Asian American film festival season kicks off in L.A. and S.F.

There is a growing audience for the works shown at Asian American film festivals.

The 2026 Asian American film festival season is officially hitting its stride, and if you haven’t heard the buzz surrounding The A List, you’re clearly not checking your feed. 

Asian American film festivals are not just about seeing movies; they are vital lifelines for a community still fighting to be seen, heard, and understood on its own terms. While Hollywood occasionally pats itself on the back for a single "breakthrough" hit, these festivals have been doing the heavy lifting for decades, proving that our stories are not a monolith or a trend.

As VC Film Fest (the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival) and San Francisco’s CAAMFest kick off the festivities, the community is showing up in force to celebrate stories that refuse to stay on the sidelines.

The opening night feature at CAAMfest in San Francisco will be The A List: 15 Stories from Asian and Pacific Diasporas, the HBO Original documentary everyone is talking about. Directed by Eugene Yi, it’s a high-wattage deep dive into the lives of icons who paved the way.

Among the heavyweights featured are: Sandra Oh (Korean Canadian), Kumail Nanjiani (Pakistani American), Tammy Duckworth (Thai American) and trailblazer Connie Chung (Chinese American).

It’s more than a highlight reel; it’s a raw, intimate look at the struggle for visibility and the weight of being "the first." The documentary serves as a definitive roadmap of the AAPI experience in media, bridging the gap between industry legends and the next generation.

Asian Americans who have become role models including, from left:  Kumail Nanjani,
Tammy Duckworth and Sandra Oh,  are interviewed in The A List documentary.

The "Big Two" are setting the tone for the year with a slate that spans the entire diaspora.

Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (VC Film Fest)

Celebrating its 42nd year, this is one of the most significant festivals for AANHPI storytellers. eneral ticketing goes on sale April 6 at 12 PM PST at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival site. Opening night features Lucky Lu directed by Lloyd Lee Choi. Here are some of the featured films:

• The Furious (Chinese/Indonesian): A high-octane special presentation starring Miao Xie and Joe Taslim. It’s a masterclass in martial arts choreography.
• Honeyjoon (Kurdish American): A touching mother-daughter dramedy from Lilian T. Mehrel that explores grief and heritage with a light, humorous touch.
• Before the Moon Falls (Cambodian American): A spotlight documentary by Kimberlee Bassford that captures the delicate balance of cultural preservation.

CAAMFest (San Francisco)

The nation's leading showcase for Asian American film, music, and food. Opening Night: The A-List: 15 Stories from Asian and Pacific Diasporas followed by a gala at the Asian Art Museum. Here are sme key films in the festival:

• Forge (Chinese/Singaporean American): This buzzy centerpiece by Jing Ai Ng follows siblings in Miami running a high-stakes art forgery ring. It’s slick, stylish, and deeply human.
• Traces of Home (Palestinian/Egyptian American): Serving as the Closing Night film, Colette Ghunim takes viewers on a visceral journey to find her parents' ancestral homes.
• Mabuhay (Filipino American): A narrative feature that dives deep into the specific rhythms and challenges of the Pinoy experience in the States.
• Jersey Boy (Indian American): A narrative selection making waves for its sharp writing and relatable exploration of second-generation identity.

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Cross-over hits

• Diamond Diplomacy (Japanese/American): Screening across the circuit, Yuriko Gamo Romer explores the shared history of baseball, from the professional leagues to the fields behind barbed wire in incarceration camps.
• Y Vân: The Lost Sounds of Saigon (Vietnamese American): Closing out the SDAFF Spring Showcase, this doc profiles a legendary rock 'n roll figure, reclaiming a piece of musical history often lost to war.
  

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Besides the Big Two, Asian American film festivals will be held in other cities this Spring and Summer.

• Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF) – 'Ōpio Fest: April 17–19. This spring weekend in Honolulu at the Consolidated Theatres Kahala focuses on the "Future of Film," spotlighting student creatives (K-12) alongside family-friendly premieres. 

• Seattle Asian American Film Festival (SAAFF): May 29–31. A vital hub for the Pacific Northwest, SAAFF continues to amplify North American Asian and Pacific Islander voices. 

