PAAFF 2025 CELEBRATES A LANDMARK SEASON OF PHILADELPHIA PREMIERES, HONORING TRAILBLAZER RACHEL KONDO, LEGENDARY KIEU CHINH, & MORE

Philadelphia, PA – Between November 6 and 16, 2025, The Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival (PAAFF) returns for its 18th year, presenting a groundbreaking program of films that explore new worlds, challenge perspectives, and celebrate the vibrant diversity of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander storytelling. “Stories from every corner of Asia and the Pacific are too often overlooked,” said Joseph Carranza, PAAFF Creative Director. “Our festival exists to amplify these voices now, to honor their richness, and to ensure that audiences see the full scope of our communities’ imagination and experience.”

This year’s festival highlights a monumental lineup of Philadelphia premieres, including narrative and documentary features, short films, and curated showcases with a focus on LGBTQ+, NHPI, Southeast Asian, Palestinian, experimental, and animated storytelling.

This year’s festival features an impressive slate of premieres, including 5 world premieres, 3 international premieres, 2 North American premieres, 5 U.S. premieres, 7 East Coast premieres, and 48 Philadelphia premieres. The program highlights diverse voices with 46 films directed by women and nonbinary filmmakers and 12 LGBTQ+ films. PAAFF 2025 also represents a wide range of global perspectives, showcasing stories from the USA, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Iran, Jordan, Yemen, and Palestine.

OPENING NIGHT – NOV 6: THIRD ACT
Directed by Tadashi Nakamura | Documentary | USA | English | 2025
Generations of artists call Robert A. Nakamura “The Godfather of Asian American film,” but his son, Tad, calls him Dad. Third Act follows Tadashi as he navigates his father’s legacy as a filmmaker, activist, and WWII Japanese American survivor, uncovering his own story along the way. Tadashi Nakamura will attend for a post-screening Q&A and to receive the Vijay Mohan Social Change Award.

CLOSING NIGHT – NOV 16: THE ROSE: COME BACK TO ME
Directed by Eugene Yi | Documentary | USA | English, Korean | 2025
An intimate documentary chronicling the rise of South Korean indie band The Rose, from humble beginnings to global success. A Q&A with director Eugene Yi and producer Diane Quon, both critically acclaimed for their work in documentary and narrative filmmaking, will follow the screening.

CLOSING NIGHT SHORT FILM: MAYBE IT’S JUST THE RAIN
Directed by Reina Bonta | Documentary | USA/Philippines | English, Tagalog | 2025
Reina Bonta is a Filipina American award-winning filmmaker and professional soccer player from the Bay Area. Her narrative short LAHI toured Academy Award-qualifying festivals, won the Audience Award at the San Diego Filipino Film Festival, and secured national streaming distribution in 2024. Maybe It’s Just the Rain follows a historic journey as a diasporic women’s soccer team becomes the first Filipino team to score a World Cup goal.

PAAFF STORYTELLER HONOREES

In its 18th year, PAAFF proudly honors artists and changemakers whose work transforms Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander storytelling. This year’s Storyteller Legend Award goes to Kieu Chinh, the Vietnamese American actress and humanitarian whose career spans six decades across Asia and Hollywood, including The Joy Luck Club, Journey from the Fall, and MASH. The Storyteller Trailblazer Award honors Rachel Kondo, a Maui-born writer and Executive Producer of FX’s Shōgun, which won 18 Emmy Awards in 2024; her work restores complexity to underrepresented histories and expands the possibilities of AANHPI storytelling. The Rising Voice Award is presented to Réi, a Forbes 30 Under 30 award-winning filmmaker, co-writer and director of Shutter Bird, and Adjunct Professor at USC, whose work embodies the next generation of Asian American and Pacific Islander storytelling. Finally, the Vijay Mohan Social Change Award goes to Tadashi Nakamura, an Emmy-winning filmmaker and Director of the Watase Media Arts Center, whose films, including Nobuko Miyamoto: A Song in Movement, span over 20 years of socially impactful storytelling.

This 18th edition of PAAFF promises to inspire, challenge, and uplift audiences through a landmark program of Philadelphia premieres and visionary storytellers.

Full program and tickets on sale Tuesday, Oct, 14, 2025 at 9:00AM EST

Tickets, open to the public, can be purchased at www.paaff.org.