Screening

About AAPI Movement Short Film Festival

The AAPI Movement Short Film Festival's goal is to showcase and uplift minority voices voices of the Asian American  and Pacific Islander community and provide an opportunity and place for Asian art and cultures to shine through eight short films. Join us for an enlightening night highlighting the intersection and multi-layered identities within and among the Asian community through stories of heartbreak, pain, resilience, and joy.

A Q&A with filmmaker Neha Gautam will follow the screening.

Hoang the Paper Boy (Dir. Ly Boila | 2022): Hoang, a country boy, uses his paper-folding skills to prove his worth to the Princess Thy Mai. [10 min; Vietnamese with English subtitles]

Velvet Sky (Dir. Charles Jon Gray | 2022): A young naïve filmmaker on the verge of making his first feature film agrees to be mentored by a director he idolizes but realizes too late that his jealous mentor is only out to sabotage him for his own personal gain. He must break away from this toxic relationship and find the story he was meant to tell before his chances of success are tarnished. [16 min; English]

Red Balloon (Dir. Jiaxun Gao | 2022): Julie, a middle-aged housewife, goes to an abortion center by demand of her husband. After an internal struggle and an encounter with a young girl, Julie makes an unexpected decision by the end of the day. [15 min; English and Mandarin with English subtitles]

Passenger Seat (Dir. Neha Gautam | 2022): A young Pakistani girl from Queens, New York, finds herself growing distant to her father as his taxi business starts to decline with the rise of ride-share apps. [19 min; English and Urdu with English subtitles]

What They Left Behind (Dir. Xingyu Gu | 2022): Several years after her grandfathers have passed away, a young woman recollects her memories of them. [7 min; Mandarin with English subtitles]

Bad Asian (Dir. Kim Marcelino | 2023): An Asian American woman’s internalized racism stands between her and a steamy one-night stand. [6 min; English]

Sweet Refuge (Dir. Maryam Mir | 2022): A passionate baklava baker encounters a savvy ladoo maker on the streets of Brooklyn. [12 min; English and Arabic with English subtitles]

Don't Be Sorry (Dir. David Au | 2022): After her husband is assaulted in an anti-Asian hate crime, a timid but resilient Korean-American senior is empowered to fight back when she discovers viral face-slapping competition videos. [10 min; English]

Any film screened at IU Cinema may contain content that viewers find sensitive or upsetting. Visit our Audience Advisories page to learn more.