• San Diego Asian Film Festival (SDAFF): April 24-26. This is one of the largest media arts events in North America dedicated to Asian American cinema. A "mini-festival" highlighting over a dozen independent films. Opening Night: The Road to Sydney, a documentary about Filipino master dance choreographer Sydney Loyola.

• Austin Asian American Film Festival (AAAFF): June 24–28. Held at the AFS Cinema, this festival is a key platform for Asian and Asian American cinema in the heart of Texas.

A scene from 'Republic of Pipolipinas, 'a mockumentary, from the Philippines that is making
its North American premiere this year at the San Diego festival.

Fall Highlights

A second flurry of film festivals takes place in the fall.

• 49th Asian American International Film Festival (July 30 – August 9) Known as "The First Home to Asian American Cinema," this is the longest-running Asian American festival in the US. Organized by Asian CineVision, it is held in venues throughout New York City. The program is still being finalized.

• Hawaii International Film Festival (Main Fall Festival): October 15–25, 2026. The 46th annual flagship event will span the islands, continuing its mission to bridge the East and West through adventurous storytelling.
  
  
• Silicon Valley Asian Pacific Film Festival: October 23–25, 2026. Based in Sunnyvale, California, this festival highlights the intersection of tech, culture, and cinema in the valley.

• San Diego Asian Film Festival (SDAFF): Typically held in November. This is one of the largest media arts events in North America dedicated to Asian American cinema.

View from the edge

The film festivals give filmmakers a chance to show their talent. Before they did Hollywood directors, Ang Lee, Mira Nair, Wayne Wang and Justin Lin were showing their wares in film festivals often telling stories and documenting history unseen and unknown by mainstream audiences.

For too long, the industry has viewed Asian American stories through a narrow lens—Asian Americans are often relegated to sidekicks, martial artists, computer nerds or the perpetual foreigner. Film festivals like AAIFF or CAAMFest flip that script. They provide a sanctuary for "niche" stories that the big studios are too afraid to touch. Here, we see the full spectrum of our lives: the messy, the experimental, the queer, and the mundane. It’s where a documentary about a local Chinatown grocery store is treated with the same reverence as a high-octane thriller.

As we look toward the 2026 festival season, the stakes feel higher than ever with the rise of anti-immigrant rhetoric, threats to birthright citizenship and history being rewritten erasing. We don't just watch these films; we witness our own survival.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X, BlueSky or at the blog Views From the Edge. 

SF film festival offering drive-in experience and virtual presentations in celebrating Asian and AAPI films, artists

A scene from 'Try Harder!', a documentary about Lowell High School in San Francisco.

A documentary film about San Francisco's highly competitive Lowell High School and its predominantly Asian American students opens the CAAMFest celebration of Asian American films Thursday night.

The film festival, presented by the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) . kicks off with opening night presentations of Try Harder! at the makeshift Fort Mason Flix drive-in. 

Due to the OVID-19 restrictions and a cautionary concern about the health of film fans and filmmakers, the movie was shown in an outdoor drive-in format at Fort Mason.

 “The current COVID-19 pandemic is a crisis of unprecedented scope, one that presents unique challenges to the Asian American community,” says Stephen Gong, executive director of CAAM. “Now, more than ever, the power of storytelling is vital to the health and happiness of our diverse communities.” 

Try Harder!, the acclaimed documentary by local filmmaker Debbie Lum looks at the highly competitive atmosphere at San Francisco’s Lowell High School, where many students are Asian American. The heat is on for these students as they work hard at school while also experiencing the incredibly stressful process of applying to elite colleges and universities where only a few open spots exist for the flood of applications the campuses will receive. 

Try Harder! screens at the Fort Mason Flix drive-in at 6:30 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. on Thursday, May 13, 2021.

Several spotlighted films will be exhibited at the makeshift drive-int as CAAM welcomes back fans after resorting to an all-virtual format last year. To enrich the experience, film festival organizers is bringing in food trucks featuring Asian cuisine for festival-goers.

