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ALL SHORT FILMS

This year, we have over 50 riveting and diverse short films. This year's slate of short films celebrate new works from established filmmakers and also a look at future storytellers.

13 MILES FOR TOILET PAPER

Film 13 MILES FOR TOILET PAPER Directed by Chalisa Phiboolsook When filmmaker Chalisa Phiboolsook’s half marathon was cancelled due the COVID 19, she didn’t didn’t let that stop…

AFTERIMAGES

Film AFTERIMAGES Directed by Bryan Sih In this tense and emotional visionary short film by multimedia artist, Bryan Sih, a father and his son…

BUT YOU’RE NOT BLACK

Film BUT YOU’RE NOT BLACK Directed by Danielle Ayow “A Chinese-Caribbean-Canadian woman, driven by people’s inability to separate her skin colour from her culture, tries to own...

CLUB QUARANTINE

Film CLUB QUARANTINE Directed by Aurora Brachman Every night during the Covid-19 lockdown, hundreds of people from around the world gather in a massive queer…

COVID AND WHO I AM NOW

Film COVID AND WHO I AM NOW Directed by Diana Dai In this powerful and emotional short documentary, Mary, a young Chinese Canadian medical student is attacked during the…

FRESH PEACHES

Film FRESH PEACHES Directed by Lana Nguyen Circa 1977. When his grandmother is falsely accused of stealing a tube of lipstick, a Vietnamese boy named…

HAVE YOU EATEN?

Film HAVE YOU EATEN? Directed by Lina Li While quarantining at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, filmmaker Lina Li documents her mother preparing a meal, while…

HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN ME?

Film HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN ME? Directed by Baljit Sangra In this emotionally compelling short, acclaimed director Baljit Sangra shines light on North American's oldest running Sikh Temple…

HIGH STRUNG

Film HIGH STRUNG Directed by Melissa Kan When two brothers must play each other at a junior tennis tournament, is there really a winner?

HOW TO DIE YOUNG IN MANILA

Film HOW TO DIE YOUNG IN MANILA Directed by Petersen Vargas In this evocative, dream-like story a teenage boy follows a group of young hustlers, thinking one of them…

KEEP SARAY HOME

Film KEEP SARAY HOME Directed by Brian Redondo ICE doesn’t just separate families at the border. In the outskirts of Boston, three families face the impending…

KOREATOWN GHOST STORY

Film KOREATOWN GHOST STORY Directed by Minsun Park, Teddy Tenenbaum In this supernatural horror tale based on a Korean ritual starring legendary Margaret Cho and Lyrica Okano, a…

KOTO: THE LAST SERVICE

Film KOTO: THE LAST SERVICE Directed by Joella Cabalu After being open for over 40 years, reflections and memories are shared by employees and customers alike of…

LET’S EAT

Film LET’S EAT Directed by Dixon Wong As a young woman prepares a meal, she reflects back about both the happy and bitter memories with…

LUNAR: THE JEWISH-ASIAN FILM PROJECT EP. 1: THE TASTE OF CONNECTION

Film LUNAR: THE JEWISH-ASIAN FILM PROJECT EP. 1: THE TASTE OF CONNECTION Directed by Jared Chiang-Zeizel, Jenni Rudolph In the first episode of a docuseries exploring the stories of Asian American Jews, several of them discuss…

NICEVILLE

Film NICEVILLE Directed by Bree Nieves In a knock-out film by Filmmaker Bree Nieves, perfectly showcases her unique perspective and stunning visual style.

OFF DUTY

Film OFF DUTY Directed by Shetal Shah During a quiet afternoon, a Muslim American woman’s life is interrupted when she meets a pregnant homeless woman.…

PARKED IN AMERICA

Film PARKED IN AMERICA Directed by Luke Salin In this SXSW official selection, Bay Area filmmaker Luke Salin brings to the screen an enchanting and touching…

PHOENIX BAKERY: SWEETS FOR THE SWEET

Film PHOENIX BAKERY: SWEETS FOR THE SWEET Directed by Janet Chen As the Los Angeles Chinatown’s Phoenix Bakery celebrates its 80th anniversary, the Chan family reflects back on its…

RADICAL CARE: THE AUNTIE SEWING SQUAD

Film RADICAL CARE: THE AUNTIE SEWING SQUAD CAAMFest’s Spotlight Alum Valerie Soe is back with a powerful documentary that shines a light on the Auntie…

THE COMPLAINT

Film THE COMPLAINT Directed by Nelson Kim Filmmaker Nelson Kim (SOMEONE ELSE) is back at CAAMFest with his new short film, THE COMPLAINT.

