:15
Live
Program
Opening Night Thurs 11/05
(Feature) Kiyoshi ( Pre-screener) A Flash & How It Lasts Moore College | 06:30PM-09:30PM pening After Party O 10:00PM-12:00AM
Fri 11/06
First Friday Shorts Block
SAT 11/07
(Shorts Block 1) Shine a Light
Barnes Foundation | 05:30PM-08:00PM
Asian Arts Initiative | 12:00PM-02:00PM
(Shorts Block 2) Sweet & Bitter: Slices of Iranian Life Asian Arts Initiative | 12:00PM-02:00PM
(Storyteller Spotlight) Danny Chung Asian Arts Initiative | 06:00PM-08:00PM
SUN 11/08
(Shorts Block 3) Portraits & Landscapes Asian Arts Initiative | 11:00AM-01:00PM
(Shorts Block 4) Welcome to the zoo Asian Arts Initiative | 01:30PM-03:30PM
(Feature) Levitating
Philadelphia Film Society Center | 04:00PM-06:30PM
(Narrative Centerpiece) ZI
Philadelphia Film Society Center | 07:30PM-10:00PM
TUES 11/10
00:16
(People’s Cinema Club at Via) SEA. Journeys VIA | 06:00PM-08:00PM
PAAFF.ORG
Schedule fri 11/13
2026
Storyteller Summit
Asian Arts Initiative | 12:00PM-04:30PM
(Feature) Hoop like this
Asian Arts Initiative | 06:00PM-08:00PM
(Shorts Block 5) Horrors of Our Own Making Asian Arts Initiative | 09:00PM-11:00PM
SAT 11/14
(Shorts Block 6) Unfinished inheritance Asian Arts Initiative | 02:00PM-04:00PM
(Christine Choy Tribute) Loose Pages Bound Scribe Video Center | 04:00PM-06:00PM
What We carry, What we create
FRIEDAcommunity | 04:00PM-06:00PM
(Documentary Centerpiece) Sgt. Haane
Post screening discussion feat Jordan Mailata (TBC) Asian Arts Initiative | 06:00PM-08:30PM
sun 11/15
(Shorts Block 7) pathways: Animated shorts Moore College | 11:00AM-12:00PM
(Shorts Block 8) see me.
Philadelphia Museum of Art | 12:00PM-02:00PM
Awards presentation
Philadelphia Museum of Art | 03:30PM-04:15PM
Closing Night (Feature) take me home ( Pre-screener) Iawke
Philadelphia Museum of Art | 05:30PM-07:30PM losing night After Party C 9:00PM-11:00PM
PAAFF.ORG
00:17
PAAFF Content Policy
Public Safety Protocols
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.
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 theaters and screening rooms and must remain on throughout the film. PAAFF will have masks available at the screenings.
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.
00:18
PAAFF.ORG
If you are experiencing any symptoms, we ask that you remain home to prevent the spread of illness to others. If you have pre-purchased 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.
In-Person Events Moore College of Art & Design 1916 Race Street Philadelphia, PA 19103
The Barnes Foundation
2025 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy Philadelphia, PA 19130
Asian Arts Initiative
1219 Vine Street (Chinatown) Philadelphia, PA 19107
Twelve Gates Arts
106 N 2nd Street Philadelphia, PA 19106.
Philadelphia Film Society Center
1412 Chestnut St Philadelphia, PA 19102
Village of Industry & Art 320 S. Broad St Philadelphia, PA 19102
FRIEDAcommunity
320 Walnut Street Philadelphia, PA, 19106
Scribe Video Center
3908 Lancaster Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19104
Philadelphia Museum of Art Perelman Building
Fairmount & Pennsylvania Avenues Philadelphia, PA 19130
PAAFF.ORG
00:19
00:20
PAAFF.ORG
In-Person Programming
PAAFF.ORG
00:21
world Premiere
00:22
PAAFF.ORG
opening night
Kiyoshi Directed by: Glenn Holsten 89 minutes | Documentary | USA | English | 2026 KIYOSHI presents the life and work of Kiyoshi Kuromiya – the Philadelphia-based Japanese American civil rights, anti-war, gay liberation and HIV/AIDS activist. This visually dynamic film — inspired by Kiyoshi’s excitement for technology and innovation — blends archival footage, stylized interviews, studio sets, and projections to explore the impact that his birth in a WWII incarceration camp in Heart Mountain, Wyoming had on his life of activism. Interviews with friends, scholars, activist colleagues, family members and Kiyoshi himself create a compelling narrative that reveals, layer by layer, a life lived fully with joy, compassion, and a tireless commitment to, and fight for, justice.
11/05 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM at Moore College of Art & Design
Pre-Screener A flash and how it lasts Directed by Zhihao Hu 14 minutes | Drama | USA English, Mandarin | 2026
Philadelphia Premiere
Living in Los Angeles, a young Chinese gay man longs for the connection with his estranged father that seems out of reach. One day, his father visits him from China, and he discovers a tenderness and sorrow that he had never seen before. PAAFF.ORG
00:23
Short film block
At Home, Out of Place 63 minutes | Curated by: Arzhang Zafar The typical immigration narrative is framed as a quest for a better life, a road along which lies unlimited possibility. More often, migration is the result of rigid circumstance — shifting borders, war, economic hardship. Willfully overlooked material realities are in fact invisible hands moving us around the globe or holding us in place as history runs its course. These films, ranging in form from traditional documentary to experimental collage and animation, tell stories of migration and displacement in Brazil, the United States, and Palestine. While the depicted circumstances are markedly different, each one expresses both powerlessness and resilience in the face of geopolitical machinations, unafraid to look the absurd and often nightmarish reality of migrant life in the face and, occasionally, escape its suffocating limitations.
11/06 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM at the Barnes Foundation
The Bird, the Girl and the TyphooN Directed by Angeline Meitzler USA, Philippines | English, Tagalog | 2025
Philadelphia Premiere
00:24
PAAFF.ORG
While following her morning routine, an elderly migrant Filipino nurse is liberated from a lifetime of service as she transforms into the weather, an endemic bird, the harvest, and her own internal force.
Land of Eternal Summer Directed by Maya Kaminishi Jeffereis Brazil, Japan | 2025
Philadelphia Premiere
An experimental film with fragmented images of passenger ships, families, and migrants in fields flickering alongside translated excerpts of tanka poems written by Japanese laborers in Brazil and voiced by their descendants.
Thick & Sweet Directed by Yinan Wang USA | English, Mandarin | 2025
Philadelphia Premiere
Inspired by Robert Nelson’s Oh Dem Watermelons, this experimental video collage explores the intersections of food, race, migration, popular culture, and the American Dream.
