The final lineup of films for the 16th annual Austin Asian American Film Festival (AAAFF) has been announced and can be found listed below, and on the AAAFF website here. The beloved festival returns to the AFS Cinema (located at 6259 Middle Fiskville Rd, Austin, TX 78752) this June 26-30, presenting films from a wide array of Asian Diasporic, Asian American, International and Texan filmmakers that honor the themes of personal growth and relationships with others. Festival badges and single-screening tickets are now available for purchase on the AAAFF website. For more information on AAAFF as an organization, see here.
Through 12 features and 19 short films, our audience will get to delve into intimate stories of relationships,
said AAAFF Executive Director Hanna Huang. Our protagonists will encounter the personal growth (or not) that comes from finding inner strength and reconciling with their identities.
AAAFF will also host their annual Red Carpet Event ahead of this year's centerpiece film, Blue Sunshine
by Samyuktha Vijayan, on Friday, June 28 starting at 6:30 p.m. The carpet will feature several filmmakers, actors and members of the AAAFF team; more details to be announced soon.
I have been following AAAFF's programming for many years and have always wished to have an opportunity to be a part of it once I made a film one day,
said Fanti
Director Andy Nguyễn. I am absolutely honored to be in the company of the Asian Americans who have played here.
Wednesday, June 26, OPENING NIGHT
Welcome Remarks & Intro
6:40 - 7:00 p.m.
MSG: Mysterious Savory Grains
by Kyle Finnegan
7:00 - 7:13 p.m.
Country of Origin: United States
Language: English
New Wave
by Elizabeth Ai
7:13 - 8:40 p.m.
Country of Origin: United States
Language:English and Vietnamese with English subtitles.
Accessibility: Closed Captioning in English avail for CC Reader Devices
Opening Night film; Q&A to follow with director Elizabeth Ai
Opening Night AFS Lobby Party
9:15 - 11 p.m.
Thursday, June 27:
All Ears
by Jiayin Liu
4:55 - 6:55 p.m.
Country of Origin: China
Language: Mandarin with English subtitles
A Great Divide
by Jean Shim
7:20 - 9:00 p.m.
Country of Origin: United States
Language: English, Korean with English subtitles
Screening in collaboration with We All Belong Austin, powered by Austin Against Hate
Live Q&A to follow with Jean Shim & actress Miya Cech
Badgeholders Night Hang at Donkey Mo's
9:00 - 11:00 p.m.
Address: 5312 Airport Blvd Austin, TX, 78751
Friday, June 28
A Band of Dreamers and a Judge
by Hesam Eslami
5:00 - 6:25 p.m.
Country of Origin: Iran
Language: Persian with English subtitles
AAAFF Red Carpet Event
6:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Fish Boy
by Christopher Yip
7:30 - 7:41 p.m.
Country of Origin: Canada
Language: English, Cantonese with English subtitles
Blue Sunshine
by Samyuktha Vijayan
7:41 - 9:19 p.m.
Country of Origin: India
Language: Tamil with English subtitles
Centerpiece Film
Q&A to follow with filmmaker Samyuktha Vijayan
Afterparty at St. Johns Studio
9:30 - 11:30 p.m.
Address: 705 W. St. Johns Ave Austin, TX 78752
Saturday, June 29
The Emotional Spectrum Block:
11:00 a.m. - 12:38 p.m.
The Steak
by Kiarash Dadagar Mohebi
Country of Origin: Iran
Language: Silent Film
One Note
by Jamie Ting
Country of Origin: United States
Language: English and Mandarin with English subtitles
Euphoria
by Hsiao-Tsun Chiu
Country of Origin: Taiwan
Language: Mandarin with English subtitles
Stitched
by Lorena Lourenco
Country of Origin: United States
Language: English, Hindi, Tamil with English subtitles
The Smallest Power
by Andy Sarjahani
Country of Origin: Iran
Language: English, Persian with English subtitles
Video Funeral
by Linh Tran
Country of Origin: United States
Language: English, Vietnamese with English subtitles
Live Q&A to follow with filmmakers in attendance
Ashima
by Kenji Tsukamoto
1:00 - 2:26 p.m
Country of Origin: United States
Languages: English and Japanese with English Subtitles.
