March was an eventful month from Diasporic Disco Queer Prom to SXSW. Let’s get into it and debrief!
With A Brighter Summer Day playing at the AFS through this weekend (first week of April 2024), we’re resharing an article on the film written by AAAFF Special Programs & Film Programmer, Josh Martin, back in 2016.
Earlier this month we hosted an event at AFS Cinema called Art In Motion: Expressions Through Film with our friends at aGLIFF, Cine Las Americas, IndieMeme, and Austin Jewish Film Festival in collaboration with Big Medium’s Studio Tour. This showcase explores art in practice, expressionism, and performance through the medium of film.
The 30th edition of the Austin Film Festival kicks off their full day of programming on Thursday, and we are excited to share their Asian and AANHPI feature films!
At David’s age, I so badly wanted Campbell’s chicken noodle soup to cure my colds instead. When David complains that his grandma “smells like Korea” and demands to know why she doesn’t bake cookies like real grandmas do, I stifle guilty chuckles, remembering the scent of a-mah’s old clothes, mothballs and the wet market offerings of southern Taiwan.
Dear Asian American community and allies,
It has been a year of change and new that we at AAAFF have been navigating through in the past year. Although we have had some tremendous growth in the organization, we have also been balancing that with how to be a civically-minded arts nonprofit. Unfortunately, what has not been new is anti-Asian hate and violence against women of Asian descent in part perpetuated by the harmful stereotypes of Asians depicted in the media we consume.
This is why our work in championing Asian and Asian American stories by those from the communities they write and create films about is so important. We would also like to take some time to highlight the tremendous work that our fellow Austin-area nonprofit, Asian Family Services of Austin, does around domestic violence and sexual assault.
Our team and community have been working on how to be a bigger part of the solution. In the meantime, please consider these resources to learn more about how to #StopAAPIHate.
Hanna Huang, Executive Director of AAAFF
The differences in our experiences have resulted in a complicated relationship between Black and Asian Americans. At its best, our bond as POC’s could easily be described as a force to be reckoned with. At its worst, our differences are weaponized by the guardians of white supremacy resulting in some gnarly shit on both sides of the racial aisle. Yea dude, it’s #complicated. This is why I think media, specifically film, is such an important tool for fostering a collective understanding.
In these past few years, we’ve come a long way, with increased attention on social justice for black, brown, and indigenous bodies. I understand that this is a MOMENT! It deserves celebration! But as we throw our hands in the air and rejoice in the progress, I can’t help but notice that my poor arms are exhausted and sore from years of throwing my fists in the air in protest and swatting down microaggressions. As a half-Black, half-Japanese woman living in America looking towards the future, it’s important I remind myself that it’s okay to prioritize joy in the face of racial adversity that seeks to grind us down. Not only is it okay–it’s crucial.
