Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival

Live Performance The DJZ

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

12-5pm | Asian Arts Initiative Lead Artists: Aizhanneya Carter and Claris Park Welcome to the Department of Judgement Zoning. We invite you to navigate the bizarrely familiar world of The Department of Judgement Zoning where identity rules and bureaucracy is not as mundane as it seems… Efficiency is valued at the DJZ, so please make …

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Documentary Program—Revolution Selfie: The Red Battalion

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

East Coast Premiere Director: Steven de Castro 120 mins | Documentary | Philippines | English Revolution Selfie expands the horizons of documentary storytelling while broadening our understanding about the lesser-known fronts in the global “War on Terror.” Filmmaker Steven De Castro paints a portrait of the 48-year-old Maoist guerilla army in the Philippine hinterlands. But …

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Ritoma

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

Get Tickets Things are changing on the Tibetan Plateau. With diminishing grasslands, falling livestock prices, smaller families, and a rise in the number of children going to school, the nomads are finding it increasingly hard to continue their traditional way of life. Many are leaving the grasslands, struggling at this time of transition to keep …

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Shorts Program—Iran Hyphenated: Short Films of the Iranian Diaspora

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

Curators: Sara Zia Ebrahimi & Lila Yomtoob Asian Arts Initiative | 64 mins Having a hyphenated identity is more than just being between worlds and fixed identities. It includes the active process of forging a new cultural space—a cultural remix. It is often the work of the first generation after a significant migration to begin …

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Documentary Program: Leitis in Waiting

East Coast Premiere Director: Dean Hamer, Joe Wilson, and Kumu Hina Wong-Kalu 70 mins | Documentary | Tonga | English Leitis in Waiting is the story of Joey Mataele and the Tonga Leitis, an intrepid group of native transgender women fighting a rising tide of religious fundamentalism and intolerance in their South Pacific Kingdom. The …

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Documentary Program: Yassa Daruman

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

US premiere Director: Kenichi Omori 91 mins | Documentary | Japan | Japanese As part of the celebrations to commemorate the 450th anniversary of Mihara Castle’s construction, the youth from the Yassa Daruman neighborhood have undertaken a glorious project: to spread the popularity of Yassa Daruman, Mihara City’s official mascot, around the country. Inspired by …

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Narrative Program: Flower Drum Song

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

Director: Henry Koster 133 min | Musical, Comedy, Romance | USA | English In this adaptation of the 1958 Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway musical, Chinese immigrant Mei Li (Miyoshi Umeki) is betrothed to nightclub boss Sammy Fong (Jack Soo), but he wants to marry showgirl Linda Low (Nancy Kwan). To get out of the arrangement, …

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Shorts Program: Intergenerational & Overseas Perspectives on Queer Idenitity

Asian Arts Initiative | 81 mins This program of six narrative shorts explores a variety of perspectives on queer-ness, coming out, and embracing one’s identity both overseas and amongst the Asian immigrant generation in the US. Filmmakers expected in attendance for post-film Q&A. Hoài (Ongoing/Memory) Director: Quyen Nguyen Le | 11 mins | USA A …

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Documentary Program: In Search of a Nation

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

Director: Prakash Angdembe 105 mins | Documentary | Bhutan, India, Nepal  | Nepali Desh Khojdai Janda’s film documents the more than 120,000 forgotten Nepali-speaking Bhutanese citizens from Bhutan who spent two decades in refugee camps (some of whom are still living there) in Jhapa and Morang, Nepal. Their years of repatriation struggle to their homeland …

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Documentary Program: Origin Story

East Coast Premiere Director: Kulap Vilaysack 106 mins | Documentary | Laos | English, Lao In her directorial debut, actor/writer/podcaster Kulap Vilaysack explores her tangled family tree to find out who she is. When Vilaysack was 14, she took her father’s side in an argument and her mother replied, “Why are you defending him? He’s …

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Documentary Program: Corridor Four

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

Director: Stephen Tringali 81 mins | Documentary | USA | English Get Tickets The image of the American hero is challenged in this heartfelt portrait of 9/11 Pentagon first-responder Isaac Ho’opi’i. A nationally recognized K9 Unit Officer, Isaac Ho’opi’i was responsible for saving numerous people from the Pentagon during the terrorist attacks on September 11, …

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Closing Night Documentary—An American Story: Norman Mineta & His Legacy

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

Philadelphia Premiere Director: Dianne Fukami 60 mins | Documentary | USA | English Get Tickets A son of immigrants forced into a U.S. World War II concentration camp as a child, Norman Mineta became the first Asian American mayor of a major city (San Jose, California); enjoyed a distinguished 20-year career in Congress; was the …

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Dine-In Theater featuring Go Grandriders, Bao-logy, and Hardena

Online/Virtual

You are cordially invited to PAAFF Dine-In Theater, our newest virtual fundraiser. Join us for dinner and a movie, PAAFF style! We’ve paired the ultimate all ages, feel-good documentary with your choice of Dinner for 2 from two of Philadelphia’s acclaimed Asian-owned restaurants. Choose a curated meal from either bāo•logy or Hardena/Waroeng Surabaya. Bao-logy showcases …

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PAAFF 2020 Preview Party

Online/Virtual

This year PAAFF will be livestreaming our Preview Party, and you’re invited! So kick off your shoes, slip into your sweats, pour yourself a glass of something special, and tune into our Facebook, Youtube, or Twitch channels on Thursday October 8, at 6:30PM ET for an exclusive sneak peek at our festival lineup. If you’re …

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PAAFF Queer Brunch… but online!

Online/Virtual

PAAFF is hosting this brunch with our Queer Asian family: Queer Asian Social Club, Philly Asian and Queer, hotpot! Philly, and Philadelphia Asian Performing Artists Continuing our new tradition of Queer Brunch-ing during our festival, we are inviting everyone in our queer-identifying, Asian diasporic, film-loving community to join us in this virtual space to connect …

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PAAFF Film Club – Chan is Missing

Online/Virtual

Join us for the inaugural meeting of our new PAAFF Film Club. We'll be discussing Wayne Wang’s feature debut Chan is Missing (1982).

PAAFF Film Club – Surname Viet Given Name Nam

Online/Virtual

For our April meeting, we will be discussing Surname Viet Given Name Nam (1989). Vietnamese-born Trinh T. Minh-ha's profoundly personal documentary explores the role of Vietnamese women both historically and in contemporary society. Using dance, printed texts, folk poetry, and the words and experiences of Vietnamese women in Vietnam—from both North and South—and the United …

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PAAFF Film Club – Saving Face

Online/Virtual

Spring is in the air! And what better way to celebrate than with a romantic comedy? For the May meeting of PAAFF Film Club, we’ll be talking about writer-director Alice Wu’s 2004 debut Saving Face. Reviewing the film at the Toronto International Film Festival, David Rooney of Variety described the film as a “warmly observed, …

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PAAFF Film Club – The Namesake

Online/Virtual

After moving from Calcutta to New York, members of the Ganguli family maintain a delicate balancing act between honoring the traditions of their native India and blending into American culture. Although parents Ashoke (Irrfan Khan) and Ashima (Tabu) are proud of the sacrifices they make to give their offspring opportunities, their son Gogol (Kal Penn) …

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PAAFF Film Club – Boy

Online/Virtual

Before Jo Jo Rabbit and the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder, Taika Waititi wrote and directed Boy, the focus of our July PAAFF Film Club meeting. Part The 400 Blows, part Slumdog Millionaire, a pinch of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” and all New Zealand, Boy offers a nostalgic coming-of-age narrative that seems made for summer viewing. …

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