Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival

Latest Past Events

Out of State

Asian Arts Initiative 1219 Vine St, Philadelphia

Directed by Ciara Lacy Exiled to a private prison deep in the Arizona desert, native Hawaiian inmates discover culture and community behind bars. In 2007, the state of Hawaii outsourced the care of roughly two thousand of its male prisoners to a private, for-profit prison on the continental US. Now deep in the desert of Arizona, exiled thousands of miles across the ocean from their island home, a group of indigenous Hawaiian inmates have discovered their calling on the inside: teaching each other their native language and dances while behind bars. The film follows several of the men as they complete their sentences and reintegrate back home in Hawaii. Out of State explores complex questions of cultural and religious identity; the disproportionate incarceration rates of native Hawaiians and other ethnic minorities in the prison system; the cycle of criminal behavior and its impact on the family; and prisoner entitlement. Tickets Festival Pass

Free

Resistance at Tule Lake

Asian Arts Initiative 1219 Vine St, Philadelphia

Directed by Konrad Aderer The dominant narrative of the World War II incarceration of Japanese Americans has been that they behaved like a “model minority,” cooperated without protest, and proved their patriotism by enlisting in the Army. Resistance at Tule Lake, a new feature-length documentary from Third World Newsreel (Camera News Inc.) and directed by Japanese American filmmaker Konrad Aderer, overturns that myth by telling the long-suppressed story of Tule Lake Segregation Center. A compelling documentary that exposes the worst of the US government’s violations of civil liberties during WWII and the organized resistance by Japanese Americans behind bars. Director Konrad Aderer expected in attendance for post-film discussion with Tule Lake camp survivor Ed Kobayashi. Tickets Festival Pass

$10

Deported

Asian Arts Initiative 1219 Vine St, Philadelphia

Directed by Sahra V. Nguyen Deported follows Philadelphia-based advocacy group 1Love Movement and its sister organization 1Love Cambodia over the course of five months as they head to Phnom Penh to meet with representatives of the Cambodian government. The goal: to halt deportations and renegotiate the 2002 repatriation agreement that allows the US to deport refugees back to Cambodia. Told over the course of five chapters, this film follows the cases of several deported refugees, documenting the impact that separation has had on their lives and their families. Shedding light on the plight of Cambodian refugees caught in the school-to-prison-to-deportation pipeline, this insightful documentary underscores the historical imbalance of US-Cambodia relations. Co-presented by 1Love Movement, who will be present for a post-film discussion with director Sahra V. Nguyen. Tickets Festival Pass

$10