Between Sky & Sea Directed by Ismail Abu Hatab Palestine | Arabic | 2025
Philadelphia Premiere
A documentary portrait of daily life in displacement, Between Sky and Sea follows Palestinians in Gaza’s largest displacement camp through the summer of 2024, culminating in a mass march home to northern Gaza.
PAAFF.ORG
00:25
Short film block
Shine a Light 42 minutes Too often as immigrants and those belonging to diaspora, our communities and cultures are separated, presented to us as discrete spheres without overlap. Over time, that intersection darkens as stories are lost or hidden, but the truth of our connections can be uncovered with intention. Whether through investigations into Asian immigrant histories in Latin America or contemporary creative partnerships building new syncretic art, these filmmakers are showcasing the brilliance of Asian-Latine collaboration and connection. Their work is, in many senses, a light in darkness.
11/07 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM at Asian Arts Initiative
00:26
PAAFF.ORG
Las Cosas Que Brillan Directed by Kristal Sotomayor USA | Spanish | 2025 A curious trans mermaid defies her mother’s warnings to venture up to the surface, only to discover the world above is not what she dreamt.
The Emulsion of Time Directed by Pablo Wong Costa Rica, Nicaragua | Spanish | 2025
Philadelphia Premiere
A Costa Rican filmmaker of Chinese descent travels to Nicaragua to trace the life of his grandfather, a Chinese immigrant and photographer he never knew, uncovering a family history shaped by migration, memory, and absence.
Mysterious Bird Directed by Beth Aala Mexico, USA | English, Spanish | 2026
East Coast Premiere
An intimate portrait of Grammy-winning artist Gabriela Quintero as she overcomes imposter syndrome by writing her first solo record. Inspired by the birds of Zihuatanejo, Mexico, the making of the album reveals an unexpected animal activist, charting a new path beyond her global success with Rodrigo y Gabriela. PAAFF.ORG
00:27
Short film block
Sweet & Bitter: Slices of Iranian Life 82 minutes | Curated by: Arzhang Zafar Western media regularly depicts Iran as a land of constant conflict and oppression, perhaps now more than ever. In contrast, the films presented in this showcase, while never eliding the harsher aspects of a country plagued by decades of turmoil from within and without, depict ordinary life in all its mundanity, complexity, humor, and sorrow. Walking backwards from death through to childhood, we see here the full tapestry of generations making up Iran’s population as they struggle with such universal dilemmas as retirement, body image, and parenting, all within the unique context of contemporary Iranian life.
11/07 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM at Asian Arts Initiative
Dubito Directed by Daniyal Mahmoudniya Iran | Farsi | 2024
East Coast Premiere
In this existential drama, a strict, aging corpse-washer forces a careless young man to become his apprentice. However, a sudden tragedy shatters the old master’s lifelong beliefs, forcing him to face his own fears about death and legacy.
In Turn Directed by Sahra Asadollahi Iran | Farsi | 2026
Philadelphia Premiere 00:28
PAAFF.ORG
After an elderly man dies without a will, nursing home residents record their final wishes, triggering a series of unsettling events.
Aftershock Directed by Simin Mohit Iran | Farsi | 2025
U.S. Premiere
Shirin is a young woman struggling with her weight. As her engagement ceremony approaches, she faces intense pressure from her fiancé to lose weight. Over time, Shirin begins to question the values of their relationship.
Portrait Directed by Farzam Tabibi Iran | Farsi | 2025
East Coast Premiere
In a photography studio, a woman struggles to capture an innocent portrait of herself to prove her innocence in court.
Mama’s Girl Directed by Hamed Azizi Iran | Farsi | 2026
North american Premiere
At a tense family gathering, Ava — a strongwilled little girl — defies her mother’s strict orders and plays with the boy she secretly likes. But beneath this seemingly innocent disobedience lies a deeper rebellion. As her mother’s anger intensifies, Ava is ready to reveal a secret that can no longer be hidden. PAAFF.ORG
00:29
Storyteller Spotlight
Danny Chung
11/07 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM at Asian Arts Initiative
@thedannychung
The Storyteller Spotlight series features intimate conversations with AANHPI storytellers who are shaping culture and redefining representation through their work. This edition highlights KoreanAmerican singer, songwriter, producer, recording artist, and voice actor Danny Chung, whose work has helped define the global sound of modern K-pop. As one of THEBLACKLABEL’s principal lyricists, Chung has spent more than a decade crafting music for some of Korea’s biggest artists, with credits spanning BLACKPINK, CL, Jay Park, Jessi, Jeon Somi, Zion.T, Taeyang, and more. His songwriting credits include BLACKPINK’s “How You Like That,” “Lovesick Girls,” “Pink Venom,” and “Shut Down,” as well as their latest single “GO,” co-written with Chris Martin of Coldplay. In 2025, Chung expanded his creative practice into film with Netflix and Sony Pictures Animation’s KPop Demon Hunters, serving as a songwriter, performer, and the voice of Baby Saja. He co-wrote songs including “How It’s Done” and “Soda Pop” while helping bring one of the film’s breakout characters to life. The film became a global phenomenon, with its soundtrack reaching No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and earning five Grammy nominations, while the film won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Chung’s career offers a unique perspective on the intersection of Korean and American music, the evolution of K-pop as a global cultural force, and what it means to create at the center of a rapidly changing entertainment landscape.
This conversation will be moderated by 6ABC’s Nydia Han. Nydia Han is an Emmy award-winning television journalist, TEDx speaker, and creator of #ThisIsAmerica, a three-part documentary series about race, racism, and the diverse American experience. Nydia anchors 6abc’s Action News at 10am weekdays and is the station’s consumer investigative reporter. She is the 2019 recipient of the Pearl S. Buck International Woman of Influence award, the Inspire Award from the National Association of Asian American Professionals, and the Global Voice Award from the World Woman Summit. She was also named “Outstanding Ally” of Diversity and Inclusion by the Philadelphia Inquirer. Nydia serves on the community advisory board for the Asian American Women’s Coalition and volunteers her time for many other non-profits. She graduated from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. Nydia enjoys good food, good wine, and most of all, a good laugh. And she is working really, really hard to teach her two kids to speak Korean. PAAFF.ORG
00:31
Short film block
Portraits & Landscapes 81 minutes | Curated by: Arzhang Zafar Poetry, community, body, movement, memory. The documentary is more than a projection of reality, the subject is ever-expanding. Life may be a dream, but we have the honor of capturing it in fragments.