Scene from "Lumpia With A Vengeance," will be shown on Day 2 of CAAMFest.

CAAMFest 2021  offers two films in the special drive-in program, “Celebration Of Filipino American Stories” -- The Fabulous Filipino Brothers and Lumpia With A Vengeance) -- on Friday, May 14, 2021, at 6:30 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. (Sold out.)

The drive-in portion of CAAMFest 2021 wraps up on Saturday, May 15, 2021, with the “Hong Kong Cinema Showcase” featuring films by Hong Kong movie makers at 6:30 p.m. and 9:15 p.m.

CAAM continues the virtual format with a schedule of over 50 events, including screenings, panels, and live performances. 

One of Basco's earlier films, The Debut, is being made available as one of CAAMFest's virtual screenings. The feature, made in 2001, is perhaps the first movie featuring Filipino American lead characters.

CAAMFest 2021 has offerings for everyone from media makers to film lovers to those interested in Asian and Asian American representation, conveyed through unique voices highlighting the intersections of community - an apt marking of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month during this year when Asian Americans have been targeted for widespread violence.

Comedian and actress Margaret Cho will be present at the screening for 'Korean Ghost Story.'

 Many more virtual programs continue through Sunday, May 23, 2021, with CAAMFest 2021’s eclectic schedule of online screenings.

“The world may have paused due to the pandemic, but our filmmakers didn’t,” says Masashi Niwano, festival and exhibitions director at CAAM. “The vibrancy and energy of this year’s programming is unmatched with our filmmakers bravely telling their unique and vital stories." 

While some screenings are ticketed, CAAMFest also offers free events. Ticket options include $8 to $10 for individual virtual screenings, $12 to $15 for special screening events, $44 to $50 for the CAAMFest On Demand Pass, $44 to $50 per vehicle for single drive-in screenings, and $84 to $90 per vehicle for drive-in double features.

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For a complete list of the CAAMFest film offerings, panels, showcases and celebrations, click here.

To register for the live events and to receive access to the virtual films, click here.

CORRECTION, May 13, 11 a.m.: Earlier version of this post had the wrong film for Day 2. Thursday, May 14, 'Lumpia With A Vengeance' will play alongside 'The Fabulous Filipino Brothers.'

CAAMFest adapts to social distance requirements by going online; watch for free

'I Will Make You Mine' opens the reimagined CAAMFest.

ASAM NEWS

The social distancing rules necessary to fight the spread of the coronavirus has forced the Center for Asian American Media to alter its usual film festival format.

CAAMFest will celebrate its 40th film festival by going virtual and rebranding to CAAMFest Online: Heritage at Home featuring over 20 digital events, ranging from online film screenings to interactive panels, watch parties, and house parties featuring live performances, all free of charge. The San Francisco Bay Area event will now be available online for the world to enjoy.

The film festival opens with Lynn Chen’s long-awaited completion of her Surrogate Valentine trilogy, I Will Make You Mine on May 13. The feature film is about three women wrestling over the same man while dealing with the baggage of past relationships and the difficulties of everyday life.

The festival closes May 22 with the 10th anniversary showing of Filipino American filmmaker H.P. Mendoza’s Fruit Fly. The musical comedy highlights what it means to be gay and Asian in the Hispanic neighborhood of San Francisco’s Mission District. The virtual audience will be encouraged to participate in the sing-a-long version of the film, which features 18 original songs by the director.

CAAMFest will also showcase a performance from the San Francisco-based musician Ruby Ibarra on May 19. The performance from the rapper and spoken word artist will be followed by a sit-down discussion.

The following day on May 20 there will be an interview with filmmaker Alice Wu whose film,  The Half of It premiered on Netflix and is available for streaming today (May 1).

In all, there will be more than 20 digital events. For information about how to register and a full schedule of performances and events, go to CAAMFest.com.

Views From the Edge contributed to this report.

Writer dreams of turning back the clock on Alzheimer’s with 'Our Time Machine'

SCREEN CAPTURE

The filmmaker Maleeonn as a young boy with his father in the documentary about alzheimer's disease.

By Randall Yip

ASAM NEWS

As time passes, memories fade. That’s the stark reality of Alzheimer’s.

Maleonn’s father was once the accomplished director of the famed Beijing Opera. Now he’s increasingly confused and disoriented. Maleonn sets out to slow the pace of his dad’s disease by metaphorically creating a time machine. His hope is to flashback to better times with his father before now distant memories vanish completely.

The time machine is central to Maleonn’s first play which he is collaborating with his father to produce. Can the father-son duo get the play to the stage before Alzheimer’s completely takes over?

This race against time is core to a new documentary, Our Time Machine, playing Saturday at CAAMFest in San Francisco and again Wednesday across the Bay in Oakland.

The characters in Malleon’s play our metallic robots the artist himself created.

I too wish I could have a time machine. My dad lived with Alzheimer’s for years and my mom cared for him until his death in 2004. Now she too is living with the disease. Just as I saw in Malleon’s dad, my mom asks me the same questions every few minutes.

“Did you eat yet?”

“Yes, mom, I did.”

“That’s good, you need to eat.”

“Did you eat yet?”

“Yeah, I had a hamburger.”

“Was it any good?”

“Delicious, mom. Thanks for asking.”‘

I’ll never get my time machine, but will Malleon get his? Our Time Machine is produced by Yang Sun and S. Leo Chiang. Chiang’s earned an Emmy nomination for his last film, A Village Called Versailles.

Our Time Machine is more than just one man’s fantasy. It’s an up close and personal look at a debilitating disease. Film goers will see that Alzheimer’s not only affects the individual, it impacts the entire family and all those around them. The film also serves as a behind the scenes glimpse of the challenges of staging a theatric production.

Our Time Machine packs an emotional punch. The film is in Chinese with English subtitles.

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Our Time Machine was shown lasst Saturday (May 11) as part of the CAAMFest (Center for Asian American Media) festival, and will be shown again Wednesday (May 15) at the Piedmont Theater, Oakland, at 6:30 p.m.

(About the Author: Randall Yip is a longtime journalist whose goal this year is to raise $10,000 for Alzheimer’s research and family care. You can learn more about his efforts here)

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AAPI Heritage: More than films at CAAMFest: 'Culture In Every Sense'

As part of CAAMFest, Ruby Ibarra will be one of the featured hip-hop artists in concert.

SO YOU MISSED the Opening night party of CAAMFest36 held last night (May 10); and you missed out on eating the delectable Filipino food offered after the screening of ULAM: Main Dish yesterday (Friday). Don't despair.

There's still so much going on over a span of two weeks that will keep you busy, not to mention all the movies and videos being screened all over the Bay Area.

Fulfilling this year's theme: "Culture In Every Sense," you can dance to the latest hip-hop numbers by some of the up-and-coming artists; or munch on Asian food, or laugh at the inside jokes from Asian/American comedians.

CAAMFest:

• For a list of all the screenings, click here. 
• For a list of live performances, click here.

Beyond film, here are some of the other events offered by CAAMFest:

Anatomy of a Music Video with Warren Fu: The noted music video director talks about working with Daft Punk, Snoop Dogg, Pharrell Williams, A Tribe Called Quest and others. Fu is a former art director at Lucasfilm. (2:40 p.m. Saturday, May 12, New People Cinema).

Asian Americans and Hip-Hop Panel: The Oakland Museum of California hosts this free panel co-curated by CAAM and the Asian American Music Conference. Arrive early and check out the museum’s exhibit “Respect: Hip-Hop Style & Wisdom.” (5:30 p.m. May 18).

Conversation With Jon M. Chu: The director of Crazy Rich Asians will talk about behind the scenes stories on the filming of Kevin Kwan's novel and the significance of the all-Asian cast of the movie. He will be at the Hotel Kabuki this Sunday (May 13, 6 p.m.)

“Aunt Lily’s Flower Book: One Hundred Years of Legalized Racism”: The closing night presentation of CAAMFest takes place at Herbst Theatre, with storyteller and activist Brenda Wong Aoki delivering a live performance set to music by Emmy Award-winning composer Mark Izu and koto master Shoko Hikage. (6:15 and 7 p.m. May 24).

