20 Short films you shouldn’t miss at the 46th Asian American International Film Festival (Part 1)

By Asian Film Festival on July 20, 2023 • ( Leave a comment )

These are twenty short films you shouldn’t miss at the Asian American International Film Festival which will take place in cinemas and online from July 26 until August 6, 2023 in New York, USA.

Note: The list may include movies directed by filmmakers with Asian ancestry.
We also recommened feature films for this festival, please check the article HERE

**A Roadside Banquet** by Peiqi Peng – USA, China | 2023 – 16 minutes

One day in 2010s China, after the abolishment of the One Child Policy, eleven-year-old Mai attends her baby brother’s very first birthday party and learns a crushing truth: her parents never really wanted a girl.

What’s worse — soon after learning the news, Mai starts turning into a feather duster. (AAIFF 2023)

Trailer:

**Autopilot** by Jennifer Zhang – USA | 2023 – 17 minutes

A lone pilot on a homebound space vessel finds herself trapped in a waking nightmare when her holographic “virtual companion” begins to defy his own programming.

AUTOPILOT is an Asian-female led project driven by a shared love of science fiction and a collective desire to see more Asians represented in the genre —both in front of and behind the camera. As part of that mission (and unique to this project), the majority of the department heads on the AUTOPILOT crew were also Asian women. (AAIFF 2023)

Trailer:

**Eid Mubarak** by Mahnoor Euceph – Pakistan | 2022 – 16 minutes

Iman, a privileged Pakistani girl, goes with her family to buy a goat, as is the tradition in Pakistan before the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Azha. She picks the cutest one and takes it home. She spends all of her time with the goat, whom she names Barfi, after her favorite Pakistani dessert.

Soon, however, she realizes that Barfi is not a pet, but a goat being raised for slaughter. She makes a plan to save Barfi’s life before he can be sacrificed on Eid. Along the way, through the help of her family and friends, she learns the true meaning of sacrifice, and the reason behind Eid al-Azha. (AAIFF 2023)

Trailer:

**Eternal Sunday** by Rhyme Lu – China | 2022 – 18 minutes

Adapted from Wang Jinkang’s novel, SUNDAY VIRUS. When self-quarantine and social distancing become the norm in post-pandemic times, people interact in a sensory virtual reality called SUNDAY. When SUNDAY starts to cause serious health issues for users, the government issues a server shutdown. A SUNDAY couple’s relationship is put to test in the last 10 hours of SUNDAY. (AAIFF 2023)

**Eyecatcher** by Jun Shimizu – USA, Korea | 2018 – 13 minutes

Koreatown, Los Angeles. In the midst of a family crisis, Yuna Jung and her ailing father Min-Ho are confronted with a sinister entity. (AAIFF 2023)

Trailer:

**Here, Hopefully** by Hao Zhou – USA | 2023 – 11 minutes

Zee, a non-binary aspiring nurse from China, strives to build a life in rural Iowa, U.S.A.
After graduating from nursing school, they work tirelessly to pass their licensure exam in hopes of obtaining a work visa. (AAIFF 2023)

**House Rules** by Aimee Pham, Kai Sampadian – USA | 2023 – 13 minutes

While her mom is out on a date, Cass invites her crush, Jeff, over to her house to hook up. When Jeff asks if he needs to take off his shoes, Cass tries to act casual and says it doesn’t matter. But through a messy series of events, she will learn that some rules aren’t meant to be broken. (AAIFF 2023)

**Know You Twice** by Andrew Chan Gladstone – USA | 2022 – 12 minutes

When Paloma, a New York raised Salvadorian, learns a policy shift has put her residence status in jeopardy, she turns to her girlfriend Claire for help. Claire, a privileged young graduate whose parents support her, offers to use her resources to assist, but Paloma has other ideas. Paloma seeks out a ring from her cousin, and proposes marriage to Claire, who balks at the idea. As the two try to seek a path forward together, the rift between them exposes differing class values and social expectations. They decide to take a trip out to Claire’s family house in Cape Cod, where Claire reckons with the decision to choose the fate of their relationship, and Paloma’s future. (AAIFF 2023)

**Last Hand** by Chung Fan Lam – USA | 2022 – 10 minutes

“This is it…one more hand…this is the last hand…I’m already late, so what’s a little later, right? They’ll forgive me, they always do…. They have to…we’re family…. Everything will be fine, especially if I go home a winner… I’ll make it up to them, one way or another…you’ll see…. One more hand…this is the last hand…. I’ll show them….” These are the thoughts of an addict, the thoughts of Gui, leading him to his ruin. (AAIFF 2023)

**Motherland** by Christina Yoon – Korea, USA | 2022 – 18 minutes

Leah, a Korean adoptee raised in America, returns to Korea to search for her birth mother. Leah is met with secrecy from the adoption agency as well as her own family, but remains relentless on her solo journey, driven by her longing to discover the truth of her origins.

Trailer: