Dear Festival Friends,
Happy new year! As we welcome in 2025, we’d like to announce the changes that are taking place at Asian Cinevision.
Firstly, Demi Guo is stepping down from Editor-in-Chief of CineVue. In her 3 years at the helm, she assembled a powerful team of writers, produced our first original podcast covering the gentrification of Flushing, and forged meaningful partnerships that elevated NYC’s local arts scene and AAPI filmmakers past, present, and future. To continue to support her work, you can follow the production of her upcoming documentary NEW YORK JIANG HU here.
As for us, we are transitioning from directors of AAIFF to artistic and administrative advisors for ACV. In our 7 years of leadership, the challenges we faced were never solved with simple solutions, and in the long run helped grow us into stronger and more compassionate leaders. You’ve been along with us on this journey this whole time, and together we’ve been able to move this festival forward in some remarkable ways.
- ACV is a volunteer-first organization and is nothing without the countless individuals who show up with their passion for progressing AAPI cinema. With some restructuring and perseverance, we were fortunate enough to grow our ranks to 5x the size of what it was when we first started volunteering in 2012.
- Our idea of a “film” festival was redefined. Expanding our submission sections to include episodic, digital, and VR, as well as launching a comedy showcase and interactive media gallery, attracted a broader range of creators and viewers. Celebrating storytelling, with whatever tools possible, clearly became our core focus.
- Found comfort in collaboration as we navigated adapting an in-person event to a virtual experience during the pandemic. We learned how to produce live-streams and online screenings, which have now been integrated as options to increase accessibility for festivals to come.
We’re proud of what we have been able to accomplish. But beyond this, we are grateful—-for the opportunity to build upon the legacy of the groundbreakers before us, for the people who guided and worked alongside us, for the emerging filmmakers who chose to celebrate their milestones with us. May the ecosystem we’ve nurtured continue to provide a space for us all, as filmmakers, organizers, and audience members, to feel seen and recognized in all the ways we deserve.
The preservation of AAIFF’s mission will be passed on to a council of returning members. We’re excited for what new voices and perspectives they’ll be able to uncover and share with the world. And as you have provided feedback and words of encouragement to us, we hope you continue to collaborate on this festival with them. Together, we can dream up the future we want to see for our community, one screen at a time.
Peace and Love,
Kayla and David
