Non AAARI Events

The 49th edition of the Asian American International Film Festival will run from July 30th to August 9th with in-person and online screenings, panels, and special events across New York City. This year, as AAIFF approaches its 50th anniversary, we’re celebrating the community that has built and sustained the festival for nearly five decades. Inspired by East ... Read more

International superstar Maggie Cheung (IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE) embodies tragic screen siren Ruan Lingyu, known as the “Greta Garbo of China,” in this unconventional biopic by Hong Kong New Wave master Stanley Kwan (ROUGE). Praised for her moving and emotive onscreen presence, Ruan’s private life, which was frequent fodder for the vicious Shanghai tabloids, ... Read more

From August 8 to 18, 2026, Chinatown Storytelling Festival is back for its third year! This August, look out for screenings at DCTV’s Firehouse Cinema, workshops and presentations at Think!Chinatown’s Studio, and walking tours in the neighborhood. Chinatown Records will also be launching their Radio Station on August 8th, listen LIVE! Chinatown Storytelling Festival is ... Read more

A Q&A will follow the screening, with co-director/producer Sarita Khurana, executive producer Nick Rathod, producer Prerana Thakurdesai, editor Sunita Prasad. It  moderated by AAIFF programmer Robert Fenske. In immersive vérité style, SEAT AT THE TABLE follows several prominent South Asian political candidates during the 2024 election cycle, alongside a community galvanized by the groundbreaking campaign of the first South Asian ... Read more

To celebrate the World’s Borough Bookshop’s third anniversary, these native Queens writers will share how growing up here shaped their lives, writing, and art. Alvin Eng, author of Our Laundry, Our Town Heather Eng, author of Double Happiness Sylvia Chen, author of Tricky Chopsticks and Sparkles for Sunny

Witness the culmination of our students' work in our Playwriting Workshop, taught by Lisa Sanaye Dring. Directors Gaven Trinidad, Isabel Rodriguez, and Reena Dutt, along with professional actors Amaya Braganza, Tina Chilip, Ryan Fahey, Abuzar Farrukh, Del Gonzales, Kai Justice Rosales, Jon Norman Schneider, and Moses Villarama, bring the new work of playwrights Momo Akashi, Rose Gonzales, Karen ... Read more

From Oscar®-nominated and Emmy® Award-winning filmmaker Poh Si Teng, American Doctor follows three American physicians— Palestinian, Jewish, and Zoroastrian—united by a single oath to save lives. After volunteering in besieged hospitals in Gaza, they return home determined to fight for the patients and colleagues they left behind, taking their battle from the front lines of war to ... Read more

On Tuesday August 25th join Dame Grace Young for a special evening celebrating the history, resilience, and future of Manhattan’s Chinatown. Grace is a James Beard Humanitarian of the Year and a Julia Child Award recipient, honored for her work in preserving America’s Chinatowns. Hop Lee, 16 Mott Street, NYC 10013 August 25, 2026 6:30 – ... Read more

This event will explore why historic preservation is an important policy issue for AAPI communities and how it connects to broader work across immigration, civil rights, housing, health, education, and other issues. Attendees will learn about the federal policies and funding that support historic preservation, current and emerging threats to these efforts, and recent policy ... Read more

Celebrate the summer with us at our third installation of Kanpai Nights. The theme: Okinawa! Okinawa, part of the Ryukyu island chain, is a tropical paradise with a warm climate and beautiful beaches, and is the birthplace of Karate. Join us to enjoy the flavors and sounds of Okinawa. Guests are encouraged to wear Yukata. ... Read more

This ticketed event includes a paperback copy of See You at the Sunset. There will be a book signing to follow. Can’t attend the event? Signed books from Susan Lee, B.K. Borison, and Julie Soto will be available for Brooklyn pick-up and shipping here. Must order by August 4. About See You at the Sunset: ... Read more

Japan Society invites you to join us for the Ainu Summer Festival: Ainu Stories, Culture, and Traditions, a multi-day cultural celebration of the Ainu, the Indigenous People of Northern Japan. This special event takes place July 22-23 and August 12-13 and will welcome over 25 artists and educators from the Ainu community in the Town ... Read more