A film by the community, for the community “I’m Not An Activist” takes an inside look at the Dragon Combat Club (DCC), “an NYC-based volunteer initiative for community self-defense.” The club was formed in 2020. They offer free, self-defense classes in N ...
Creating an Elite Match
A Personal Look Into Finding a Character’s Desires In many ways, filmmaking is a personal outlet for filmmakers. Since graduating from NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Kathy Meng has aimed to tell stories through the medium that are personal and familiar. He ...
Dear Mother, I Meant to Write about Death
The reflections on mortality and mother-daughter relationship of Siyi Chen Siyi Chen wrote and directed the documentary “Dear Mother, I Meant to Write about Death (我们在黑夜的海上)” about the effects of her mother’s post-cancer treatment and aftermath o ...
More AAPI Stories We Can Still Enjoy in 2024
The Asian American International Film Festival is now open for submissions for its 47th annual run in August 2024! We already covered some of the gems we showed at our film festival in 2023. Here are some more from that year, to get a glimpse of the ki ...
AAPI Stories We Can Still Enjoy in 2024
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 ...
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 ...
Exploring a Punk Rock Oasis
How Memories Serve in the Creation of a Visual Album Based on the memories of Bryan Cho (AKA The Black Skirts), Waley Wang’s “Teen Troubles in Dirty Jersey” works as both a narrative short film and a visual album for the artist as it chronicles his summer ...
Raising the Banner in ‘Hito Hata’
When Asian Cinevision announced their program for the 46th Asian American International Film Festival, I gravitated immediately to the screening of a 4K restoration of “HITO HATA: Raise the Banner,” touted in the program as the “first full-length feature ...
Transforming Identity through ‘Metamorphosis’
Would you change races if you could? Confucius says, “honor thy mother,” but at what cost? Asian identity is constantly changing, whether it is the questioning of gender norms in the motherland or grappling with racism in the diaspora. Here are some of t ...