Live Q&A to follow with Kenji Tsukamoto
Inside The Yellow Cocoon Shell
by Thien An Pham
3:00 - 5:59 p.m.
Country of Origin: Vietnam
Language: Vietnamese, English with English subtitles
Live Q&A to follow with Thien An Pham
Fanti
by Andy Nguyễn
6:40 - 8:29 p.m.
Country of Origin: Vietnam
Language: Vietnamese with English subtitles
Live Q&A to follow with Andy Nguyễn
Something Blue
by Jinsui Song
9:10 - 9:24 p.m.
Country of Origin: United States
Language: English, Cantonese with English Subtitles
Content Consideration: Implied sexual assault
Killing the Violet
by Yu Zhang
9:24 - 10:44 p.m.
Country of Origin: Japan
Language: Japanese with English Subtitles
Content Consideration: Explicit sexual assault and violence
Sunday, June 30
Badgeholders Boba Brunch at Happy Lemon
10:30 - 11:00 a.m.
Address: 6406 N Interstate Hwy 35 suite 1301, Austin, TX 78752
Home Court
by Erica Tanamachi
11:30 a.m. - 1:05 p.m.
Country of Origin: United States
Language: English
Live Q&A to follow with Erica Tanamachi
Not-so-short Shorts Block:
1:40 - 4:23 p.m.
She Marches in Chinatown
by Della Chen
Country of Origin: United States
Language: English
Al Niente
by Lo Lam
Country of Origin: Hong Kong
Language: English and Cantonese with English subtitles
How To Get Your Man Pregnant
by Gyeongmu Noh
Country of Origin: South Korea
Language: Korean with English Subtitles
Men in Blue
by Sachin Dheeraj Mudigonda
Country of Origin: United States
Language: English, Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu with English subtitles
Live Q&A to follow with filmmakers in attendance
Where I Belong Shorts Block:
4:45 - 6:23 p.m.
Confused Blood
by James Cutler
Country of Origin: Australia
Language: English, Korean
Hey Kiddo
by Melissa Kong
Country of Origin: United States
Language: English
Thirstygirl
by Alexandra Qin
Country of Origin: United States
Language: English
Southern Afternoon
by Tian Lan
Country of Origin: China
Language: Mandarin, Uyghur with English Subtitles
Makeover Movie
by Sue Ding
Country of Origin: United States
Language: English
Wild Hogs and Saffron
by Andy Sarjahani
Country of Origin: United States
Languages: English
Content Consideration: Explicit animal butchering
Live Q&A to follow with filmmakers in attendance
Push Pause
by Ryoma Kosasa
6:51 - 8:17 p.m.
Country of Origin: Japan
Language: Japanese with English subtitles
Ben and Suzanne, A Reunion in 4 Parts
by Sean Seneviratne
8:42 - 10:31 p.m.
Country of Origin: United States
Language: Tamil, Sinhala & English
Closing Night Party at Yellow Ranger & The Golden Horn Bar
9:30 p.m.
Address: 5420 Airport Blvd, Austin, TX 78751
AAAFF, one of the preeminent AANHPI arts organizations in town, champions Asian and Asian American stories via media arts and empowers Asian Americans to explore opportunities in cinema. To showcase their amazing work in our community, AAAFF has curated a 20-year history exhibit on view at The Austin History Center (located at 810 Guadalupe St, Austin, TX 78701), available to the public until July 2. The exhibit features photographs, previous posters and ephemera from years past documenting the true history of the Austin Asian American Film Festival. For more information about this special archival display, you can see the Austin Public Library's website here.
About AAAFF
Austin Asian American Film Festival (AAAFF) produces programs that tell Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) stories through film, educates about AANHPI issues, and builds community through partnerships with creatives and other organizations. AAAFF is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department and the Texas Commission on the Arts. More information can be found at www.aaafilmfest.org.
See additional information below or visit:
Austin Asian American Film Festival
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