Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival

PAAFF 2021 – Crouching Tiger, Hidden Memories – Live Performance

Asian Arts Initiative 1219 Vine St, Philadelphia, PA, United States

Come join us in-person for an interactive screening of Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. As a part of PAPA’s mini-residency, Chantal Vorobei Thieves’ ongoing project, Memory, Vein: The Collected Tapes—where personal memories are shared in connection to specific scenes from various films—invites members of the audience to narrate their own personal memories over the action! Chantal Vorobei Thieves is a multimedia artist who creates to both understand what is to be and stay alive. This limited-capacity in-person performance will be held at Asian Arts Initiative on Friday, November 12 at 4 PM EST. Register here! Check out the rest of the PAAFF 2021 lineup here!

PAAFF 2021 – Asian American Beats To Jam To – Live Concert

Asian Arts Initiative 1219 Vine St, Philadelphia, PA, United States

PAAFF’s Asian Music Showcase is back and in-person at Asian American Arts Initiative! This year’s showcase features an entirely local artist lineup and a variety of music genres: Filipino singer-songwriter and producer Joshua Bation; Marina Murayama, blending synthesized electronic textures and lush orchestral soundscapes; Filipino-American artist and producer Lucas Geniza, aka Lukey; and electronic music artist REGOTHERESHEGO. This limited-capacity in-person performance will be held at Asian Arts Initiative on Friday, November 12 at 8 PM EST. Buy your tickets here!   Performers: Joshua Bation is a Filipino singer-songwriter and producer raised in Philadelphia. Blending both pop & RnB, Joshua’s heart is singing - laying his smooth vocals on songs such as ‘Fall In’, ‘Otherside’ & ‘All Night’. Artist Page Marina Murayama's musical writing explores themes of mixedness, decolonization, and accountability. Although Marina has roots in the classical tradition, their current music weaves together synthesized electronic textures and lush orchestral soundscapes. Outside of composing and performing, Marina teaches high school music with the School District of Philadelphia. Artist Page Lukey is the stage name of Filipino American artist and producer Lucas Geniza. The Philadelphia-based musician is recognized as a true multifaceted talent, gifting listeners with rich production, poetic lyricism, and timeless melodies. Since his debut in 2016, the artist has continued to add to a decorated resume that includes over 2.3 million global streams and placements on Spotify’s coveted playlists Soultronic, Fresh Finds, Fresh Finds: Indie, and Fresh Finds: Pop. Artist Page REGOTHERESHEGO a groundbreaking artist with dynamic sound, is making waves in Philadelphia and to audiences across the world. REGO continues to elevate each visual and sonic standard she sets with every new release. She stamps the integrity and depth of her artistry with the latest “Beg for It” music video. Her second solo EP titled “Interlude,” adds to the depth of her catalogue and continues to inspire audiences through her raw and passionately electric music. Artist Page   Check out the rest of the PAAFF 2021 lineup here!

$20

PAAFF 2021 – Centerpiece Narrative Q&A: Waikiki

Online/Virtual

Center Narrative: Waikiki In this cinematic allegory of love and loss, a hula dancer fights for survival and her sanity in the shadows of Waikiki. This feature-length narrative offers an unflinching glimpse into paradise where there remains hope through human connection and reconnection to ʻaina (nature). Directed by Christopher Kahunahana Produced by Connie M. Florez and Nicole Naone Written by Christopher Kahunahana Waikiki will be available to rent for a limited period: November 10 - 14.  A live filmmaker Q&A will be live-streamed on Saturday, November 13 at 8 PM EST. Rent Waikiki here! Check out the rest of the PAAFF 2021 lineup here!

PAAFF 2021 – Closing Night Film: A Sexplanation

Asian Arts Initiative 1219 Vine St, Philadelphia, PA, United States

PAAFF 2021 comes to an end with a limited-capacity in-person screening of our Closing Night film A Sexplanation ! Like with many American youth in the 90s, Alex was taught that sex before marriage was wrong. Because he knew he was gay, these tactics worked to suppress his sexuality.Now in his 30s and out of the closet, Alex has turned fear and loathing into something positive and humorous. With humor and grit, Alex takes audiences on a playful, heartfelt journey from a shame-filled past to a happier, healthier future. Directed by Alex Liu Produced by Steven Flynn, Alex Liu and Leonardo Neri Written by Alex Liu and Leonardo Neri A Sexplanation will have an in-person screening at Asian Arts Initiative and will also be available for a 24 hour rental starting on 11/14 at 7PM. There will be a LIVE Q&A with the filmmakers of A Sexplanation and the filmmakers of the pre-screener short film “Tho” after the in-person screening, followed by a small reception at Asian Arts Initiative. Buy your tickets here! Check out the rest of the PAAFF 2021 lineup here!

