Description
Since 2004, the Asian American / Asian Research Institute’s CUNY Asian American Film Festival (AAFF), presented by the Asian American / Asian Research Institute (AAARI), has recognized and awarded 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.
Powder Room (RT 13:56) – Winner, Runner-Up Fiction Film – 2017 CUNY AAFF
Dir. Kevin Oliver Arota (Brooklyn College)
Silent slapstick comedy about an outsider who covers himself in white powder to break into an ‘exclusive-to-light-skinned-people’ speakeasy. His successful attempt leads to a nightmarish experience.
“?” (RT 14:58)
Dir. Nurlan Baidaliev (Borough of Manhattan Community College)
A young man, age 25-30 years old, disappears. Nobody knows what really happened to him. Three witnesses saw him before he disappeared – his girlfriend, psychiatrist, and a random person at the beach. Each witness recounts what they saw that day and gives their opinion as to what could have happened to the young man.
Decoding Darkmatter (RT 21:54) – Winner, Best Documentary Film – 2017 CUNY AAFF
Dir. Crystal Waterton (Hunter College)
A short documentary about two Asian transgender poetry performance artists: Alok Vaid-Menon and Janani Balasubramanian, and their journey from Stanford University, to their first large theater performance, It Gets Bitter, at Joe’s Pub in New York City.
Day at Textile Factory (RT 11:06) – Winner, Best Fiction Film – 2017 CUNY AAFF
Dir. Nicky Zou (Hunter College)
When a 13 year old Chinese American girl, Yi Zi, comes to the textile factory that her mom works at, she encounters and experiences an unexpected crush on a 30 year old female text factory worker, Wei Wei.