11/08 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM at Asian Arts Initiative Tamai Directed by Enoch Lui USA | English | 2026
Philadelphia Premiere
A son faces his biggest fear of reuniting with his distant father, who spent 15 years in prison, and now faces a new lifetime sentence — deportation.
Chasing Dragonflies Directed by Jaba Keh USA | English | 2026
Philadelphia Premiere
After running his grocery store for 42 years, Chuck reflects on his childhood in South Korea and his commitment to Philadelphia’s Caribbean community. Now at 72 years old, his observations and pursuit of peace have brought him full circle.
Toward the Sun Directed by Andrew Nadkarni & Maryam Mir USA | English | 2026
U.S. Premiere
00:32
PAAFF.ORG
A group of recently resettled Asian, Arab, and African women embark on their first overnight camping trip in the United States. Through the eyes of Fatima, a young Afghan, and Bashaer, a spirited Iraqi elder, the women discover connection and belonging in the landscape, and with each other.
Cindy Tran: From Here to Here Directed by Xinyan Yu USA | English | 2025
Philadelphia Premiere
From family estrangement to New York City’s overlooked restaurants, Cindy Tran’s poems capture what’s hidden, honest, and beautiful about being human. She invites us into the in-between, where we embrace difficult experiences and reimagine the possibilities of poetry.
Bridging Our Stories Directed by Rafael Bitanga USA, Philippines | English, Tboli | 2026
east coast Premiere
When the last Filipino community center in Ketchikan, Alaska, becomes a memory, a 50-year-old Filipina who spent her life resisting her heritage travels to the Philippines to rediscover her roots, preserving her community’s disappearing culture, and teaching indigenous Filipino dances.
TAMASHI Directed by Ashima Shiraishi & Jess X. Snow USA, Japan | English, Japanese | 2026
east coast Premiere
In the once water-rich valley of Payahuunadü, a climber Ashima Shiraishi and their former Butoh-dancer mentor father return to the desert, using climbing and dance as a ritual of reconciliation between body, land, and generations. PAAFF.ORG
00:33
Short film block
Welcome to the Zoo 79 minutes | Curated by: Chen-Yi Wu Welcome to the zoo. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Take the bull by the horns. Beware the praying mantis. Chickens come home to roost. Enjoy your visit.
11/08 1:30 PM - 3:30 PM at Asian Arts Initiative
Gopchang Directed by Eunwoo Park South Korea | Korean | 2026
International Premiere
Ponytail joins a secret shamanic ritual that is held every night. There, the Storyteller sings the life of a cow through pansori—a traditional Korean form of vocal storytelling. As they listen to the story, Ponytail and the guests feast on the cow’s flesh…
Scorching Directed by Beidi Wang China | Mandarin | 2026
Philadelphia Premiere 00:34
PAAFF.ORG
After visiting the chicken processing plant, Yan experiences unsettling physical change, meanwhile, a bird flu quietly descends in suburban Guangdong, China.
Prehistoric Directed by Armin Etemadi Iran | Farsi | 2026
U.S. Premiere
Nina, unable to accept her partner’s death, finds strength on stage; where she finally lets him go and embraces her own power.
Praying Mantis Directed by Joe Hsieh Taiwan | Mandarin | 2025
Philadelphia Premiere
A praying mantis mutant seduces and preys on men out of desperation to save her child. A failed mission led to revelations of her past and dark secrets as the story unfolds.
Chicken Run Directed by Sang Feel Yook South Korea | Korean | 2025
Philadelphia Premiere
Jinwon, a chicken delivery man running through the night streets, unexpectedly bumps into his ex-girlfriend, Mi-young. As Miyoung questions him about his past, he shows her his deliciously fried chicken arm. PAAFF.ORG
00:35
Philadelphia Premiere
feature
Levitating Directed by: Wregas Bhanuteja 119 minutes | Drama | Indonesia | Indonesian | 2026 Latas Village, a small suburban area, is known for its traditional trance parties, a long-standing ritual and form of entertainment passed down through generations. When the sacred spring where the spiritchannelers seek spirits faces an impending eviction, Bayu determines to become a lead spirit-channeler himself so he can lead a grand fundraising party to buy back the spring. But along the way, Bayu discovers that ambition alone is not enough to make him a true spiritchanneler, or to save the village he calls home.
11/08 4:00 PM - 6:30 PM at philadelphia film society center
00:36
PAAFF.ORG
Philadelphia Premiere
Centerpiece Narrative
zi Directed by: Kogonada 99 minutes | Drama, Sci-Fi | USA, Hong Kong English, Cantonese | 2026 In Hong Kong, a young woman haunted by visions of her future self meets a stranger who changes the course of her night—and possibly her life. Kogonada plays with — and returns to — form in this sensitive cinematic poem. Held within a stylish jaunt through the streets of Hong Kong, zi is a film with soul and a wavelike confidence that commits to recursivity as a mode and central theme. Kogonada regulars Michelle Mao, Haley Lu Richardson, and Jin Ha carefully portray transitory misfits, grappling with a clever fusion of existential anxiety, romantic misgiving, and personal memory. Somewhere between sci-fi and supernatural, a deep, easy warmth takes root. Kogonada crafts a decidedly contained film, exploring a pervasive sense of unmooring, yet cultivating an unrelenting sense of peace. Through the igniting/ smoldering embers of relationships lost/forming, zi is an invitation to surrender to Kogonada’s truly indie world of temporal fragmentation.
11/08 7:30 PM - 10:00 PM at philadelphia film society center
PAAFF.ORG
00:37
00:38
PAAFF.ORG
feature
Southeast Asian American Journeys Directed by: Quyên Nguyen-Le, Joua Lee Grande, & Oanh-Nhi Nguyen 70 minutes | Documentary | USA English, Khmer, Lao, Vietnamese, Hmong | 2026 Presented as a feature documentary with five chapters, Southeast Asian American Journeys follows different refugee communities across the US, from Montagnard in North Carolina to the Iu Mien in Oregon. Interviews with California Vietnamese mamas with queer kids, a collective of Southeast Asian vendors at FDR Park, canvassing youth, and Hmong farmers who trade crops with their neighbors, unearth untold unique refugee stories. History is planted in each film through farming systems, tapestry, cassette tapes, and bustling park marketplaces. Found in these conversations are desires for belonging, revitalization, and spaces where the past doesn’t define the landscape but becomes
the foundation that promotes intergenerational understanding, cross-cultural exchange, and knowledge to pass down from one generation to another. These odysseys answer the question: what does it mean to be in America? And through the different explorations of Montagnard, Hmong, Mien, Khmer, Lao, and Vietnamese refugee communities, audiences witness a multifaceted perspective of healing, collaboration and meaningmaking. Resettlement looks different for everyone, but the transformative communities that blossom in each story pulsate with a love to understand the past, nurture the present, and nourish the future for Southeast Asian Americans everywhere.
