Important Dates
February 5, 2025
Submissions Open
March 31, 2025
Early Deadline
May 19, 2025
Regular Deadline
June 30, 2025
Late Deadline
September 12, 2025
Notification Date
November 6-16, 2025
Festival Dates
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ELIGIBILITY
The Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival focuses on film and other media by, for, and/or about the Asian & Pacific Islander* diaspora community.
PAAFF accepts films and other media that have at least one person of Asian & Pacific Islander descent in a key creative role (director, DP, producer, writer, actor, etc…) and/or are about the Asian & Pacific Islander experience both in the United States and internationally. PAAFF has historically featured works with themes involving, but NOT limited to, Asian and Pacific Islander cultures, histories, and experiences.
Asian & Pacific Islander includes, but is not necessarily limited to, people from and descended from areas now known as Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Palestine, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, and Yemen; and the indigenous peoples of Oceania and the Pacific Islands.
PAAFF requires all films in its program to include closed captions.
PAAFF does not and will not accept films which have received funding from the State of Israel or financial institutions incorporated therein.
PAAFF does not and will not accept films for which human labor has been supplanted with generative AI.
SUBMISSION CATEGORIES
- Feature Film (Narrative, Documentary): Fiction or non-fiction film of any genre, principally created by and/or about Asian & Pacific Islander diasporic storytellers. Films eligible for this category MUST have a running time of at least 40 minutes.
- Short Film (Narrative, Documentary): Fiction or non-fiction film (including music videos, episodic, etc…) principally created by and/or about Asian & Pacific Islander diasporic storytellers. Films eligible for this category MUST have a running time under 40 minutes.
Read more about submission eligibility on our FilmFreeway page.
RULES & REGULATIONS
- PAAFF accepts films of all premiere statuses, including films that have distribution.
- If selected for the Festival, filmmakers are responsible for their own print shipping costs. PAAFF will pay for return shipping. DVD/Blu-ray screeners will not be returned.
- All final works must be completed and shipped 4 weeks before the festival opening or by the date communicated with the festival staff.
- It is the responsibility of the submission contact to ensure that all requirements are met. The Festival retains the right to disqualify an entry, with no refunded fee, if rules and regulations are not followed.
- The Festival retains the right to disqualify an entry with no refunded fee if the film contact for a selected film fails to respond to email correspondence from the Festival by deadline.
Read more about our rules and regulations on our FilmFreeway page.
PAAFF will provide fee waivers or discounts on a case-by-case basis. We understand the financial restrictions of many artists and are willing to accommodate creators who are in need of some financial relief. As a volunteer-run, arts non-profit, we also operate with limited resources and the entry fees sustain our team’s ability to produce the best possible festival to showcase Asian & Pacific Islander stories. We encourage all artists to evaluate their level of need prior to emailing the Festival and to submit as early as possible for the lowest fees. For those who are in need of financial assistance, please fill out this waiver request form. If approved, our team will reach out through email.
Submit Your film here!
Awards
Jury Awards
- Best Narrative Feature
- Best Documentary Feature
- Best Narrative Short
- Best Documentary Short
- Best Experimental Short
- Best Animated Short
- Best Student Short
Staff-Picked
- Vijay Mohan Social Change Award
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