$10 – $15

The Fabulous Filipino Tour: Film Screening with Dante Basco and Family

Asian Arts Initiative 1219 Vine St, Philadelphia, PA, United States

PAAFF invites you to a celebration of love, culture, and family with an exclusive community screening of The Fabulous Filipino Brothers! Dante Basco and Darion Basco will be in attendance for a filmmaker Q&A as well as a post-screening meet & greet. The screening will be held in-person at the blackbox theater at Asian Arts Initiative. Tickets/seats are limited. More COVID-19 protocols are listed on the ticket page below. Purchase Tickets Here. The Fabulous Filipino Brothers follows four zany brothers, as their Filipino American family prepares for the ultimate Filipino event, a wedding. A blue-collar family, they share the same house save one, the Golden Child. The Eldest Brother must secure his pride and position in the family by paying for the wedding, this leads him to revisiting his old life as a hustler to make ends meet. The Golden Child is stuck in The Philippines the day before the wedding and meets a lover from the past. The Youngest and most single connects with a new love... who may be his cousin, while The Middle Brother breaks out of a deep depression following the loss of a child using a dating app for the first time. See the trailer. Please do not attend the event if you have been exposed to COVID-19, diagnosed with COVID-19, or are displaying symptoms of COVID-19, such as fever, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, or new loss of taste or smell… Doors Open - 6:30PM Screening Starts - 7:00PM  

$25 – $40

PAAFF Film Club – Shirkers

Online/Virtual

Join us for our first Film Club meeting of 2022! We’ll be starting out with a discussion on Sandi Tan’s 2018 documentary Shirkers. A recent revelation in the genre of movies about movies, Shirkers tells the decades-spanning story of a group of friends attempting to make an independent feature with help from a mysterious stranger. Our March PAAFF Film Club meeting is scheduled for March 20 at 1PM ET. Shirkers is available through Netflix subscription. Make sure you join the PAAFF Film Club Discord server if you’re interested in continuing the conversation outside of our monthly meetings! Sign up for our Film Club newsletter below! *Please make sure to check the "PAAFF Film Club" box when signing up!

Inventing Ourselves: Women’s Stories of Self-Discovery

Càphê Roasters 3400 J Street, G1, Philadelphia, PA

A film screening presented by Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival and Philly Solidarity in celebration of Women's History Month Due to COVID-19, only water is allowed during the event. Food and drink will not be served. ‼️ COVID-19 Protocols ‼️ 🔖 Proof of COVID-19 vaccination with photo ID is required. 💉 At least 3 doses of COVID-19 vaccine required. Last vaccine dose must be administered 2 weeks PRIOR to event. 😷 Attendees are required to wear a medical-grade mask (KN95 and N95 preferred) at all times. Surgical masks must be doubled. 🙊 Masks must be worn over mouth and nose at all times. Please do not remove your mask for photos. In observance of Women's History Month, Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival is partnering with Philly Solidarity to screen a short-film program followed by a community discussion. This collection of short films explores some of the ways in which Asian women are impacted by beauty standards, cultural roles, or societal constructs. From navigating the perceived conflict between Chinese identity and basketball to the dissonant experiences of living as a trans woman in South Korea— these stories show the complexities of self-defined womanhood. Through this film program, PAAFF and Philly Solidarity intend to create an open space where the experiences of Asian women, including trans, non-binary, gender non-conforming people, are validated, embraced, and can be bravely discussed within our community. We will also be hosting a raffle featuring products from local Asian women-owned and -operated businesses: Càphê Roasters, Sabbatical Beauty, and Tita Emmie’s. Raffle tickets and other products are included in the ticket price. We will also be hosting a raffle featuring products from local Asian women-owned and -operated businesses. Raffle prizes include: Sabbatical Beauty’s Camelia Gold Beauty Oil, Tita Emmie’s Kaya Natin Ito Pin, Philly Solidarity Tee, and PAAFF Tee. Raffle tickets and other products are included in the ticket price. The event is open to all including those who may not identify as Asian women, but the discussion will be facilitated to center Asian women (trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming inclusive) experiences. Due to film security reasons, we are not able to provide online access to this event. However, some of the films in the program are available to view online. Details below. Join us for a discussion on the following films: Unfair & Lovely (2018) | Director: Anita Kalathara In India, products like Fair and Lovely are sold to lighten skin. Fairer-skinned women are more likely to obtain high-profile jobs and social status, while darker-skinned women are shamed. This short exposes this dated bias that runs rampant in numerous cultures. This short is available to view on YouTube. God’s Daughter Dances (2021) Director: Sungbin Byun A transgender female dancer, Shin-mi, gets a call from the Military Manpower Administration, to attend the Military Service Examination. Americanized (2021) | Director: Erica Eng Growing up in Oakland’s hip-hop culture, Eng struggles with her Chinese American identity. To her high school basketball team, she’s just that girl who sits on the bench; but to the Asian kids she’s "Americanized."

