Directed by Tiffany Hsiung The Apology follows the personal journeys of three former “comfort women” who were among the 200,000 girls and young women kidnapped and forced into military sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. After decades of living in silence and shame about their past, they know that time …
In partnership with University of Pennsylvania Asian American Studies Program and Greater Philadelphia Asian Studies Consortium, we present the second annual PAAFF Conference. This year’s one-day conference features a series of two individual presentations and three panels that revolve around the central theme of Art as Activism. Bringing together filmmakers, academics, and other creatives – …
This collection of FREE shorts explore the myriad experiences of Japanese Americans who lived through the incarceration of WWII and the impact of intergenerational trauma. Filmmakers expected in attendance. The Orange Story Director: Jason Matsumoto | 17 mins | USA The proud owner of a small corner grocery store must abandon everything and report to …
Mutang is a stay-at-home dad in the suburbs of Montreal, but in Malaysia he was an indigenous activist who voiced resistance for the peoples of Sarawak. When he returns home for the first time since his exile in 1992, Mutang’s remote forest village is not as he remembers it. Contrary to the will of their …
This compelling documentary narrated in part by George Takei brings history into the present, retelling the difficult story of Japanese American incarceration and following contemporary activists as they speak out against the Muslim registry and travel ban. And Then They Came for Us is a cautionary and inspiring tale for these dark times. Film preceded …
Directed by Ann Marie Fleming Rosie Ming, a young Canadian poet of mixed Chinese and Persian ancestry, is invited to perform at a poetry festival in Shiraz, Iran. Once in Iran Rosie finds herself confronting memories of her past, the Iranian father she assumed had abandoned her, and the nature of poetry itself. An unwitting …
This series of FREE shorts explores variations on the theme of metamorphosis: transitions between life and dead, emotional growth, and physical transformation. Filmmakers are expected to be in attendance. Mwah Director: Sara Soheili | 12 mins | Iran While five pregnant women sit in their doctor’s waiting room, their unborn babies carry on conversations about …
Directed by Vivienne Schiffer RELOCATION ARKANSAS explores the effect of the Japanese American incarceration experience in Arkansas during WWII on the generation that was born after the camps closed, the unlikely tale of those Japanese Americans who remained behind, and the even more unlikely tale of how a small-town Arkansas mayor of Italian descent became …
This program of FREE shorts revolve around the Asian American family. Subjects include elder wisdom and conflicting values between generations. Filmmakers expected in attendance. Home is Where the Sunsets Director: Kayla Tong | 8 mins | USA Alison’s life in LA turns upside down when her family comes to visit from Hong Kong for the …
Directed by Jennifer Reeder An emotionally repressed Pakistani American woman named Zaynab lives with her recently widowed mother Parveen, a devout Muslim who spends her days watching TV dramas and trying to find her daughter a husband. Zaynab begins a lesbian romance with free-spirited Mexican American Alma, and confrontation with her mother seems inevitable. Zaynab …
Directed by Justin Lin Ben (Parry Shen) is a perfectionist and overachiever whose tunnel vision leads to nothing less than graduating at the top of his class. As he struggles to achieve social success, he discovers his darker side. He and his friends Virgil (Jason Tobin), Daric (Roger Fan), and Han (Sung Kang) lead a …
Directed by Ric Burns, Li-Shin Yu Co-produced by Center for Asian American Media, this film underscores important connections between the Chinese Exclusion Act and the history of US immigration. By examining the socio-economic and geo-political forces that led to the Act, the film uncovers its unmistakable and wide-ranging consequences on national attitudes towards race, culture, …
A remote archipelago of hundreds of tiny volcanic islands in the western Pacific, the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) is an independent nation of 100,000 citizens and a protectorate of the United States. In recent years, the country has become a “recruiter’s paradise” for the US military, especially since 9/11. Yet they have lost fives …
PAAFF is excited to present a selection of home movies collected in the San Francisco Bay Area spanning 1920s-1970s and featuring Chinese American families. Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) Executive Director Stephen Gong will narrate this program, which will also include live musical accompaniment by Chinese multi-instrumentalist Qin Qian and her band. If memories …
Directed by James Q. Chan Forever Chinatown is the story of self-taught 81-year-old artist Frank Wong, who spent the past four decades recreating fading memories of the San Francisco Chinatown of his youth by building extraordinarily detailed miniature models. A meditation on memory, community, and preserving one’s own legacy, Frank’s three-dimensional miniature dioramas become rare …
Directed by Ludwig Berger, Michael Powell, Tim Whelan & Alexander Korda One of the most spectacular fantasies ever made, this color film pioneer was at the forefront of cinematic technique when released. Inspired by The Arabian Nights and cited as a major influence on Disney’s Aladdin, Sabu Dastagir co-stars as Abu the thief in this …
Directed by Nadine Truong depressed foster youth named Ben is bullied and consequently gets into a car accident. His recovery process is slow until he meets Adrienne, a fellow wheelchair-bound patient at the hospital. Adrienne breathes hope into his life and introduces to him her grandfather, Taekwondo Master Kang. Master Kang not only teaches Ben …
Directed by Robin Lung Documentary filmmaker Robin Lung investigates Li Ling-Ai, the uncredited female producer of KUKAN, a landmark color film about the atrocities committed by Imperial Japan in China. Lost for decades, KUKAN helped shift public support against Japan in the lead up to WWII and was the first American feature documentary to receive …
Live Performance AAFF is excited to present for the first time a staged reading of a new original play by Steven de Castro (Fred Ho’s Last Year). The play is based on the true story of Corporal David Fagen, an African American soldier serving in the 24th regiment of the US Army in the Philippines-American …
Directed by Jonathan Cianfrani Fermentation is an ancient and mysterious food preservation technique whose story can be traced back to the origins of our species. How did this practice give rise to what the culinary world calls “the hottest food trend across the globe?” Join chef/author Ed Lee on a journey to understand how the …
