2017 Events

Directed by William Worthington Starring Japanese immigrant Sessue Hayakawa, this early Hollywood silent film is a fantasy romance about love and creative inspiration. Tatsu (Hayakawa) is a reclusive painter who lives in the mountains, painting images of the dragon princess he loved in another life. Tatsu comes to believe the daughter of a wealthy art collector is his lost princess, but as he finds happiness in love, his art begins to suffer. In his prime Hayakawa was as popular as Charlie Chaplin, as rich as Douglas Fairbanks, and to this day the only Asian American to own his own Hollywood studio. Although set in Japan, the film was shot on location in Yosemite National Park and stars a predominately Japanese American cast, including his wife Tsuru Aoki. Produced by Hayakawa’s own Haworth Pictures, THE DRAGON PAINTER deliberately provides an authentic perspective on Japanese culture that counters the dominant narrative of stereotypes, violence, and melodramatic conflict expected in so-called “Oriental” films of the period. For these reasons we consider it to be one of the first Asian American films in history. In honoring the legacy of this groundbreaking hundred-year-old film at our 10th anniversary festival, PAAFF has commissioned a new original score to be performed live by Japanese American singer/songwriter Goh Nakamura. Following a brief Q&A with Goh, attendees will enjoy our opening night reception featuring complimentary food and beverage. Credits writer: William Worthington Tickets Festival Pass

Forced to move back to his hometown of Windsor Canada, wannabe comedian Moses Kim finds his dreams derailed when his parents surprise him and his new wife with the deed to their family restaurant. Life gets more complicated when Moses’ teenage cousin from Korea unexpectedly shows up. Now Moses must navigate his failing restaurant, non-existent sex life, and fledgling comic career while playing chaperone to his overseas cousin. A nuanced comedy film about cross cultural differences of Asians and Asian Canadians, STAND UP MAN is the debut feature written and directed by Aram Collier, former Artistic Director of the Toronto Reel Asian Film Festival. Aram is expected in attendance for a post-film Q&A Preceded By Tiger Style! Before the screening of STAND UP MAN, Philadelphia Asian Performing Artists (PAPA) present an excerpt from TIGER STYLE! – a play by Mike Lew. Tickets Festival Pass

This series of FREE shorts offers a glimpse at a few of the many pathways to becoming an American in both a legal sense and identity. Subjects include Syrian refugees, undocumented college students, and first-generation identity crisis. Filmmakers expected to be in attendance. Go to Where the Light Is Director: Josh Oldham | 7 mins | USA Each year, approximately 13,000 North Koreans risk their lives in a desperate attempt to flee the country. This is the story of one survivor, Yeonmi Park, and her escape from North Korea. Just One Story Director: Melissa Taylor, Seng Rimpakone | 17 mins | USA As refugees from Laos, the Rimpakones spent only one year in Portland, Indiana, but that year shaped their futures. That year they became Americans. It Is What It Is Director: Cyrus Tabar | 8 mins | USA Cyrus, a first-generation American of mixed Japanese heritage tries to understand why his father kept him away from his Iranian grandparents. Turning to home movies and photos, he sets in motion a journey into the dark and nebulous corners of his family history. Searching Skies Director: Vivian Hua | 9 mins | USA When a Syrian refugee family is invited to a Christian family’s house for Christmas dinner, they are caught between opposing viewpoints for and against them. Godspeed Director: Chiahao Chou | 6 mins | USA An ambitious delivery boy decides to pursue his dreams at the expense of his financially struggling father. Lobbying to Learn Director: Matthew Hashiguchi | 8 mins | USA In Georgia, undocumented immigrants lobby the state legislature for the right to attend college. Festival Pass