11/10 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM at the Village of Industry & Art
PAAFF.ORG
00:39
Storyteller Summit The PAAFF Storyteller Summit is a half-day professional development event designed for filmmakers, writers, producers, and creative professionals looking to build sustainable careers in the film and media industry. Finishing the film is only the beginning. The Storyteller Summit focuses on the questions that come next: How do I build momentum? How do I get my work seen? How do I protect and position myself? And how do I turn one project into a sustainable creative career? Through three practical, conversation-driven sessions, industry professionals will share insights, strategies, and tools that storytellers can take directly into their careers.
11/13 12:00 PM - 4:30 PM at Asian Arts Initiative
00:40
PAAFF.ORG
Feature
Hoop Like This Directed by: Shubhangi Shekhar 100 minutes | Documentary USA, Canada, India English, Hindi, Punjabi | 2025 Hoop Like This pulls back the curtain on the unseen world of brown basketball. Gautam Kapur, a former NBA employee, is on a mission to build the role models he never had, uniting the best Indian-origin players from around the world to prove one thing: they belong on the court, and they’re here to win. We follow the team’s journey from their historical debut in 2022 on ESPN’s The Basketball Tournament against the defending champions, crushing initial losses, to their year-long grassroots scouting efforts across India, Taiwan, Canada, and the United States to rebuild the team. It all builds towards the team’s return to the tournament in 2023, where everything is on the line. This is not your typical underdog story, this is the story of pioneers. It’s the story of athletes, coaches, sports professionals, and the families that support them (or don’t), who come together and bet on themselves, daring to believe beyond what’s been expected of them. They are heroes who pulled off historic firsts, laying the foundation and lessons for future athletes to succeed.
11/13 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM at Asian Arts Initiative PAAFF.ORG
00:41
Short film block
Horrors of Our Own Making 79 minutes | Curated by: Phoebe Schaub Sometimes our worst nightmares are the stories we create for ourselves. The rituals, comforts, relationships, conveniences, and myths that comprise daily life. Will the characters in these four short films learn their lesson the hard way? Will they learn their lesson at all?
11/13 9:00 PM - 11:00 PM at Asian Arts Initiative
DRY Directed by Noboru Suzuki Japan | Japanese | 2026
world Premiere
While driving her car, Natsuna gets into an argument with her mother on the phone when suddenly, a crow falls onto the hood of her car, making her slam on the brakes. Upon closer inspection, she sees that the crow is completely dried out and dead. Rain falls immediately thereafter that dries out everything it touches.
Shedding Directed by Peiqi Peng USA | English, Mandarin | 2026
East Coast Premiere 00:42 PAAFF.ORG
Under her controlling mother’s obsessive attempts to cure her hair-pulling, a young woman secretly collects every strand for a disturbing gift her mother will never forget.
Sleep Call Directed by Richer Huynh USA | English | 2026
Philadelphia Premiere
A lonely young man finds love online when a late-night sleep call with a stranger blossoms into an intimate digital romance.
Siren Directed by Soohyuk Lee South Korea | Korean | 2026
East Coast Premiere
One day, Seol-i’s father, Captain Park, captures a mermaid.
PAAFF.ORG
00:43
Short film block
Unfinished Inheritance 79 minutes | Curated by: Joseph Carranza Some inherit land. Others inherit silence, sacrifice, longing, or stories left unfinished. Unfinished Inheritance brings together Filipino and Filipino American stories that trace the echoes of family across generations, revealing how memory, migration, and identity continue to shape lives long after history has passed. These are stories of what remains, and of those who must decide what becomes of it.
11/14 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM at Asian Arts Initiative
Milk & Honey Directed by Rachel Leyco USA | Tagalog, English | 2025
Philadelphia Premiere
An ambitious Filipina nurse leaves her family behind in the Philippines to chase the American Dream in the 1990s, only to find herself battling loneliness, cultural barriers, and unexpected hardships as she works to reunite with her daughter.
Fil-Am Directed by Ralph Torrefranca USA | English, Tagalog | 2025
Philadelphia Premiere 00:44 PAAFF.ORG
In 2003, a 16-year-old Filipino kid from the inner city is forced to leave his old life behind for the terrifying new world of Santa Barbara, California.
Lolobatman Directed by Madonna Diaz-Refugia USA | English, Tagalog | 2026
East Coast Premiere
A Filipino-American comedy writer sets out to find her late grandfather’s lost Batman film, uncovering a strange cinematic legacy and her own sense of belonging along the way.
Oakland Ilokana Directed by Elenita Makani O’Malley USA, Philippines | English | 2025
East Coast Premiere
A 90-year-old Filipina American and her filmmaker granddaughter retrace their family’s history, revealing how memory connects generations across time and place.
Halcyon Days Directed by Grace Hanna USA | English | 2026
East Coast Premiere
An actor’s attempt to reconnect with his estranged family is derailed when his world inexplicably transforms into a multi-cam sitcom. PAAFF.ORG
00:45
What We Carry, What We Create A conversation about cultural inheritance across generations The Philadelphia Asian American Film Foundation (PAAFF) and FRIEDAcommunity bring together a multigenerational group of women and femme-presenting artists across multiple disciplines for a conversation about cultural inheritance across generations. Through their experiences as artists and storytellers, our panelists will explore how culture, memory, family, and identity shape the work we make, and how inherited traditions are carried forward, transformed, and reimagined in the present. Together, they’ll consider what it means to honor what came before us while making space for new interpretations, new voices, and new possibilities. Rooted in connection, community, and the power of art, this conversation asks: What do we inherit, what do we transform, and what do we choose to pass on?
