"The New Mexico Asian American Film Festival will showcase a wide variety of short films made by Asian/Asian American filmmakers. This event lifts up Asian American voices and empowers emerging artists to share their experiences, challenge perspectives, and celebrate their heritage and culture.

Formally under the Asian Business Collaborative as the New Mexico Asian Film Festival. We are very grateful that ABC got us up and running!" - Festival Director, Lava G. Khonsuwon

Prizes:

$15,000 Film Grant from Panavision - Best NM Filmmaker

Documentary Course from Desktop Documentaries - Best Documentary

DaVinci Resolve Studio - Best Film  

BONUS - there will be a short talk/Q&A with the filmmakers after each block of shorts!

To be screened - 

BLOCK 1:  3:45 - 4:45pm

THE MARKET -  The journey to the Southeast Asian Market in south Philadelphia’s FDR Park, founded by refugees who carved out their own space of nourishment and belonging.  [Dir Oanh-Nhi Nguyen  - SE Asian - 11m]

RUYA - When a T’boli dreamweaver goes into a coma, her anxious, insomniac daughter must dream and communicate with Fu Dalu, the Spirit of Abaca, to continue designing the next t'nalak.  [Dir. Nicole Mairose Dizon - Filipino - 7.5m]

A LETTER TO MOM - Hting, a Burmese immigrant, full-time sushi chef, and film student, shares a letter to his mom in which he describes the challenges, sacrifices, and experiences that shaped his education — including moving away from home and adapting to new environments — as he navigated the journey from a small village in Burma to becoming a film student in Philadelphia. [Dir. Hting Ra - Burmese - 11.5m]

40 - A take on an immigrant's pursuit of the American dream from the perspective of a 4 year old. [Dir. Terry Ngo - Vietnamese - 5.3m]

NOODLE THERAPY - Caught between two worlds, Rose and Jacob, mixed Isaan-Thai teens, distance themselves from their Isaan-Thai heritage. However, attending a traditional ceremony forces them to embrace their cultural identity. As they witness the beauty and significance of the rituals, they discover a sense of belonging they never knew they craved. [Dir. Lava G. Khonsuwon - Thai - 4.5m]

WHAT THE HEAVEN - When his late father’s ghost returns seeking closure, a Chinese American student must confront their fractured bond and cultural divide to help him find peace in the afterlife. [Dir. Richard Yan - Chinese - 13m]

BLOCK 2:  5:10 - 6:10pm

FilAM - The story of a young Filipino American named JP, a boy on the cusp of adulthood who’s struggling to figure out his place in the world, and who he really is. Is he Filipino enough? Is he really American? And why does any of that even matter?

JP is surrounded by opinionated but loving family and friends, who will help guide him on his path to finding his identity." [Dir. Tony Marquez - Filipino - 12.5m]

BETWEEN US - Follows the multilayered stories of LGBTQIA+ Khmer and Vietnamese cultural workers in southern California as they contemplate the in-betweenness of belonging, healing, and carving out spaces of their own.  [Dir. Quyen Nguyen-Le - Cambodian/Vietnamese - 15m]

ALL THE LOVE YOU EVER GET - A marriage is thrust into upheaval when Jessica reveals devastating information to Will, forever altering their course. [Dir. Ariel Lopez - Filipino - 6m]

WHERE IS MY HOME? - Japanese-American filmmaker Kenji recalls his struggles and confusion with his identity as an American and Japanese person. [Dir. Kenji Damp - Japanese - 3m]

SONATA - Korean-American sisters and classical musicians, Viv and Gia, must grapple with diverging ambitions amidst the strain of caring for their ailing mother. [Dir. Eljin Yoo - Korean - 20m]

**AWARDS!  6:30 - 6:45pm

BLOCK 3:  6:50 - 7:30pm

SO, THAT HAPPENED - Sheila and Imran haven’t seen each other since college, but when Imran moves back to Austin, an opportunity arises for the pair to get acquainted once more. [Dir. Neha Aziz - Pakistani - 9m]

MIRROR MIRROR - Inspired by an Asian superstition that a mirror beside the bed can trap a person’s soul, Mirror Mirror follows a young woman on a work trip who checks into a sparse room containing only a bed, a nightstand, and an ominous mirror. [Dir. Anchitta Noowong - Thai - 7.5m]

THE DELIVERY - When a young man is cornered in an interrogation room, the truth doesn’t come quietly, it fights back. The Delivery is a 2-minute action micro-short that blends cinematic fight choreography with a grounded, high-stakes escape. [Dir. Chris Frint - East Asian - 2.5m]

THE PERFECT CUT - A Director will stop at nothing to capture the perfect cut, pushing his Actress past the point of no return, blurring the line between performance and reality.  Please note this is a horror film! [Dir. Felicia Allen - mixed/Filipino - 13.5m]