This collection of FREE shorts tells the varied stories of Southeast Asian Americans whose identities stem from their refugee status and one film about the current Karenni refugee crisis in Thailand. Filmmakers are expected to be in attendance. Float Director: Tristan Seniuk, Tristan Seniuk | 24 mins | USA Set in mid 1990s Seattle, Cambodian-American hustler Rocky Mang spends his days cruising the streets slanging cheap goods on the corner as he struggles to help his family make ends meet. His days are a hazy wash of grinding and hustling, only broken by his persistent attempts to convince a local barista named Jenni-Mo Day to go on a date. Worth Director: Vokee Lee | 15 mins | USA Based on a true story from 1982, a teenage Hmong refugee boy named Pao struggles to adopt the American lifestyle as he faces racism and bullying in high school. Kim: #justB courageous Director: Philippa Wharton | 3 mins | USA Kim’s story is a loving tribute to her father, who died of liver cancer caused by hepatitis B. She wonders whether the stigma about hepatitis B in the Vietnamese community prevented him from telling the family and seeking medical care earlier and suggests that access to culturally and linguistically appropriate resources could have prevented his death. Like We Don’t Exist Director: Ansley Sawyer, Corey Embring | 30 mins | Myanmar, Thailand, USA A short documentary about the ongoing ethnic violence and mass displacement of a minority called the Karenni between Thailand and Myanmar (formerly Burma). After 70 years of civil war – the Karenni face an uncertain future today as a refugee community surviving along the Thailand-Myanmar border. Tickets Festival Pass

Directed by Byron Yee Growing up, Jacob used to spend every Saturday night camping in the desert with his disgraced astronomer father, waiting for the extra-terrestrials to arrive. Now an adult, Jacob continues this tradition alone while his ailing father is in the hospital on his deathbed. One night, a Mexican coyote, Maria, walks into his campsite leading a group of border crossers through the desert. As an unlikely relationship develops, Jacob must choose between his pursuit of the aliens above or the illegal alien that just walked into his life. An engaging and relatable drama that touches upon elements of family obligation and faith in the unknown. Filmmaker Byron Yee expected in attendance for post-film Q&A. Tickets Festival Pass

Back by popular demand for the fifth year running, this year’s FREE program of Sci-Fi, Horror, and Action Genre shorts is a non-stop thrill ride. Subjects include female assassins, mythical monsters, and dark animations. Filmmakers are expected to be in attendance. Model Minority Director: Sean Dacanay | 2 mins | USA In response to the cry for more diverse superheroes, Marvel presents… MODEL MINORITY! Aswang Next Door Director: Bernard Badion | 5 mins | USA A man who thinks he’s a Filipino monster that eats fetuses informs his pregnant neighbor. The Pipes Director: Alexander J. Koo | 15 mins | USA A man moves into the home he inherited from a deceased relative, but strange happenings and unsettling encounters with his neighbor make him believe something evil lurks within its walls. Evocation of a Nightmare Director: Wally Chung | 2 mins | USA Entering what seems to be a deserted building, a man explores and finds an unwanted guest. Cowboy and Indian Director: Sujata Day | 8 mins | USA When a young Bengali bride collapses in the desert, a cowboy appears out of the sunset and rescues her. Glorious Victory Director: Will Kim | 2 mins | USA Glorious Victory is a watercolor animated short about two beetles intensely fighting over a fig fruit. The Anniversary Director: Art Chudabala | 10 mins | USA On the night of his wedding anniversary, a tormented widower seeks revenge by kidnapping his wife’s killer… but does he have the right man? Baumu Director: Shao-Chun Chung | 10 mins | Taiwan A female killer takes a contract to assassinate a drug addict. Finding members of his family she faces a moral dilemma. Tickets Festival Pass

In this mixed media theater performance, Emmy-winning musician Mark Izu accompanies his wife and “America’s foremost Asian storyteller” Brenda Wong Aoki to share touching and personal family histories with universal and contemporary appeal. The two acclaimed artists weave memories recorded in a recently discovered family diary with further flourish, story and song tracking over 100 years of history in the American West. From the Transcontinental Railroad, to WWII’s Japanese American internment camps and 442nd Infantry Regiment, to San Francisco hippies and through today. Joined by koto master Shoko Hikage, the performance offer a poignant glimpse of our shared history and demands it not be repeated. This performance will be a 20-minute excerpt out of the larger play, followed by an interactive discussion activity. Buy Tickets Festival Pass