11/14 4:00 PM - 6:30 PM at FRIEDAcommunity
00:46
PAAFF.ORG
Panelists Zhen Guo is an artist and curator. Born in Rizhao, Shandong, China, she graduated from the Fine Arts Department of Shandong Art School in 1976 and the China Academy of Art in 1982. She taught at the Chinese Painting Department in China Academy of Art. In 1986, she went to study at San Francisco Art College in the United States. In 1987, she attended York University College of Art in Canada. In 1988, she set up the “Zhen Guo Art Studio” in New York. She is a female ink artist active in the international art world and a pioneer of American Asian contemporary female ink art. She has participated in many international art exhibitions, and has long been committed to the research and exploration of international contemporary female art. International auction companies such as Sotheby’s have repeatedly promoted her work. In recent years, she has curated and participated in the “Existence” International Women’s Art Exhibition in Changsha, China, and the “Please Touch, Body Boundary” large-scale exhibition at the MANA Contemporary in the United States. Sarah Shin is a Korean-American theatre artist whose work lives at the intersection of creative leadership, community engagement, cultural preservation and technological innovation. Select Directing Credits: HELL HATH TURNED OVER. F*CK (Ars Nova), The Chinese Lady (Stages Houston, Central Square Theater, Boston Globe Critics’ Pick), The Supreme Leader (Mile Square Theater), Silent Sky (Central Square Theater). Her work has been supported by the Public Theater, NYC Women’s Fund for Media, Music, & Theatre, The Boston Foundation, NEFA Public Art for Spatial Justice Grant, Roundabout Directors Group Cohort 4, SDC Barbara Whitman Award Finalist, A4 Virtual Resident Artist, New York Stage, and Film 2025 Pfaelzer Award Recipient. She is a SDC Associate Member. Cynthia Zhou is an artist, designer, and poet based in Philadelphia. Working primarily in oil paint and printmaking, her current work is concerned with the myth of the American cowboy and the legacy of Chinese railroad workers. She has collaborated with the Philadelphia Museum of Art, exhibited at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, Arch Enemy Arts in Philadelphia, Euphrat Museum in Cupertino; and has been awarded fellowships to residencies at Vermont Studio Center and the Sable Project. She holds a BA in Design from the University of Pennsylvania and is a member of the Philadelphia artist collective Vox Populi.
PAAFF.ORG
00:47
East Coast Premiere
00:48
PAAFF.ORG
Centerpiece Documentary
Sgt. Haane Directed by: Tearepa Kahi 86 minutes | Documentary/Drama | New Zealand English, Maori, Arabic | 2026 This documentary-drama film follows Lance Sgt. Haane Manahi DCM of B Company, 28th Maori Battalion, a soldier of extraordinary courage, whose actions proved pivotal in the 1943 battle for the fortified summit of Takrouna, Tunisia. Blending dramatic re‑enactment with the voices of descendants, the film explores legacy, whakapapa, and remembrance.
11/14 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM at Asian Arts Initiative
PAAFF.ORG
00:49
Short film block
Pathways: Animated Shorts 60 minutes | Curated by: David Tanh & Aiko Hamamoto Life is a series of pathways with many pit stops, detours, and crossroads along the way. Choices must be made—to turn left or right, to keep eyes open or closed, to stop or keep moving. Through delays and hardships, there will be friends who become strangers and strangers who become friends. Laughter can suddenly turn into sobs. Journey with these characters as they travel on their own unique pathways through the many different forms of regret, grief, and love.
11/15 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM at Moore College of Art & Design
Sunburn Directed by Esther Son South Korea, USA | 2026
Philadelphia Premiere
A teenage girl struggles with her unspoken feelings for her crush and the pain of literal sunburn.
Drive On, Mr. Otter Directed by Chun Kit Fong USA | English | 2026
world Premiere 00:50
PAAFF.ORG
Timid Mr Otter is given one final chance to evict an elderly couple from their rural village home — or risk losing his own company-issued housing.
Paper Daughter Directed by Cami Kwan USA | English | 2026
Philadelphia Premiere
A young Chinese woman tries to enter the U.S. under the assumed identity of a deceased girl, contending with both the authorities and her personal guilt.
Like Friend, Like Deer Directed by Malek Eghbali Iran | 2025
Philadelphia Premiere
After killing an illegal hunter, a wildlife ranger is left at a crossroads between escape and surrender, confronting the deep connection between humans and nature.
More Than Happy Directed by Wei Keong Tan Singapore | English | 2025
Philadelphia Premiere
In a queer utopia, two couples sit in conversation at a restaurant, waiting for service that will never arrive. As hunger grows, they talk about time and happiness. Not wanting to wait forever, they decide to leave.
reTIRED Directed by Mari Jaye Blanchard USA | 2026
Philadelphia Premiere
In the near future, elderly Millennials maintain a flooded town’s Trash Wall, until one woman sees what’s on the horizon. PAAFF.ORG
00:51
Short film block
See me. 96 minutes | Curated by: Ivan Leung A drag queen who hasn’t left her apartment in days. A pole dancer taking shelter in a church. A married couple sitting for a government test that decides whether they get a mortgage. A dinner delivered to an ex-girlfriend’s door by mistake. Seven films about what it costs to be looked at — and how seldom that’s the same thing as being seen. These filmmakers push past the incident and into the aftermath: the inbox after the news cycle, the friendship after the summer ends, the self you’re still assembling once the crew packs up. They’re funnier than that sentence makes them sound. And they refuse to make tragedy the price of admission. Queer and Asian American artists have spent a long time being described by other people. This block hands the description back. Hold still. Then look again.
11/15 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM at Philadelphia Museum of Art
The Way We Are Directed by Alyssa Zakaria USA | English | 2025
world Premiere
In 2010, An Asian American teen navigates shifting friendships, unspoken feelings, and late-night confessions during one fleeting summer night, in a tender story of identity, belonging, and first love.
Complicated Order Directed by Emmie Lichtenberg USA | English | 2023
Philadelphia Premiere
00:52
PAAFF.ORG
When Remy accidentally places a food delivery order to her estranged ex-girlfriend’s house, she sets out on a journey to retrieve it, causing her to reexamine her entire relationship–and herself–in the process.
Significant Other People Directed by Martin Diegor USA | English, Tagalog | 2026
world Premiere
Anton is in love with Stephen. Stephen is dating Kyle. So Anton brings Tyler, of course. A messy almost-love story.
After What Happened at the Library Directed by Syra McCarthy USA | English | 2025 In the wake of a terrifying encounter, an overwhelmed drag queen struggles under the weight of public attention.
(Zero, Infinity) Directed by Mar Sudac USA | English | 2026
Philadelphia Premiere
In order to start building their life together, partners Gus and Clark must participate in an invasive, federallymandated sexual verification process.
Spiders on My Lashline Directed by Grace Tan Australia | English | 2026
East Coast Premiere
Following an attack, genderqueer pole dancer Ash takes shelter in a church, where childhood memories resurface and help them find strength again.
