Philadelphia Asian American Film Foundation

Philadelphia Asian American Film Foundation Philadelphia Asian American Film Foundation - A year round platform for AANHPI Stories and Storytellers.

PHILADELPHIA PREMIERE: LEVITATINGLatas Village, a small suburban area, is known for its traditional trance parties, a lo...
10/10/2026

PHILADELPHIA PREMIERE: LEVITATING

Latas Village, a small suburban area, is known for its traditional trance parties, a long-standing ritual and form of entertainment passed down through generations. When the sacred spring where the spirit-channelers seek spirits faces an impending eviction, Bayu determines to become a lead spirit-channeler himself so he can lead a grand fundraising party to buy back the spring. But along the way, Bayu discovers that ambition alone is not enough to make him a true spirit-channeler, or to save the village he calls home.

🎬 Levitating | Directed by Wregas Bhanuteja
📍 Film Society Center
📅 November 8 | 4:00–6:30 PM
🎟️ Tickets on sale at PAAFF.org

ANNOUNCING OUR NARRATIVE CENTERPIECE: ZIThe 19th Annual Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival is bringing acclaimed ...
10/09/2026

ANNOUNCING OUR NARRATIVE CENTERPIECE: ZI

The 19th Annual Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival is bringing acclaimed director Kogonada’s latest film to Philly for its PHILADELPHIA PREMIERE!

Set against the streets of Hong Kong, ZI is a mesmerizing, genre-bending journey through time, memory, fate, and the unexpected connections that change our lives. Starring Michelle Mao, Haley Lu Richardson, and Jin Ha, this intimate sci-fi drama invites us to embrace the unknown.

📅 November 8 | 7:30 PM
📍 Film Society Center
🎟️ Tickets on sale at PAAFF.org

From BLACKPINK to KPop Demon Hunters, Danny Chung is helping shape the global sound of Korean pop culture. 🎤Join us for ...
10/09/2026

From BLACKPINK to KPop Demon Hunters, Danny Chung is helping shape the global sound of Korean pop culture. 🎤

Join us for Storyteller Spotlight: Danny Chung, an intimate conversation with the Korean American songwriter, producer, recording artist, and voice actor whose credits include BLACKPINK hits “How You Like That,” “Pink Venom,” and “Shut Down,” along with songs from Netflix and Sony Pictures Animation’s global phenomenon KPop Demon Hunters, where he also voiced Baby Saja.

With more than a decade of experience creating music for some of Korea’s biggest artists, Chung offers a unique perspective on the evolution of K-pop, the power of Asian representation, and what it means to create at the intersection of Korean and American entertainment.

Moderated by Emmy Award-winning 6ABC journalist Nydia Han, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.

📅 November 7th at 6pm
📍 Asian Arts Initiative
🎟️ tickets at PAAFF.org

Storyteller Spotlight features intimate conversations with AANHPI storytellers who are shaping culture and redefining representation through their work.

The 19th Annual Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival is proud to announce TAKE ME HOME, directed by Liz Sargeant, a...
10/08/2026

The 19th Annual Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival is proud to announce TAKE ME HOME, directed by Liz Sargeant, as our Closing Night Film.

On November 15, we’ll gather at the Philadelphia Museum of Art for the final night of the festival and the Philadelphia premiere of this intimate, deeply moving drama about family, disability, independence, and the complicated ways we care for one another.

TAKE ME HOME follows Anna, a middle-aged Korean adoptee with a cognitive disability, as she cares for her aging parents alongside her sister Emily. As the family confronts difficult questions about the future, Anna remains determined to build a life where all of them can thrive.

🎥 TAKE ME HOME
✨ Philadelphia Premiere
🎬 Directed by Liz Sargeant
📅 November 15 | 5:30 PM
📍 Philadelphia Museum of Art

And that’s not all. Closing Night will also feature the East Coast Premiere of Nathan Fitch’s IAKWE: HELLO, GOODBYE, a powerful film exploring family, identity, and connection through a Marshallese perspective.

🎟️ Tickets are on sale now at PAAFF.org

The 19th Annual Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival is thrilled to announce KIYOSHI, directed by Glenn Holsten, as...
10/07/2026

The 19th Annual Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival is thrilled to announce KIYOSHI, directed by Glenn Holsten, as our Opening Night Film, making its WORLD PREMIERE right here in Philadelphia. 🌏✨

KIYOSHI brings the extraordinary life and legacy of Kiyoshi Kuromiya to the screen. A Philadelphia-based Japanese American civil rights, anti-war, gay liberation, and HIV/AIDS activist, Kiyoshi lived a life defined by joy, compassion, and an unwavering commitment to justice.

