Wednesday, July 7, 2021 | 6PM to 8PM
Since 2004, the CUNY Asian American Film Festival (AAFF) has recognized and awarded over $13,500 in cash prizes to student filmmakers enrolled at the City University of New York, including City College, Brooklyn College, Hunter College, Lehman College, College of Staten Island, and Queens College. The CUNY AAFF helps to promote the artistic visual talents and stimulate communication among CUNY students who are separated by the different campuses, and serve as a central location to display their creative works. Past participants have also had their films screened at the Asian American International Film Festival.
On the evening of the (Online) Film Festival, Wednesday, July 7, 2021, all winners and runner-ups will remain anonymous until after a screening of selected films that have been reviewed by our distinguished panel of judges. Following the screening will be an award ceremony and Q&A session with the filmmakers.
Winner ($200) and runner-up ($100) prizes will be awarded for each of the following categories: Fiction | Documentary
AAARI encourages all currently enrolled (or recently graduated in Spring/Fall 2020) CUNY undergraduate and graduate students, Asian and non-Asian, to participate in this great opportunity.
Documentary
Philip Choi (BMCC/CUNY) – Social Anxiety
Philip, a young man from South Korea, comes to New York to study. He surrounds himself with unsuitable friends, leading to an inappropriate life including drugs and a traumatic event. His life later evolves into hopelessness due to his sudden mental illness, depriving him of a social life and happiness. After looking into various treatments, Philip doesn’t give up and holds onto his last hope, his faith.
Best Documentary
Lidiya Kan (Hunter College/CUNY) – Morkovcha (Korean Carrot Salad)
Morkovcha, the Korean carrot salad, is an invention of the Russian-Korean diaspora and its essence is symbolic of its mixed identity. The name itself is the merging of two words: “Morkov,” the Russian word for carrot, and “Cha,” a phonetic variation of the Korean word for salad.
Fiction
Kainoa Presbitero (City College/CUNY) – The Distance Between Us
After losing a child, Christina and Alex are left to pick up the pieces. Christina struggles to get Alex to open up and feels alone. One night they finally tell each other how they really feel, and Alex realizes the pain that his emotional distance has caused Christina. They both realize that they are hurting and decide to move forward together.
Runner-up Documentary
Vicky Lee (Brooklyn College/CUNY) – In Loving Memory (of Who We Used to Be)
An experimental short documentary on the growing pains and awkward tween years of a Chinese-American girl.
Honorable Mention Documentary
SiaoMin Loh (Queens College/CUNY) – Deepest Memory
In this animated short, the filmmaker recalls their deepest memories and the atmosphere of celebrating Lunar New Year Eve with family in Malaysia as a child—something they haven’t experienced since coming to the United States.
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Festival Sponsor
Media Sponsors
Submission Guidelines
Extended Submission Deadline: Friday, May 21, 2021
18th Annual Film Festival Submission Form (Download)
Film Festival Poster (Download)
Submitter must be a currently enrolled or recently graduated CUNY student. (Copy of CUNY College ID and current semester’s class schedule, or proof of recent graduation Spring/Fall 2020 is required.)
Film must satisfy any one of the following criteria:
- Production exclusively or majority-produced by CUNY personnel involving at least one Asian CUNY personnel in a key position, e.g. Director, Writer, or Editor
- Contains an Asian American / Asian theme or narrative
Submissions must be emailed to info [at] aaari.info no later than 5pm EST on Friday, May 21, 2021. Anything received afterwards will not be accepted. (In the event of a submission deadline extension, you may submit an updated version of your film for consideration.)
Submitter, or their authorized representative, must be available to attend the film Q&A segment of the (Virtual) Festival tentatively on June 4, 2021, or else they will forfeit their award.
Festival Chairman
Ryoya Terao
Panel of Judges
John Acosta, Patrick Chen, Young Cheong, Vinit Parmar, Katie Quan, JT Takagi, Larry Tung, Ryoya Terao, & Jennifer Betit Yen
Coordinator
William Tam
Technical Assistance
Antony Wong & Zhu-Hui Wu