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hi ading
Directed by Dinaly Tran
A poetic short that provides a glimpse into a love story. Speaking to their parents’ past selves, Dinaly asks and hopes that these past versions might help them realize that the decisions they may not understand are still made out of love.
Drive to Freedom
Directed by Yuqin Wu
Driving has been promised to lead to freedom and autonomy. But for whom? This short delves into Roosevelt Boulevard in Philadelphia — one of the highways with the most traffic and pedestrian fatalities — uncovering the impact of a driver-centric landscape on people’s perception of their bodies.
Recurrence
Directed by Ali Alizadeh
An old man can’t find his cows. Realizing there’s no place for him in his house, he leaves, and the cows come back.
Swimming Lessons
Directed by Meloddy Gao
A personal, reflexive film that follows a daughter of Chinese immigrants who yearns to understand her transoceanic family’s expressions of grief. During a summer visit to the home her parents left behind in Beijing, China, she tries to learn what they never taught her: how to navigate a heat wave, how to cook watermelon, and how to say goodbye.
Threading Silence
Directed by Isabel Tay
A Singaporean family’s silenced grief over the death of an uncle parallels the country’s removal of diverse dialects and funeral rituals that conceal mourning.
Wouldn’t Make It Any Other Way
Directed by Hao Zhou
Having built a colorful queer life in Iowa, a costume designer visits their island homeland of Guam to make costumes for a children’s theatre while reconnecting with distanced parents.
To the Class of Us
Directed by Veda Lee
On high school graduation day, two friends learn how to say goodbye to the past — and most importantly, to each other.
Detours Ahead
Directed by Esther Cheung
A road trip traces a transition of grief to acceptance through valleys, junctions, and detours. It is a meditation on solitude, and articulates my shifting relationship with place.
The Queen’s Flowers
Directed by Ciara Leinaʻala Lacy
A magical take on a true story, The Queen’s Flowers is an animated short adventure for kids that follows Emma, a Native Hawaiian girl in 1915 Honolulu, as she makes a special gift for the last monarch of Hawai`i, Queen Lili`uokalani.
A Karaoke Space Odyssey
Directed by Achim Mendoza
In this campy sci-fi rom-com musical, Stella, an undocumented Filipino in pursuit of a green card, goes on a wild karaoke date with a goofy white man that turns the whole world on its ear.
Daly City
Directed by Nick Hartanto
An Indonesian boy and his mother attend a church potluck and lie about their dish.
Bloomed in the Water
Directed by Joanne Mony Park
A Korean immigrant single mother misinterprets school picture day, resulting in surprise when her son’s appearance differs from his classmates’.
Dates & Times
Asian Arts Initiative
November 8, 2024
6:30 pm