Blending archival footage, stylized interviews, studio sets, and projections, the film explores how Kiyoshi’s early life in a WWII incarceration camp shaped a lifetime of activism, community, and resistance.

📍 November 5 | 7:00 PM
🎥 Moore College of Art & Design
🇺🇸 USA | 89 min | Documentary | 2026

Opening Night also features the Philadelphia Premiere of Zhihao Hu’s A Flash and How it Lasts.

Come celebrate the beginning of the 19th annual festival and be among the very first people in the world to experience KIYOSHI.

🎟️ Tickets are on sale now at PAAFF.org

Tickets are now live for the 19th annual Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival!Be the first in line for another year...
10/06/2026

Tickets are now live for the 19th annual Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival!

Be the first in line for another year of world class Asian American, Native Hawaiian, & Pacific Islander films!

🎟️ link in bio or PAAFF.org

10/05/2026

Every year, we gather around a simple but powerful act: telling stories.

Stories of where we come from, where we are going, and what we carry with us along the way. Stories that cross oceans and borders, move between generations, and remind us that our communities have never been static. We are always arriving somewhere new.

This year, our films trace migration patterns, shifting communities, and the ways people carry culture across borders. Through Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander cinema, we encounter stories that are intimate and expansive, joyful and difficult, familiar and entirely new.

Bold new voices. Remarkable premieres. Extraordinary filmmakers and talent. All coming together in Philadelphia.

There is joy in seeing ourselves on screen. Joy in discovering someone else’s story. And something deeply meaningful about sitting together, in the dark, and allowing a film to open up the world a little wider.

This is PAAFF. This is the cinema we gather for.

🎟️ Tickets go on sale Tuesday, October 6 at 9 AM
🌐 PAAFF.org

—
Thank you Maestro Filmworks for producing the 2026 PAAFF trailer.

Bring your next project to life with fiscal sponsorship! PAAFF is now accepting applications for fiscal sponsorship. If ...
10/04/2026

Bring your next project to life with fiscal sponsorship!

PAAFF is now accepting applications for fiscal sponsorship. If you’re an independent filmmaker or creative looking for support in bringing your project to the next level, we’d love to hear from you.

Apply now: www.paaff.org/fiscal-sponsorship
Questions? [email protected]

The 19th annual Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival is back between November 5th to 15th, and we’re looking for th...
10/01/2026

The 19th annual Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival is back between November 5th to 15th, and we’re looking for the amazing people who will help bring the festival to life!

We need the faces, the energy, and the heart of PAAFF across every corner of the festival. Whether you love connecting with people, creating content, capturing the moment, or making things happen behind the scenes, there’s a place for you.

We’re looking for:
🎟️ Big smiles to welcome audiences into theaters
📸 Photographers to capture the moments
📱 Creators to tell the our story in real time
🗂️ Admin minds to keep the festival running smoothly
🎬 Filmmaker liaisons to help our artists feel supported

For 19 years, PAAFF has created a home for bold AANHPI stories, filmmakers, and audiences. Now, we need you to help make it happen.

Come behind the scenes. Meet the artists. Make new connections. Find your people. Be part of the team that brings premiere AANHPI cinema to Philly!

VOLUNTEER WITH US
🔗 Sign up at the link in our bio.

Join us for the 19th Annual Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival! November 5th - 15th. This year, we’re exploring m...
09/28/2026

Join us for the 19th Annual Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival! November 5th - 15th.

This year, we’re exploring migration patterns, shifting communities, and the ways people carry culture across borders. From stories of immigrants and refugees to communities reshaped by displacement, this year’s program brings together world class AANHPI films that reflect how people move, adapt, connect, and carry their cultures with them.

These stories remind us that the boundaries between communities are rarely as fixed as they seem. As Festival & Programming Director Arzhang Zafar writes, “What is valuable, in my opinion, is the opportunity to see the entire world as interconnected, communities as shifting and amorphous, and borders as artificial.”

Come be part of the conversation. Come see the world differently. Come experience The Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival with us!

🎟️ Tickets go on sale October 6th at 9:00 AM at paaff.org

——
Art Direction: .chung

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101 S. 9th Street
Philadelphia, PA
19107

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