$25 – $50

PAAFF Film Club – Devdas

Online/Virtual

For April’s Film Club we will be traveling back in time to 1935 and discussing a classic of Indian cinema: Pramathesh Barua’s Devdas. One of several adaptations of Sarat Chatterjee’s novel, originally published in 1917, Devdas tells the story of two lovers kept apart by class. Considered highly influential in its time, it is particularly remembered for its critique of India’s feudalistic society and caste system. Our April PAAFF Film Club meeting is scheduled for April 10 at 1PM ET. Devdas (1935) is available on Prime Video through Eros Now subscription. Make sure you join the PAAFF Film Club Discord server if you’re interested in continuing the conversation outside of our monthly meetings! Sign up for our Film Club newsletter below! *Please make sure to check the "PAAFF Film Club" box when signing up!

PAAFF Film Club – Vai

Online/Virtual

A collaboration between directors Becs Aharanga, Amberley Jo Aumua, Matasila Freshwater, Dianna Fuemana, and Miria George, Vai is a portmanteau feature made by women about one woman seen through different but united cultural lenses, and filmed on seven Pacific Islands. Join us for May’s PAAFF Film Club as we talk about it! Our May Film Club meeting will be on May 15 at 1PM ET. Vai is available for free on Tubi and Prime Video. Make sure you join the PAAFF Film Club Discord server if you’re interested in continuing the conversation outside of our monthly meetings! Sign up for our Film Club newsletter below! *Please make sure to check the "PAAFF Film Club" box when signing up!

PAAFF Film Club – Spa Night

Online/Virtual

June means Pride! Andrew Ahn’s 2016 feature Spa Night explores the intersection of LA’s Korean-American and LGBTQ communities, through the eyes of one young man who straddles both worlds. Join us as we discuss the film’s place in both Asian American and queer cinema, and much more! Our June PAAFF Film Club meeting is scheduled for June 12 at 1PM ET. Spa Night is available to rent on iTunes and Vudu Make sure you join the PAAFF Film Club Discord server if you’re interested in continuing the conversation outside of our monthly meetings! Sign up for our Film Club newsletter below! *Please make sure to check the "PAAFF Film Club" box when signing up!

PAAFF Film Club – Persepolis

Online/Virtual

July’s PAAFF Film Club will be centered around our first animated feature: Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis. A 2007 adaptation of her graphic novel of the same name, Persepolis is an inventive expressionist coming-of-age story about one girl’s journey into womanhood during and following the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Our July PAAFF Film Club meeting will be on July 10 at 1PM ET. Persepolis is available for rent on Vudu and iTunes. Make sure you join the PAAFF Film Club Discord server if you’re interested in continuing the conversation outside of our monthly meetings! Sign up for our Film Club newsletter below! *Please make sure to check the "PAAFF Film Club" box when signing up!

PAAFF Film Club – House

Online/Virtual

We’re finishing up this year’s PAAFF Film Club with something a little different: Nobuhiko Obayashi’s cult horror classic Hausu (1977). Known for its wild visuals and campy tone, Hausu/House is an iconic haunted house story about seven schoolgirls contending with violent supernatural forces in a country home. A precursor to later J-horror, a surprising influence on contemporary experimental film, or just a singularly bizarre B-movie? Let’s talk about it! Our August PAAFF Film Club meeting is scheduled for August 7 at 1PM ET. Hausu/House is available through HBO Max subscription and for rent on Vudu. Make sure you join the PAAFF Film Club Discord server if you’re interested in continuing the conversation outside of our monthly meetings! Sign up for our Film Club newsletter below! *Please make sure to check the "PAAFF Film Club" box when signing up!

Contemporary Video Art Exhibition

12 Gates Art Gallery 106 N 2nd St, Philadelphia, PA, United States

Twelve Gates Arts and PAAFF invite you to attend The 4th Annual Contemporary Video Art Exhibition on August 28th, 2022. The Experimental Video Art Exhibition is a platform for South Asian (SA), Southwest Asian, and North African (SWANA) experimental video artists whose work stretches beyond the unconventional. This year’s exhibition centers on three themes: Censorship and Empire; Queer Poetics as Audio/Visual Lexicon; and Migration/Displacement as a Consequence of Colonialism. Our jury has carefully selected 12 works from hundreds of noteworthy submissions. The exhibiting artists span the SWANA & SA regions and diasporas, including Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, India, Iran, Morocco, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Canada, and the US. Register for this pay-what-you-can event here. Credit: Image by Sarah Trad

PAAFF Preview Party 2022

The Rail Park North & Noble Streets, Philadelphia, PA

Do you want to be one of the first people to catch a sneak peek of our 2022 Film Festival? Join us on Thursday October 6 (rain date Oct 7) at the Rail Park for our Preview Party! Come mingle with fellow film lovers, nibble on some snacks, and sit back as we unveil the imaginative, absorbing, provocative, and just plain fun lineup of features, documentaries, and shorts programs we have in store for you! This event is a preview party to celebrate the unveiling of the lineup, and is not a screening of feature length films. Attendees will enjoy discounts on festival tickets if they purchase on the night-of the preview party! This party is totally FREE TO ATTEND! We ask for pre-registration so that we have an idea of how many people may be attending (: Know Before You Go: The Rail Park has one ADA-accessible entrance on Noble Street. You can enter the Rail Park by ramp East of Broad on Noble Street, or by stairs on Callowhill Street between 11th and 12th St. The Callowhill entrance requires using stairs. The Rail Park is completely outdoors with the tree cover only. We recommend dressing appropriately for the weather, with comfortable and protective clothing. There are no restrooms at the Rail Park. Masking is strongly encouraged within six feet of other people. We will have protective face masks and hand sanitizer available at the park. There will be amplified sound during screening. Individuals with auditory sensitivity should come prepared with earplugs. The staff and volunteers at this event will be speaking English. Pre-register for the PAAFF Preview Party 2022 here!

PAAFF Film Club – Leonor Will Never Die

Online/Virtual

Join us for our first Film Club meeting of 2023! We’ll be starting out with a discussion on Martika Ramirez Escobar’s debut feature Leonor Will Never Die. Once again, we are starting out our season with a movie about movies–specifically, the way they shape and are shaped by our unconscious minds. Escobar’s madcap action dramedy tells the story of a struggling former filmmaker in the Philippines who ends up in a coma which transports her into her own unfinished screenplay. The result is a melding of many genres, an exploration of an artist’s psyche, and a totally unique cinematic experience. Our March PAAFF Film Club meeting is scheduled for March 16 at 6PM ET. Leonor Will Never Die is available through Vudu, Google Play, and Amazon. Make sure you join the PAAFF Film Club Discord server if you’re interested in continuing the conversation outside of our monthly meetings! Sign up for our Film Club newsletter below! *Please make sure to check the "PAAFF Film Club" box when signing up!