Directions in Sound: Hip-hop artists Ruby Ibarra, Lyrics Born and G Yamazawa headline this popular annual concert event, which moves to Oakland (Starline Social Club) for the first time. (9 p.m. May 18).

Lost your identity? 'Disoreinted' will help you find it through laughter.

Disoriented Comedy Show: Jenny Yang, D’Lo and Atsuko Okatsuka bill themselves as the “first-ever (mostly) female Asian American stand-up comedy troupe.” Laugh along for two performances at New People Cinema — just about the perfect-sized venue for a comedy show. (7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday, May 12).

First Kitchen: A 15-minute sneak preview of James Q. Quan’s upcoming documentary food series, “Bloodline,” a profile of chef Tu David Phu, is followed by a tasting menu presented by Phu himself and a meet-and-greet with filmmakers. Phu was on “Top Chef 15” and was on The Chronicle’s Rising Star list in 2017. He’s still on the rise. The event takes place at Black Cat, the live jazz and supper club in S.F. (5 p.m. May 20).

Heritage SF: The Midway, located in the Dogpatch neighborhood, is the site of this celebration featuring live music, food trucks, retail booths and an awards ceremony honoring community leaders and organizations. (4 p.m. May 19).

“She, Who Can See”: A combination of short film and live performance by choreographer and stage director Alleluia Panis of KulArts. The show promises to be a “love letter to the vibrant Bay Area Filipino American community.” (7 p.m. May 16, AMC Kabuki)

The State of the Art with David Henry Hwang and Jeanine Tesori: What does it take to get a play or a musical from idea to opening night? Hwang (“M. Butterfly”) and Tesori, the five-time Tony Award-nominated composer, let us peek behind the curtain of their new collaboration, “Soft Power,” at the Curran theater. (7 p.m. May 17).
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TGIF Feature: CAAMFest is more than just film; 'Crazy Ricih Asians' director added to schedule

Director Jon M. Chu will be at CAAMFest to talk about his upcocming movie 'Crazy Rich Asians.'

A CONVERSATION with Jon M. Chu, director of Crazy Rich Asians, has been added to the chockful schedule of this year's two-week long CAAMFest, a potpourri of film, food, music and history.

Chu, is currently winding up post-production of the highly anticipated Crazy Rich Asians,the first Hollywood studio movie featuring an all-Asian and Asian/American cast in 25 years. Chu will be on stage at Hotel Kabuki at 6 p.m. on May 13. He will talk about the behind-the-scenes stories about this summer’s star-studded blockbuster and the significance being given to representation of Asian/Americans onscreen.

The Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) is presenting the 36th annual CAAMFest taking place from May 10-24, 2018 in the San Francisco Bay Area. This year's theme "Culture in Every Sense," seeks to lead the changing nature of film festival programming,

This year, “we wanted to really elevate the immersive experience between culture and community,” says Festival Director Masashi Niwano. 

In addition to including four additional days of programming during its move to May that coincides with Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, CAAMFest36 broadens the festival to include even more ways to convey cultural experience through the world’s most innovative Asian and Asian American artists. 

This year’s festival theme is emphasized throughout the program with expanded music and food sections, a virtual reality project that is also produced by CAAM, and a special closing night performance by Bay Area native, playwright and performing artist Brenda Wong Aoki.

The festival kicked off Thursday, (May 10) with a documentary and tribute to Norman Mineta, 86, has had a long career of political firsts: ffirst Asian/American mayor of a major U.S. city, first Japanese/American member of Congress from the mainland  San Jose mayor, and first Asian/American to serve on a Presidential Cabinet.

Two weeks later, the festival ends with the world premiere of H.P. Mendoza's Bitter Melon, about a Filipino/American family falling apart. Mendoza is the writer and actor in the cult classic Daly City.

In between the Mineta tribute and the Bitter Melon is a plethora of features, concerts, comedy sets, documentaries and food. For a complete list of the CAAMFest schedule, click here..

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