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 ...
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 ...
The Fight For Our Communities: Save Chinatown
Decolonization, and the Power of Intercultural Alliances in Philadelphia The creative discussion at the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival, ‘The Fight For Our Communities: Save Chinatown,’ unveils a conversation that revolves around the ongoing gen ...
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 ...
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 ...
Mama Knows Best
Think! Chinatown Shorts Showing at DCTV theater Listen to mama. Why? Because. No ifs, ands, or buts. A grassroots non-profit organization by the name of Think! Chinatown (T!C) produced a set of films for the purpose of passing down oral histories from Ne ...
Capturing the World’s ‘Forward Momentum’
In one part of the world, the country breaks into revolution. At the same time in another, a young woman gets elected as the first Asian American to hold her political title. Wherever something is happening, and whatever that something is, someone’s life ...