Gala Presentations

Documentaries, Gala Presentations

Centerpiece Documentary: Bad Axe

Film Centerpiece Documentary: Bad Axe Directed by David Siev On the eve of pandemic shutdowns, burgeoning filmmaker David Siev returns to his hometown of Bad Axe, Michigan,…

Documentaries, Gala Presentations

Opening Night + Gala: Free Chol Soo Lee

Film Opening Night + Gala: Free Chol Soo Lee Directed by Julie Ha and Eugene Yi Asian American activists and Korean immigrants rally to free a death row inmate in a landmark movement in…

Gala Presentations

Directions in Sound: Ensemble Mik Nawooj

Special Event Directions in Sound: Ensemble Mik Nawooj Surround yourself in the hip-hop stylings of a multi-piece orchestra led by composer and pianist JooWan Kim. Strings,...

Gala Presentations, Narratives

Centerpiece Narrative: Leonor Will Never Die

Film Centerpiece Narrative: Leonor Will Never Die Directed by Martika Ramirez Escobar What if you could change what was happening before your very eyes? Genres collide in this wild tale…

Gala Presentations, Narratives

Closing Night: Every Day in Kaimukī

Film Closing Night: Every Day in Kaimukī Directed by Alika Tengan When his girlfriend receives an opportunity outside of their small Hawaiian town, Kaimukī, Naz also decides to leave.…

Gala Presentations

Opening Night Gala

Special Event Opening Night Gala Join us on Thursday, May 12th to celebrate 40 years of CAAMFest and our return to in-person events....

Narratives

Anita

Film Anita Directed by Longman Leung Anita Mui lost her father when she was young and grew up in a single parent household where…

Coffin Homes

Film Coffin Homes Directed by Fruit Chan Soaring property prices drive dwellers to take every insane effort necessary to secure a cramped space, even if…

Dawning

Film Dawning Directed by Young Min Kim A trauma therapist, Haejin Park, is forced to face her family's darkest past after she returns to her…

Dealing with Dad

Film Dealing with Dad Directed by Tom Huang Margaret Chang reluctantly goes back to her hometown with her hapless brothers to deal with the sudden depression...

Drifting

Film Drifting Directed by Jun Li Ex-prisoner Fai is roughing it on the streets, but the government doesn't care why he's a junkie or…

Gala Presentations, Narratives

Closing Night: Every Day in Kaimukī

Film Closing Night: Every Day in Kaimukī Directed by Alika Tengan When his girlfriend receives an opportunity outside of their small Hawaiian town, Kaimukī, Naz also decides to leave.…

Gala Presentations, Narratives

Centerpiece Narrative: Leonor Will Never Die

Film Centerpiece Narrative: Leonor Will Never Die Directed by Martika Ramirez Escobar What if you could change what was happening before your very eyes? Genres collide in this wild tale…

Maika

Film Maika Directed by Ham Tran Hung, an 8-year-old boy, is hurt and lonely after the recent death of his mother and his best…

Mud Water

Film Mud Water Directed by My-Linh Le Set in Oakland where turfing started, MUD WATER is just as much a blend of styles in dance…

Silent River

Film Silent River Directed by Chris Chan Lee Elliot checks into a motel, estranged from but hoping to reunite with his wife. Broke, broken, and in…

Documentaries

Documentaries, Gala Presentations

Centerpiece Documentary: Bad Axe

Film Centerpiece Documentary: Bad Axe Directed by David Siev On the eve of pandemic shutdowns, burgeoning filmmaker David Siev returns to his hometown of Bad Axe, Michigan,…

Blue Island

Film Blue Island Directed by Chan Tze-woon Generations of people have been fighting for freedom in Hong Kong. Three characters speak of their fight as…

Blurring the Color Line

Film Blurring the Color Line Directed by Crystal Kwok Asians were allowed to enroll in white schools, but was this simply an oversight? Where did the Chinese…

Delikado

Film Delikado Directed by Karl Malakunas A charismatic lawyer leads good men to their deaths, an ex-illegal logger seeks redemption, a grandmother politician defies…

Documentaries, Gala Presentations

Opening Night + Gala: Free Chol Soo Lee

Film Opening Night + Gala: Free Chol Soo Lee Directed by Julie Ha and Eugene Yi Asian American activists and Korean immigrants rally to free a death row inmate in a landmark movement in…

In Search of Bengali Harlem

Film In Search of Bengali Harlem Directed by Alaudin Ullah, Vivek Bald In Search of Bengali Harlem is a transformative journey, not just for Alaudin Ullah, but for our understanding…

Like a Rolling Stone: The Life and Times of Ben Fong-Torres

Film Like a Rolling Stone: The Life and Times of Ben Fong-Torres Directed by Suzanne Joe Kai Rolling Stone magazine started in San Francisco but made waves across American pop culture. It was shaped and…

Mixed

Film Mixed Directed by Caty Borum Chattoo & Leena Jayaswal It has been 50 years since Loving v. Virginia, a landmark case that ended the persecution of interracial…

Shorts Programs

Shorts Programs

Asian American Stories of Resilience and Beyond

Program Asian American Stories of Resilience and Beyond While we’ve seen the rise of anti-Asian racism, we’ve also seen the rise of solidarity efforts within Asian…

Shorts Programs

Boundless

Program Boundless Sometimes our most intimate stories drift beyond casual understandings of time, transcending into something more. Like ocean waves,…

Shorts Programs

Great Expectations

Program Great Expectations At decisive moments in our lives, secret human incongruities bubble to the surface. These narratives profile characters facing…

Shorts Programs

Homegrown

Program Homegrown The cities by the Bay have always had a reputation for eclectic personalities of all ages. From basketball…

Shorts Programs

New Journeys

Program New Journeys Caring for those around us can demand we break out of the habitual to meet the moment. Whether…

Shorts Programs

Pacific Shorts

Program Pacific Shorts These tales from the Pacific dive deep into our relationship with land, culture, and mythology: a Samoan girl…

Shorts Programs

People Power

Program People Power What does it take to move two people? What about two hundred? These are stories of communities coming…

Shorts Programs

Spectral Drivers

Program Spectral Drivers Phantoms of the shameful past—of the unsteady future—of things gone unsaid—manifest in different ways. Whether they come from…