TO LIVE HERE (sống ở đây)

Film TO LIVE HERE (sống ở đây) Directed by Melanie Ho Exploring the intimacy of the mundane, sống ở đây | TO LIVE HERE focuses on the lives of…

VAN SANCTUARY

Film VAN SANCTUARY Directed by Saleem Reshamwala This charming and humorous film, a very unofficial ice cream van rolls into a church parking lot and...

83 AND ALONE

Film 83 AND ALONE Directed by Alina Peng, Charles Zhang Bhutan is one of the world’s two carbon-negative countries. But, sandwiched between carbon-emitting giants China and India, it…

BREATHE (HINGA)

Film BREATHE (HINGA) Directed by Sammay Dizon BREATH (HINGA) is a performance ritual film and time capsule honoring the sacred grief, life force, and resiliency…

CHÁ SĪ / CHASM

Film CHÁ SĪ / CHASM Directed by Waeli Wang An experimental screendance in collaboration with performers  Katie Huang and Samantha Lin exploring duality, transcontinental passage, and fragmented...

CHIMERA

Film CHIMERA Directed by Eileen Yoon In Filmmaker Eileen Yoon’s stunning film, CHIMERA, present day moments in New York lead Ayeon to reflect on…

CHINATOWN PRETTY

Film CHINATOWN PRETTY Directed by Roy Chan In San Francisco, Chinatown Community Development Center (CCDC) is using storytelling and arts projects highlighting the lived experiences...

CITRIC ACID

Film CITRIC ACID Directed by Elenie Chung In this powerful and dream-like film, Aino and Yu Xing are two best friends and working fine artists.

DANNY, DANNY

Film DANNY, DANNY Directed by Huan Cheng It is in the silent spaces of our lives that we often wrestle with ourselves. Follow the solitary…

DISTANT LEARNING

Film DISTANT LEARNING Directed by Elena GK Rapu, Sergio M. Rapu A Rapanui filmmaker and father living in the American Midwest never imagined he would lose his ability to…

DRIVING WITH THE TOP DOWN

Film DRIVING WITH THE TOP DOWN Directed by Edward Gunawan DRIVING WITH THE TOP DOWN, a touching film by filmmaker Edward Gunawan explores his family's intergenerational trauma and…

DUET

Film DUET Directed by Shae Xu In this sensual and dream-like film, an unspoken romance inevitably resurfaces when a high school music teacher meets…

F1-100

Film F1-100 Directed by Emory Chao Johnson Art, animation, archival footage, and digital video are interwoven in this transnational meditation through time and space of…

FITNESS! OR A STORY ABOUT SWEAT

Film FITNESS! OR A STORY ABOUT SWEAT Filmmaker and Actor Kana Hatakeyama (OKAASAN) is back at CAAMFest with a new vibrant and hilarious story about…

HOW TO CATCH A TAOTAOMONA

Film HOW TO CATCH A TAOTAOMONA Directed by Neil Tinkman As Raph wanders through the jungles behind his house, he encounters a human figure that resembles the taotaomona,…

HAWAIIAN SOUL

Film HAWAIIAN SOUL Directed by ‘Āina Paikai Based on the life of George Helm, the Hawaiian activist and musician takes it upon himself to persuade...

IN THE SHADOWS OF THE PINE

Film IN THE SHADOWS OF THE PINE Directed by Anne Koizumi In this stunning animated short documentary, filmmaker Anne Koizumi taps into her memories of her childhood and her…

KUROSHIO CURRENT

Film KUROSHIO CURRENT A man searches for the amulet his mother gave him before he left for America. He embarks on…

LET’S REMEMBER OUR ANCESTORS (TA HASSO I MANAINA)

Film LET’S REMEMBER OUR ANCESTORS (TA HASSO I MANAINA) Directed by Neil Tinkham Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, a Chamoru cultural foundation attempts to continue its mission by having members create a…

LOVE X BITES

Film LOVE X BITES Directed by M. Noe, Yupar Momo During Covid19 outbreak, two women enter the quarantine at a hotel and share a room.