PAAFF Film Club – Dersu Uzala

Online/Virtual

For April’s Film Club we will be looking at one of Akira Kurosawa’s lesser known films, Dersu Uzala. This Soviet-Japanese co-production, and Kurosawa’s only non-Japanese-language film, tells a moving story about cultural exchange, friendship, and loss, all taking place within the visually stunning wilderness of the Russian Far East. It is a film all about the unexpected but inevitable intersections of geography, untamed nature, and humanity. Our April PAAFF Film Club meeting is scheduled for April 20 at 6PM ET. Dersu Uzala is available to stream via Criterion Channel subscription, and to rent on Amazon. Make sure you join the PAAFF Film Club Discord server if you’re interested in continuing the conversation outside of our monthly meetings! Sign up for our Film Club newsletter below! *Please make sure to check the "PAAFF Film Club" box when signing up!

PAAFF Film Club – The Terrorizers

Online/Virtual

May’s Film Club will be a discussion on Edward Yang’s The Terrorizers. Considered a pivotal film in the era of New Taiwanese Cinema, The Terrorizers presents a startling look into urban life in the form of a tangled narrative web, complicated by changing perspectives and puzzling timelines. It is a story not only of Taipei in the 1980s, but of the modern city in general, what it does to people and the many ways they manage to exist within its confines. Our May PAAFF Film Club meeting is scheduled for May 18 at 6PM ET. The Terrorizers is available to stream via Mubi subscription, and to rent on Amazon. Make sure you join the PAAFF Film Club Discord server if you’re interested in continuing the conversation outside of our monthly meetings! Sign up for our Film Club newsletter below! *Please make sure to check the "PAAFF Film Club" box when signing up!

PAAFF Film Club – Lucky Grandma

Online/Virtual

June’s meeting will be focused on a film from PAAFF’s own history: Sasie Sealy’s Lucky Grandma. Tsai Chin stars as the titular character–a chain-smoking, gambling grandma in New York City’s Chinatown–in Sealy’s debut feature, a darkly funny crime story that subversively highlights the role of elders in an immigrant community. This discussion will coincide with The Free Library of Philadelphia’s “One Book, One Philadelphia” watchlist, also featuring Lucky Grandma. Our June PAAFF Film Club meeting is scheduled for June 15 at 6PM ET. Lucky Grandma is available to rent on Vudu, Google Play, and Amazon. Make sure you join the PAAFF Film Club Discord server if you’re interested in continuing the conversation outside of our monthly meetings! Sign up for our Film Club newsletter below! *Please make sure to check the "PAAFF Film Club" box when signing up!

PAAFF Preview Party 2023

The Rail Park North & Noble Streets, Philadelphia, PA

Do you want to be one of the first people to catch a sneak peek of our 2023 Film Festival? Then join us on Thursday October 5th (rain date Oct 6th) at the Rail Park for our Preview Party! Come mingle with fellow film lovers, nibble on some snacks, and sit back as we unveil the imaginative, absorbing, provocative, and just plain fun lineup of features, documentaries, and shorts programs we have in store for you! This event is a preview party to celebrate the unveiling of the lineup, and is not a screening of feature length films. Attendees will enjoy discounts on festival tickets if they purchase on the night-of the preview party! This party is totally FREE TO ATTEND! We ask for pre-registration so that we have an idea of how many people may be attending (: Know Before You Go: The Rail Park has one ADA-accessible entrance on Noble Street. You can enter the Rail Park by ramp East of Broad on Noble Street, or by stairs on Callowhill Street between 11th and 12th St. The Callowhill entrance requires using stairs. The Rail Park is completely outdoors with the tree cover only. We recommend dressing appropriately for the weather, with comfortable and protective clothing. There are no restrooms at the Rail Park. There will be amplified sound during screening. Individuals with auditory sensitivity should come prepared with earplugs. The staff and volunteers at this event will be speaking English. Pre-register for the PAAFF Preview Party 2023 here!

2024 Preview Party

Asian Arts Initiative 1219 Vine St, Philadelphia, PA, United States

2024 Preview Party October 17 @ 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm The Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival (PAAFF) Preview Party is a free public event that will provide a sneak peek of what to expect at our upcoming annual film festival, scheduled for November 7th - 17th. We will unveil this year’s theme, the festival trailer, and trailers of the feature films. Guests will get an overview of the programming, including non-film events such as panels, performances, and parties as well as VIP guests attending the festival. We have added a new element to our preview party this year. We will host a mini-marketplace to support and provide a platform for our local AAPI makers and businesses. We will also feature a local indie band, Moonroof. Co-presented by Baisun Candle Co.   View Organizer Website   « All Events