Boston Asian American Film Festival

10/22/2026

10/21/2026

🎥Betty St. Clair
Directed by Syra McCarthy, Kyle Casey Chu
11 mins | English, Cantonese | New England Premiere

When an anxious Chinese American drag queen hosts a showcase for an unconventional audience, a surprise guest sends her spiraling into self-doubt. Meanwhile, backstage shenanigans from her chaotic drag family threaten to derail the whole show.

Featuring appearances from the US’s longest running all-AAPI drag family, the Rice Rockettes!

🎥SHORTS: Families, Forged & Found
📅Saturday, Oct. 24, 3:30PM EDT
📍Emerson Paramount Center
🎤Followed by Q&A

“Families, Forged and Found” highlights the bonds made between friends, neighbors, communities, and beyond. It’s the stories of the families we’ve created or found in the unlikeliest of places.

10/21/2026

🎥HEADBANG
Directed by Anna Khaja
14 mins | English, Urdu, Arabic | Boston Premiere

An American perspective on the hijab and female empowerment that resonates with universal questions of selfhood and freedom. Through the lens of two different young women, Leila, from secular background, and Amara, from a religious one, HEADBANG explores the complex power of the hijab, and how a seemingly simple piece of cloth embodies both what the wearer imbues it with and what society project onto to it.

🎥SHORTS: Families, Forged & Found
📅Saturday, Oct. 24, 3:30PM EDT
📍Emerson Paramount Center
🎤Followed by Q&A

“Families, Forged and Found” highlights the bonds made between friends, neighbors, communities, and beyond. It’s the stories of the families we’ve created or found in the unlikeliest of places.

10/20/2026

🎥Shorts Block: "Families, Forged and Found"
📅Saturday, Oct. 24, 3:30PM EDT
📍Emerson Paramount Center
🎤Followed by Q&A
🎟 Get tickets at link in bio

🎥Gilbert Gong – The Heart of Lincoln Square
Directed by J.P. Dobrin
13 mins | English | East Coast Premiere

A neglected park in Oakland’s historic Chinatown becomes the unlikely stage for a neighborhood’s renewal as recreation director and local son Gilbert Gong rallies seniors, teens and children to confront growing fear and division by restoring safety, connection, and pride in their community.

10/20/2026

🎥Shorts Block: "Families, Forged and Found"
📅Saturday, Oct. 24, 3:30PM EDT
📍Emerson Paramount Center
🎤Followed by Q&A
🎟 Get tickets at link in bio

🎥Three Ladies & A Fake ID🪪
Directed by Brandon Okumura
11 mins | English | East Coast Premiere

When their favorite lunch spot hikes its prices, three middle-aged women get fake IDs to score a senior discount at a new restaurant. A comedic coming-of-a-certain-age story, Three Ladies & A Fake ID celebrates the importance of friendship amid life’s inevitable changes.