SEPTEMBER 8, 2020, NEW YORK, NEW YORK – Presented by Asian CineVision, the 43rd Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF43) has announced its feature film lineup. The festival will take place completely online for the very first time, from October 1st - October 11th.
Most of the titles are available for the audiences in the US and Canada to view on-demand within a 48-hour window unless noted otherwise. The remaining lineup, which includes the short films, panels, masterclasses, and events, will be announced by the end of September. Through the program this year, AAIFF continues its efforts to bring communities together, motivate civic engagement, and activate change. Within the total of 17 titles, the feature lineup highlights 10 women-directed films and 9 first or second features from emerging directors. Additionally, the feature lineup consists of 2 special presentations, 9 international films, 2 World premieres, 5 East Coast premieres, and 2 New York City premieres.
Gold Passes are now on sale for $100, a $150 value, and grants priority admission to all AAIFF43 programs, access to exclusive VIP virtual events, and discounted Gold Pass pricing for next year's festival. Individual tickets are $10 each, Household tickets are $15, while 3-tickets
and 5-tickets packages are also available at https://www.aaiff.org/ .
As the first and longest running Asian American film festival in the country that continues to support and empower the AAPI community, AAIFF43 will also present a virtual Pop-Up Market, featuring curated products from local and small businesses by Asian diaspora and BIPOC artisans impacted by COVID-19.
NARRATIVE FEATURES
DEATH OF NINTENDO
Directed by Raya Martin - Philippines/USA - English/Tagalog
Set in '90s Manila in the Philippines, four friends go through a life-changing summer, playing video games and dealing with new dilemmas: puppy love, horror, and circumcision.
DEFINITION PLEASE
Directed by Sujata Day - USA - English
A former Scripps Spelling Bee champion must reconcile with her estranged brother when he
returns home to help care for their sick mother.
This film is only available for one day and geoblocked to the tri-state area (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut).
MODEL
Directed by Ran Jing - China - English/Mandarin
A Chinese architect cares for her younger brother while he recovers from Hepatitis C as a way to obtain a work visa in the U.S.
MONSOON
Directed by Hong Khaou - UK/Vietnam - English/Vietnamese
Returning to Vietnam, the country his family fled in the aftermath of the Vietnam War, for the first time in 30 years, Kit embarks on a promising personal journey to make sense of himself in a place he’s no longer familiar with.
This film is geoblocked to the tri-state area (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut).
MRS. NOISY
Directed by Chihiro Amano - Japan - Japanese
A novelist and her noisy neighbor develop a feud that captures the attention of the social media
outrage machine. This movie is based on a true story.
THE PAPER TIGERS
Directed by Bao Tran - USA - English
Three childhood Kung Fu prodigies have grown into washed-up middle-aged men, one kick away from pulling their hamstrings. Now they must juggle their dead-end jobs and dad duties with overcoming old grudges to avenge their master's death.
STEALING SCHOOL
Directed by Li Dong - Canada - English/Mandarin
A week before her college graduation, an Asian Canadian tech prodigy is accused of plagiarism and must fight to prove her innocence in a secret trial held before an academic tribunal.
TAKE OUT GIRL
Directed by Hisonni Mustafa - USA - English/Cantonese/Spanish
To give her family a chance at a better life and save her family's failing restaurant, Tera Wong, a desperate 20-year-old Asian woman, parlays her Chinese food delivery expertise into a profitable drug hustle.
TWILIGHT'S KISS (SUK SUK)
Directed by Ray Yeung - Hong Kong - Cantonese
Now in their twilight years, two men must choose between their desires for each other and the families they have proudly created.
DOCUMENTARY FEATURES
A THOUSAND CUTS
Directed by Ramona Diaz - Philippines/USA - English/Tagalog - Special Presentation
This documentary goes inside the escalating war between the government and the press in the
Philippines, following Maria Ressa, a renowned journalist who has become a top target of President Rodrigo Duterte's crackdown on the news media.
ASWANG
Directed by Alyx Ayn Arumpac - Philippines - Filipino - Special Presentation
Since President Rodrigo Duterte took office in 2016 and announced his campaign to rid the Philippines of drug addicts and dealers, as many as 20,000 Filipinos have been murdered. ASWANG confronts these executions and their devastating aftermath.
This film is geoblocked to the USA.
CODED BIAS
Directed by Shalini Kantayya - USA - English
CODED BIAS explores the fallout of MIT Media Lab researcher Joy Buolamwini’s startling discovery that facial recognition does not see dark-skinned faces and women accurately and her push for legislative protection against biased AI.
CURTAIN UP!
Directed by Hui Tong - USA - English/Mandarin
A group of Asian American kids in New York's Chinatown prepare the musical production of Frozen Kids as they begin to grapple with their own cultural expectations and identities.
THE DONUT KING
Directed by Alice Gu - USA - English/Chinese/Cambodian
THE DONUT KING follows the rise and fall of a refugee who escapes genocide in his native Cambodia and overcomes poverty by building an unlikely empire of donut shops.
This film is geoblocked to the tri-state area (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut).
EXPORT MY LOVE (外嫁新娘)
Directed by Jinglin Li - USA/China - English/Mandarin
Four Chinese single mothers try their best to find love and new husbands in the U.S., a country they've never been to.
FAR EAST DEEP SOUTH
Directed by Larissa Lam - USA - English/Cantonese
A Chinese American family’s search for their roots leads them to Mississippi, where they stumble upon surprising family revelations and uncover the racially complex history of the early Chinese in the segregated South.
This film is geoblocked to the tri-state area (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut).
FINDING YINGYING
Directed by Jiayan “Jenny” Shi - USA - English/Mandarin
After a young Chinese student goes missing on a university campus, her family travels to the U.S. for the first time to unravel the mystery of her disappearance and discover how much her life touched others.
This film is geoblocked to the tri-state area (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut).
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About the Asian American International Film Festival
Established in 1978, the Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF), presented by Asian CineVision, is the nation’s first and longest running festival of its kind and the premier showcase for the best Asian independent and Asian American cinema. AAIFF is committed to film and media as a tool for social change and supporting diversity and inclusion in independent cinema, the Asian American media arts and the API community.
About Asian CineVision
Asian CineVision (ACV) is a media arts nonprofit devoted to the development, exhibition, promotion, and preservation of Asian and Asian American experiences through storytelling. Our mission is to nurture and grow the community of makers and lovers of independent diasporic Asian film, television, and digital.
Thank You
The 43rd Asian American International Film Festival is made possible by support from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and the Friends of ACV.
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