Part of the 43rd Asian American International Film Festival
Presented by Asian CineVision in association with Asia Society

Join us as we intimately experience fire-breathing on the hawker-lined streets of Saigon, the waters of Manilla amidst the Philippines' drug war, and Filipino karaoke in a beloved restaurant in National City, California. While the short film Ephemeral takes an experimental approach using archival footage from the 70s to create an expansive look at a past Vietnam, A Trip with Mom uses traditional narrative to explore the complexities in caring for the aging. These films illuminate the quietness in each moment to create portraits of family, places, and connection.

Stay Awake, Be Ready
Dir. by Pham Thien An 
On a street corner a mysterious conversation among three young men at a street stalls, while a motorbike creates a traffic accident. The night creates a sketch of a multicolor reality.

BASURERO
Dir. by Eileen Cabiling
Bong, a Filipino fisherman, works in an urban fishing village on the outskirts of Manila. Desperate for cash, he dumps bodies into the ocean for the drug war’s faceless vigilantes. 

A Trip With Mom
Dir. by Sophie Shui 隋淑芬
While struggling to take care of his 80-year-old disabled mother, middle-aged Xia Changming loses his job and must face an onslaught of external pressures.

Ephemeral
Dir. by Alexander Phuc Khang Nguyen
A juxtaposition of life before 1975 and life during the fall of Sai Gon – a matter of life or death, the Vietnamese people took a leap of faith to escape their homeland, in search of finding a better life for themselves and their children.

Bidyoke
Dir. by Joseph Mangat
Portrait of a beloved Filipino karaoke-restaurant in National City, California, that has since closed its doors. We join a spirited assortment of patrons and DJs in this electric immigrant space, reminiscing through classic ballads deep into the night.

This film is available to stream from October 1-13, 2020. After your purchase, you will receive an email with a link to view the film. For more information and FAQ’s, please visit our How To Festival section.

The Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF) is proudly known as "The First Home to Asian American Cinema." Organized by Asian CineVision, it's the first and longest-running festival dedicated to showcasing the moving image work by media artists of Asian descent for and about the Asian diaspora experience.