MAHÅLANG

Film MAHÅLANG Directed by Caili Quan, Elliot deBruyn, Nathaniel Brown “Mahålang” is Caili Quan’s love letter to Guam: an exploration of family, nostalgia, identity and a longing for…

MAIA CRUZ PALILEO: BECOMING THE MOON

Film MAIA CRUZ PALILEO: BECOMING THE MOON Directed by Ligaiya Romero Filmmaker Ligaiya Romero explores the life and work of Maia Cruz Palileo, the multi-disciplinary, Brooklyn-based artist who examines…

MICHELLE

Film MICHELLE Directed by Kenya Gillespie Growing up can be hard, especially a shy Asian American girl who’s being picked on by high school…

MAHALO COVID-19

Film MAHALO COVID-19 Directed by Matt Yamashita When a filmmaker and his small island community take on the pandemic, they unsuspectingly find a clearer path…

ONCE UPON A SCREEN: EXPLOSIVE PARADOX

Film ONCE UPON A SCREEN: EXPLOSIVE PARADOX Directed by Kevin B. Lee A childhood experience is projected on a shadowy wall of a former movie theatre in Daly City.

SMILEY DEATH FACE

Film SMILEY DEATH FACE Directed by Andrew Patrick Torrez You have a new message. In this terrifying short film, a young girl stumbles into a text message…

STAND UP

Film STAND UP Directed by Dasha Masaltina, Kitty Hu When a genuine friendship develops between two Black women a generation apart, comedic chaos ensues as they encounter…

SUMMERWINTERSUMMER

Film SUMMERWINTERSUMMER Directed by Thy Tran Struggling to deal with Martin's disappearance, Duy resorts to anonymous hook-ups to escape the emptiness.

SWINGIN’

Film SWINGIN’ Directed by Shang-Sing Guo When sixth-grader boy Qiu is bullied in school for having gay dads, his stepfather Howard, a flamboyant Jazz…

SYNCHRONIZED

Film SYNCHRONIZED Directed by Corinne Manabat Cueva SYNCHRONIZED is an experimental documentary short that embraces 5 women of color as they collectively reflect about their…

THE APARTMENT

Film THE APARTMENT Directed by Hyomin When a mumbling taxi driver drops off his customer at their apartment complex, he gets lost within the…

THE BOAT NO. 5

Film THE BOAT NO. 5 Directed by Reyhane Kavosh Filmmaker Reyhane Kavosh’s THE BOAT NO. 5 is a young Iranian girl relishes the wondrous sights spent boating…

THE LEAF

Film THE LEAF Directed by William J. Zang THE LEAF is a personal, poetic, documentary film about Director Will J. Zang’s experience as both a filmmaker…

TRACE

Film TRACE TRACE is a wild, sci-fi action film brought by creative minds at Wong Fu Productions and OSU Films.…

UDAAN

Film UDAAN Directed by Amman Abbasi In filmmaker Amman Abbasi's film UDAAN, a young Pakistani woman moving to Paragould, Arkansas to start college in…

WE STAY IN THE HOUSE

Film WE STAY IN THE HOUSE Directed by Kiyoko McCrae Filmmaker Kiyoko McCrae follows mothers who have to balance working from home with taking care of their children.

WHEELCHAIR WENDY

Film WHEELCHAIR WENDY Directed by Shaina Ghuraya An eager-to-please doll in a wheelchair is placed in the perfect world of the narcissistic Barbara, and must…

YUAN YUAN AND THE HOLLOW MONSTER

Film YUAN YUAN AND THE HOLLOW MONSTER Directed by Catherine Chen Adorable and touching, YUAN YUAN AND THE HOLLOW MONSTER is a beautiful film by filmmaker Catherine Chen.

REACT

Film REACT Directed by Nobuyuki Arai, Takahiro Sato ReAct is brand video of KUDEN, flagship model Samurai Mode Series. The final mission/goal of KUDEN, CEO Takahiro…