Who the F*** Are the Rice Rockettes Directed by Derek Luu USA | English | 2025
Philadelphia Premiere
An unhinged documentary that introduces the Rice Rockettes, an Asian Drag family from San Francisco that has performed together for over 15 years despite it all. PAAFF.ORG
00:53
Philadelphia Premiere
00:54
PAAFF.ORG
Closing night
Take Me Home Directed by: Liz Sargeant 91 minutes | Drama | USA | English | 2026 Anna, a middle-aged Korean adoptee with a cognitive disability, cares for her aging parents in a fragile balance of meeting one another’s needs. Alongside her sister Emily and her father, they must confront challenging questions about the future, but she remains determined to build a life where all of them can thrive. Liz Sargent’s intimate debut drama examines the shifting demands placed on a unique — and uniquely challenged — family in a Florida suburb. Expanded from Sargent’s acclaimed short, Take Me Home exposes the indignities of the American health care system and the structural challenges faced by disabled people. The film also gently and imaginatively traces a path for Anna’s independence and connection to a community of chosen family. By turns quietly devastating and bracingly optimistic, Take Me Home confronts us with an impossible situation, while holding out hope for Anna’s future.
11/15 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM at Philadelphia Museum of Art
Pre-Screener Iakwe: Hello, Goodbye Directed by Nathan Fitch 15 minutes | Documentary | USA, Marshall Islands | English, Marshallese | 2026
east coast Premiere
Based upon real events, Iakwe: Hello, Goodbye is the story of Jacob Aija Aini Hawkes, a young traveling salesman who after being adopted at birth, meets his blood relatives for the first time by chance while knocking doors in Northwest Arkansas. The film explores the power and complexity of family bonds from a Pacific Islander/Marshallese perspective. PAAFF.ORG
00:55
at paaff.org buy
00:56
PAAFF.ORG
paaff.org buy tickets
PAAFF.ORG
00:57
00:58
PAAFF.ORG
Programming
PAAFF.ORG
00:59
Community Screenings & Events
00:60
PAAFF.ORG
Contemporary Experimental Video Art Exhibition Presenting the Eighth Annual Contemporary Experimental Video Art Exhibition, celebrating contemporary video art—that is, contemporary art using recorded moving images—created by artists from South and South-West Asia, North Africa (SSWANA), as well as artists of indentured Indian descent and their diasporas. This edition of the juried show will be co-presented by PAAFF and Twelve Gates Arts.
11/7 11:00AM - 1:00PM at Twelve Gates Arts + 11/11 6:00PM - 8:00PM at Twelve Gates Arts
Loose Pages Bound: Asian Americans in the Delaware Directed by: Christine Choy 56 minutes | Documentary | USA | English, Cantonese | 1978 Shot on 16mm film and directed by the iconic Christine Choy, Loose Pages Bound was the first film on the growing Asian American community in the Delaware Valley, including long established residents, immigrants, and refugees. The film has not been publicly screened in decades. This retrospective is presented in collaboration with Scribe Video Center.
11/14 4:00PM - 6:00PM at Scribe Video Center
PAAFF.ORG
00:61
VIRTUAL FESTIVAL 11/5 - 11/15 Rental Period
00:62
PAAFF.ORG
No Room For Love Directed by: Randal & Malou Kamradt 94 minutes | Comedy | USA | English | 2025 The Santiagos are a Filipino-American family of seven crammed into one tiny Los Angeles apartment, all chasing distant showbiz dreams and doing their best to survive poverty, bad luck, and each other without ever giving up. We follow them through a year in the life: In Spring, as Fred gets stuck at home and ignored by his family. Summer, when a misunderstood photograph causes the family to turn on one of their own. Fall, in which Sandra and Leah attend a film-industry party that goes all wrong. And Winter, when the family gets kicked out of their apartment and everything comes to a head at a film festival.
PAAFF.ORG
00:63
Mary Kwon Mary Kwon Directed by: Josh Park 94 minutes | Horror/Thriller | USA | English, Korean | 2025 Mary Kwon is an English professor at a community college. One day, she drops her classes mid-semester, and journeys to an isolated house in the woods. The house where, decades ago, her mother was put under arrest and went missing. As Mary tries doing some self-healing and creative writing work, she notices odd noises in the home and surrounding forest. At night, two visitors drop in: a couple of mysterious hikers, one of whom suffers a psychosomatic illness. Mary uses some of her wiles to help him recover, but as the night continues, things around them just get stranger and stranger.
00:64
PAAFF.ORG
Uncommitted Directed by: Razi Jafri 88 minutes | Documentary | USA | English | 2026 Uncommitted follows Arab and Muslim American organizers Lexi Zeidan, Layla Elabed, and Abbas Alawieh as they transform grief over Gaza into an unprecedented grassroots political movement. Beginning in Dearborn, Michigan, their campaign galvanizes nearly a million protest votes during the 2024 Democratic presidential primaries, challenging party leaders to support a ceasefire and demonstrating that their communities’ votes must be earned rather than assumed. The movement carries its demands to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, where even a request for a Palestinian American speaker is ultimately rejected. With intimate vérité access, Uncommitted focuses not on Palestinian suffering itself, but on what communities do in response, building coalitions, exercising political leverage, and challenging the institutions that claim to represent them. More than an election documentary, Uncommitted captures the emergence of a new political coalition and a movement whose impact continues to reshape conversations about Palestine, representation, and political power in America.
PAAFF.ORG
00:65
Discovering Ourselves: Family Shorts 96 minutes | Curated by: David Tanh When we are born we come into this world as an empty vessel. Slowly but surely we start to discover who we are by experiencing life’s mysteries. For instance eating and falling in love with that first bite of chocolate or maybe har gao. Or feeling down when our siblings or parents don’t understand us. But through it all, we persevere and we become us.
One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six Directed by Yingdan Lai USA | Mandarin | 2025 In a rule-bound boarding school, one missing chocolate ball is all it takes to awaken a quiet storm within MiaoMiao.
Little Fierce Loong Directed by Ann Anlan Tao USA | English, Mandarin | 2025 When two lonely children from vastly different worlds clash over a magical Chinese wooden dragon, their shared imagination takes them on a surreal journey that reshapes their beliefs. 00:66
PAAFF.ORG
Heart-Bit Dim Sum Friends Directed by Veda Lee USA, Hong Kong | Cantonese | 2026 On the outskirts of Hong Kong lies a humble Dim Sum shop named ‘A Little Heart Restaurant’. Three dim sum, Pobu the char siu pork bun, Mai the shumai, and Gao the crystal shrimp dumpling come to life and use their Kung Fu powers to save the day!
Ramen Western Directed by Meloddy Gao USA | English, Mandarin | 2026 A young Chinese American girl sets off to uncover the secrets of the American West with an unexpected sidekick: a sentient bowl of ramen.
Baby Fat Directed by Margarita Mina USA | English, Tagalog | 2025 When a stocky Filipino-American tween spills ketchup on a traditional heirloom dress, she must accompany her mother to the laundromat where her attempts to restore it only make her feel more displaced in her own skin.
Living on the Edge of the Internet Directed by Clarisse Chua USA, Singapore | English, French | 2025 It’s the early 2000s, the internet is new and janky and a 7 year old girl struggles to get access to an online game. PAAFF.ORG
00:67
Rishta Directed by Ali Pervaiz Malik USA | English, Urdu | 2025 A dependent little brother fears losing his only friend when his big sister is introduced to a potential rishta (suitor) during an Eid gathering.
Our Pockets are Full Directed by Anjali Pulim USA | English | 2025 Three generations of women travel through the memories and stories behind seemingly mundane objects.
Hugs & Kisses Directed by Alexandra “Lexie” Orr USA | English, Tagalog | 2025 A soon to be born daughter feels her mom give her hugs & kisses and reminisces on what their future life would be like together. Will this love and feeling last?
00:68
PAAFF.ORG
PAAFF Picks 90 minutes | Curated by: PAAFF Staff Eight favorites chosen by our festival staff, running the genre gamut from absurd comedy to poignant horror.
This House That Bears No Fruit Directed by Chantal Leong Canada | English | 2026 A teenage girl must come to terms with her tense relationship with her mother while reckoning with the suspicion that she may be eating far more than just fruits and vegetables from their garden.
Just My Luck Directed by Iz Lee USA | Korean, English | 2026 They say that everything in your life happens for a reason but sometimes you’re just damn unlucky. Michael Kim is convinced his lifetime of bad luck came from a fortune telling ritual gone wrong. The only way to fix it? Killing God. PAAFF.ORG
00:69
Holy Heaviness Directed by Farnoosh Abedi, Negah Khezre Fardyardad, and Mohammad Ghaffari Iran | 2025 The unbearable lightness of the death of loved ones… There are wounds in life that eat away at you like leprosy… The weight of the death of loved ones sometimes becomes so overwhelming that to get rid of this weight another birth is inevitable.
Awkward Goodbyes Directed by Allie Guerrero USA | English | 2026 A guessing game goes wrong when two chaotic lovers buy a lottery ticket on the final day of their vacation romance.
Personal Record Directed by AnQi Yu USA | English | 2026 Winnie and Jose are the slowest girls on the cross country team. This season, Winnie wants to be faster.
00:70
PAAFF.ORG
Spit Out Your Bones Directed by Cal Galicia USA | English, Tagalog | 2026 A Filipino-American college baseball pitcher navigates parental and physical pressures as he prepares to lead his team to a longawaited championship.
LIPI Directed by Aneesh S India | Paniya, Malayalam | 2025 When a remote tribal school in Wayanad is partly destroyed in a natural disaster, a lone teacher’s quiet resolve to rebuild it is met with government apathy. Framed by the haunting voiceover of an elderly Paniya woman, the film begins as a lament for a vanishing language, a fading culture, and a long-marginalized people — but concludes with an affirmation of their resilience and hope.
ripe Directed by Solara Thanh Bình Đặng Vietnam | Vietnamese | 2025 In the Mekong Delta, a young woman must decide if she will enter an arranged marriage in order to support her family of durian farmers — all while the land and the spirit realm weave mysterious influence over her fate.
PAAFF.ORG
00:71
00:72
PAAFF.ORG
Meet the Juries
PAAFF.ORG
00:73
Narrative Jury Jess Dang
Jess Dang is a Chinese-American writer and director based in Los Angeles. She is a Film Independent Fast Track Fellow and a recipient of the NewFilmmakers NewNarratives grant for her debut feature film, Surrender. Jess holds an MFA from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts and a BFA from Parsons School of Design. Her work has screened at festivals including DOC NYC and the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, and has been featured in The New York Times. Her work explores identity within the Asian diaspora and its intersection with community impact, often examining themes of moral progress, mental health, and coming-of-age. Influenced by a background in music and painting, her storytelling blends emotional realism with a strong visual sensibility. She is currently developing her second feature film and a television pilot.
Harrison Xu
Harrison Xu is an award-winning actor, writer, director, and producer whose debut feature Extremely Unique Dynamic world premiered at Sonoma International Film Festival, played in over 25 prestigious film festivals worldwide, and was acquired for a theatrical release by Strand Releasing. As an actor, Harrison has guest-starred in acclaimed series such as Animal Control, Shameless, Grey’s Anatomy, Young Sheldon, and American Horror Stories. He also has extensive animation, video games, and dubbing experience working on projects like Squid Game, Street Fighter, and Secrets of the Silent Witch. He owns his own marketing consultancy and regularly works with clients such as Roadside Attractions, Vertical Entertainment, and Amazon/MGM. Most recently, he worked on the awards campaigns for American Fiction, Challengers, The Last Showgirl, and Project Hail Mary and led the social campaigns for the breakout horror hits Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey, Dracula, and Buddy. He is passionate about leveraging his expertise in content creation, marketing, and distribution to drive success for independent films.
Jo Fujiwara-Morozumi
Jo Fujiwara-Morozumi is an artist, editor, producer, and film festival director based in Oregon. Jo currently works at the DisOrient Asian American Film Festival as the director of programming. Outside of festival work they collaborate alongside independent filmmakers to help develop and deliver underrepresented stories. Jo’s work centers on the socio-political impact of filmmaking and how visual media can be used to incite social change. Their background in animation and sequential art give their work an emphasis on visual storytelling. 00:74
PAAFF.ORG
Documentary Jury Li Lu
Li Lu is an award-winning narrative and documentary director. She was born in Suzhou, China and raised in West Philadelphia, PA and Sugar Land, TX. Her debut feature There is a New World Somewhere (2015) won three Best Feature awards prior to its theatrical release. Li’s television credits include The Resident (Fox) and Echoes (Netflix). Her landmark docuseries A Town Called Victoria (2024) about the arson of a Texas mosque premiered on PBS’s Independent Lens and won Best Limited Series at the International Documentary Awards, earning Lu a place on DOC NYC’s 40 Under 40 list. Lu teaches at the City College of New York and is also the curator and creator of HTX MADE, a film series celebrating artists and audiences in Texas.
