This collection of AAPI short films reflects the journeys, struggles, and triumphs of immigrant life. From the bittersweet act of leaving home to the challenges of building a new one, these stories capture the resilience, hope, and sacrifice woven into the immigrant experience. Through intimate portraits and universal themes, the films honor the courage it takes to cross borders—geographic, cultural, and emotional—while celebrating the legacies immigrants create for future generations.

RISING traces the history of China Alley in Hanford, California and how four generations of the Wing family established and maintained their roots in Central Valley. Director Evelyn Hang Yin<a href="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-connector.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/920/586/original/fc67933653-headshot.jpg?1730743798" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><img src="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-connector.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/920/586/thumb/fc67933653-headshot.jpg?1730743798" width="182"></a> Evelyn Hang Yin is an interdisciplinary artist and filmmaker based in Los Angeles. Yin investigates how her experience moving between China and the U.S. informs her cultural identity, and is invested in issues of race, history, place/displacement, and collective memory.

Rising

Three precocious Vietnamese American siblings—Lucy, Kevin, and Eric—are home alone again, ready to make the most of their unsupervised time. What starts as a simple mission to make dinner quickly spirals into a disaster in the kitchen and some questionable decisions.As their mother's return looms, the kids scramble to cover up the chaos they've created, coming together in a race against time to preserve their world... and keep their mother from worrying.This comedic short is a look into an immigrant American childhood in the Bay Area, CA. Director Lucia Tran<a href="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-connector.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/951/206/original/50c9e161d1-headshot.jpg?1737051689" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><img src="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-connector.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/951/206/thumb/50c9e161d1-headshot.jpg?1737051689" width="228"></a> Lucia is a filmmaker in Los Angeles who runs a production studio called Her Studio (www.herstudioco.com). She’s been doing this for over 10 years, and now she needs to stretch in-between takes.Formerly, Lucia was a tween web developer, teen magazine editor, and a publicist. She’s so excited to be a professional storyteller.When Lucia isn’t working, she’s listening to NPR, petting every dog she sees, and trying to figure out how to save the world from utter doom.

We're Okay

Lucas, a 17-year-old Chinese American cellist, must face his relationship with music when asked to play for his grandmother. Director Isabel Li<a href="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-connector.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/952/869/original/d43a003cfd-headshot.jpg?1734652728" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><img src="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-connector.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/952/869/thumb/d43a003cfd-headshot.jpg?1734652728" width="246"></a> Isabel Li is a Chinese American scholar-filmmaker based in Los Angeles. She prides herself on her liberal arts background, combining her studies in music, history, and media studies in her films. When she isn't writing her classical-music-meets-magical-realism series, you can find her practicing violin, sculpting figurines, or researching media theories.

Play, Then

A young Vietnamese-American man revisits treasured memories of helping his mother, and fulfills a childhood promise he made to her, paying the ultimate price. Director Vu Hoang<a href="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-connector.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/568/718/original/f37582572c-headshot.jpg?1701482714" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><img src="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-connector.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/568/718/thumb/f37582572c-headshot.jpg?1701482714"></a> Vu Hoang is a storyteller, whether it’s through films, sports featurettes, commercials, or music videos. As a director, Vu has worked on a variety of projects, including directing a cast of 35 kids on the award-winning epic Western adventure short "Marty: A Wild West Neverland.” Another career highlight is the airing of an Aeropostale commercial on the jumbo screen in NY Times Square, and Vu has had music videos featured as the Vimeo Staff Pick, generating hundreds of thousands of internet views. He just recently wrapped up his most personal project "Newspapers" a short film about a Vietnamese immigrant family loosely inspired by his childhood and upbringing.He is also an Emmy-winning editor who has worked on feature documentaries and shorts, music videos, commercials, and independent projects, much of Vu’s work has aired on national television. Vu believes his strong professional experience post-production has given him a solid grasp of the overall process of a film, taking a story from concept to screening. This experience has helped shape the way he directs his screen projects, keeping the story central, and having a collaborative environment.Currently in development is his first independent feature film, Vu is working on a feature film version of his short "Newspapers." As a Vietnamese-American, Vu’s aim is to bring more diverse stories and talent to the big screen.

Newspapers

A son tries to commemorate his late mother by making a nostalgic Korean dish. Director Biography - Haaram Kim<a href="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-connector.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/688/092/original/72fed0306b-headshot.jpg?1728780693" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> <img src="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-connector.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/688/092/thumb/72fed0306b-headshot.jpg?1728780693"> </a>Haaram Kim's passion for film began during middle school when he and his friends created short skits on YouTube. He now hopes to create films that entertain, inspire, and educate from a Korean-American perspective. Haaram is attending UC Santa Barbara and expects to graduate with a Film and Media Studies BA.

Son-Mat (손맛)

Online - Immigrant Experience/Stories 1

Virtual Admission

Thank&nbsp;you&nbsp;for your generous donation to the Silicon Valley Asian Pacific FilmFest, a production of CATS (Contemporary Asian Theater Scene), a non profit 501c3. EIN: 77-0402633 Thank&nbsp;You,Silicon Valley Asian Pacific FilmFest<a href="https://www.svapfilmfest.org" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.svapfilmfest.org</a>

Donation to {{name}}

Donate

Gift Cards

None available

Memberships

These are all the memberships tied to your account. Now, use our online schedule to reserve tickets. You can access your tickets via {{my_tickets_link|"My Tickets"}} or via the PDFs attached to each ticket order confirmation email. {{buy_membership_link|Looking to buy more memberships?}}

These are all the passes tied to your account. Now, use our online schedule to reserve tickets. You can access your tickets via {{my_tickets_link|"My Tickets"}} or via the PDFs attached to each ticket order confirmation email. {{buy_pass_link|Looking to buy more passes?}}

These are all your purchased tickets. Open this page on your phone, and at the door tap the "Show Barcode" button and show your screen to the attendant. Prefer paper? Print the PDF attached to the order confirmation email, or click one of the gears below and select "Download tickets PDF". If purchasing multiple tickets, be sure to print or show each unique ticket barcode. 

Festival Passes

Weekend Passes

Here's what's coming up soon. Can't make it? No sweat. Many live streams will be available for on-demand viewing as well.