The Asian American International Film Festival is now open for submissions for its 47th annual run in August 2024! In anticipation of another stellar program, we’ve prepared a roundup of some of the gems we screened last year. What will we come up with n ...
Punk Rock, Activism, and Self-Determination Explored Above and Below the Ground
Discovering Myanmar’s struggle against the Myitsone Dam through grassroots activists and the lens of director Emily Hong Nestled between the Mali Hka and N’Mai Hka rivers lies a village once home to Hkawn Mai, Lu Ra, and Ja Hkawn. Emily Hong’s “Above an ...
‘The Takedown’: Q&A with Phillipa Soo
The following Q&A has been edited for clarity, and is a companion to the review of “The Takedown,” an Audible Original written by Lily Chu and narrated by Phillipa Soo. Can you recount how you got into narrating Lily Chu’s “The Takedown”? Sure. I wa ...
Indigenous Tales in Conversation: David L. Cunningham’s “The Wind and The Reckoning”
A Historical Narrative on Authentic Storytelling in the Post-Pandemic Era Born into a family of missionaries, director David L. Cunningham unveiled his latest cinematic masterpiece, “The Wind and The Reckoning,” in 2022. This film serves as a passionate a ...
Music Night Out!
AAPI filmmakers blend music and visuals to narrate stories of love and family In a film, there is always an invisible main lead: The music. It tells us how to feel and steers us through the story. Now, it’s taking center stage in this series of music vide ...
This Music Video is a Motion Ride Through Time
An Interview with the Creator of "Attack, Decay, Release" H.P. Mendoza’s musical triumph, “Attack, Decay, Release,” is not just a movie. It is a family get-together with the strangers you experience it with. Created by a Filipino director based in San Fra ...
Remembering how a Life is Made – and Forgotten
Memorable Shorts Make a Lasting Impression at AAIFF Like an open journal with the hearts of the filmmakers on display, these animated shorts often explore the creator’s history and their ongoing creation of an identity. At times moving, transformative, an ...
‘The Accidental Getaway Driver’: Song of Diaspora
Note: Parts of the interview were edited for clarity of content. When asked about the form of his debut feature film “The Accidental Getaway Driver,” director Sing J. Lee answered that the thriller-drama is at its truest a song; more specifically, a folk ...
Linh Tran Got the Green Light
A remarkable debut by a new young filmmaker “I have no idea what I’m doing with my career,” Linh Tran candidly stated via phone interview. That uncertainty is confidently felt throughout her debut feature, “Waiting for the Light to Change.” Tran’s film, w ...