Minji Chang
Minji Chang is a Honolulu-based actor and filmmaker originally from the San Francisco Bay Area. As the former Executive Director of Kollaboration, she championed emerging Asian American talent, fostering greater representation in media by working with indie artists and studios like Netflix, NBCUniversal, HBO, and Sony. Minji is the producer of the award-winning feature documentary ASHIMA, PAAF Festival short film selection JANE, and she is also the voice of Songbird in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty opposite Idris Elba and Keanu Reeves. Through her diverse range of work, including hosting the First of All podcast, Minji continues to create impactful content that empowers and inspires diverse communities.
Kayla Wong
Kayla Wong is a New York-based producer and the Associate Director of Asian CineVision (ACV). She spent seven years as the Festival Director for ACV’s marquee event — the Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF) — the nation’s first and longest-running festival for Asian diaspora cinema. An NYU Tisch graduate, her professional background includes independent narrative and branded productions alongside roles at institutional media companies like NBCUniversal, Sesame Workshop, and WNET. A frequent juror, reader, and guest programmer for various national arts organizations, she is dedicated to ensuring the vast spectrum of Asian American voices receive the structural support and visibility they deserve.
PAAFF.ORG
00:75
Shorts Jury Chelsie Pennello
Chelsie Pennello is a Chinese-American filmmaker based in Washington, DC. Her work has played at 50-ish festivals in the US (and one time in Canada) over the last four years. Most notably, her dark comedy short, Cherry-Colored Funk, had its New York premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2025. She has enjoyed making stories about losers in her last two short films and is particularly proud of the character of Roberto Ferrari. Right now she is interested in writing about death and is seeking funding for her feature film debut.
Amy Lee Ketchum
Amy Lee Ketchum is an award-winning filmmaker, educator, and arts organizer, working across the animation industry, indie filmmaking and the fine arts to advance the goal of cultivating social responsibility and visionary storytelling. She creates poetic narratives and abstract worlds in her animations which draw from personal and collective memory, folklore, and dance. She holds a BA in Art and Architecture from UC Berkeley and an MFA in Animation at the University of Southern California. Recent solo shows of artwork include the Bret Llewellyn Gallery at Alfred College, NY and the Freedman Gallery at Albright College in Reading, PA. Her films have won prizes awarded by MTV Liquid Television, Ann Arbor Film Festival, and the ASIFA-East. They have shown on broadcast television, various international film festivals, and on the Centre Pompidou web channel. Amy chaired the TimeBased Media program at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts from 2019-2024. Currently she is a member of the artist collective Tiger Strikes Asteroid and a founding member of a Philadelphia experimental animation group, the Animation Ensemble. In 2025 she co-founded the Philadelphia Animation Festival for which she is a Co-Director.
Samhita Sunya
Samhita Sunya is an Associate Professor of Cinema in the Department of Middle Eastern & South Asian Languages & Cultures at the University of Virginia. She is author of Sirens of Modernity: World Cinema via Bombay (University of California Press, 2022). Raised in Houston, Texas by South Asian immigrant parents, she has lived and worked in India, Lebanon, and Turkey. She completed her first short film, Conference of the Moths, in 2024.
00:76
PAAFF.ORG
PAAFF.ORG
00:77
00:78
PAAFF.ORG
Awards
PAAFF.ORG
00:79
Trailblazer Award
Danny Chung The Storyteller Trailblazer Award celebrates visionaries whose creative contributions redefine the landscape of storytelling. This honor recognizes those who expand the narrative possibilities of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander cinema — forging new paths with imagination, authenticity, and bold perspective. Trailblazers challenge convention, restore complexity to underrepresented histories, and make visible what once lived in the margins. Their work paves the way for future generations to see themselves not as outsiders, but as the very heart of the story. 00:80
PAAFF.ORG
Vijay Mohan Social Change Award
KIYOSHI Director Glenn Holsten Producers Rob Buscher, Teresa Jaynes, Keith Brand, Chris Bartlett, Che Gossett
This award is named in memory of Vijay Krishna Mohan, a filmmaker, musician, activist, author, and beloved member of our PAAFF staff who tragically passed away after a cycling accident. Vijay believed deeply that it is possible to build a better community through the arts, and his creative work touched countless lives in Philadelphia and beyond. In 2015, we established this award to honor the film or filmmaker who best embodies Vijay’s passion for transformative change through media. PAAFF.ORG
00:81
00:82
PAAFF.ORG
Thank Yous!
PAAFF.ORG
00:83
The Academy of Natural Sciences at Drexel University Molly Gross Ryan Greenberg
Asian Arts Initiative Sonia Mak Dave Kyu Matt Nelson
Asian CineVision
FRIEDAcommunity David Wong
Philly Asian & Queer
Thomas Steinborn
Rex Yin
Maestro Filmworks
Scribe Video Center
Lexi Morrison Kris Mendoza
Mango Tree Counseling & Consulting Dr. Noel Ramirez
Kiera Abdur-Rahman
South Asian Americans for Change Dr. Keerthi Channarasappa Dr. Sonalee Joshi
Kayla Wong
Moore College of Art & Design
The Barnes Foundation
Deanna Emmons
Ciara Sullivan James Claiborne
Pacific Island Film Festival
Bitchitra Collective
PhillyCAM
PAAFF Board of Directors
Zainab Sultan
Laura Deutch
Kris Mendoza
BlackStar Projects
Philadelphia Film Society
Nehad Khader
Trey Shields
Tshay Williams
Stacey Young
Jasmine Hawkins
Sydney Rodriguez
Tina Ngo
Bryn Mawr Film Institute
Philadelphia Latino Arts & Film Festival
Jacob Mazer Sankeerthna Vedamtam
CinéSPEAK Sarah Mueller
Marangeli MejiaRabell
PAAFF.ORG
Atif Sheikh Aisha Khan Umika Pathak
Stephanie Sun Rahul Barua Jes Vu Harvey Floyd Alex Chester-Iwata
PAAFF Advisory Board Nu Duong Ray Tran Narumi Inatsugu
Kirsten Senske
Christina DeHaven
The Philadelphia Museum of Art
Art Gimenez
Shivon Love
00:84
Twelve Gates Arts
Eric Tuy
Jefferson is proud to champion community health and connection. Together with the Philadelphia Asian American Film Foundation, we’re celebrating stories that inspire, uplift, and enrich our neighborhoods.
Jefferson.edu I JeffersonHealth.org I JeffersonHealthPlans.com PAAFF.ORG
00:85
WE ARE THE PLURIBUS WE ARE THE UNUM
&
OUT OF MANY, WE BECAME ONE .
Nydia Han is a Korean American journalist and familiar face on Philadelphia news. She tells the stories that shape who we are.
Learn more at visitphilly.com/indivisible
00:86
PAAFF.ORG