We continue with our short film recommendations from the Asian American International Film Festival, which will take place in cinemas and online from August 1 – 11, 2024 in New York, USA.

One Note by Jamie Ting – USA | 2024 – 13 minutes
Section | Joke Book

A dark comedy about a neurotic but driven 17-year-old Chinese-American violinist on a mission to get admitted to Harvard at any cost. After spotting a mistake in her application at the last minute, she embarks on a midnight rampage through her magnet high school, blackmailing a socially awkward teenage hacker to deliver the perfect audition for the elusive Dean of Admissions before the deadline. (AAIFF 2024)

Screening Date:
August 3, 2024 | Saturday | Regal Union Square – Auditorium 14 | 4:15 pm
Available online from August 2 – 11, 2024

Trailer:

Seoul Switch by Liann Kaye – USA, Korea | 2024 – 13 minutes
Section | Roadmap to the Soul

SEOUL SWITCH is a whimsical, fun-loving short film that explores Asian American identity like you’ve never seen before. It’s The Prince and the Pauper set in modern-day Korea but written through a smart, comedic, satirical lens. Historically, the switch trope hasn’t been known for its elevated themes or nuanced characters, but this movie pushes the envelope, tackling class, race, and privilege while playing inside this fun premise. (AAIFF 2024)

Screening Date:

August 3, 2024 | Saturday | Regal Union Square – Auditorium 14 | 1:45 pm

Available online from August 2 – 11, 2024

Trailer:

She and Her Good Vibrations by Olivia Griselda, Sarah Cheok – Singapore | 2023 – 11 minutes
Section | Joke Book

A celebration of female self-pleasure and sex-positivity, SHE AND HER GOOD VIBRATIONS is an animation comedy short film that follows a stressed-out, middle-aged woman who discovers the wonders of a vibrator, but soon becomes addicted to solo pleasure sessions and loses touch with reality. (AAIFF 2024)

Screening Date:
August 3, 2024 | Saturday | Regal Union Square – Auditorium 14 | 4:15 pm
Available online from August 2 – 11, 2024

Trailer:

Stitched by Lorena Lourenco – USA, India | 2023 – 15 minutes
Section | Joke Book

Leela, a South Asian diaspora woman without a hometown or fixed identity, struggles to find love. A string of lackluster dates produces disappointing results: no one seems able to sufficiently code-switch to the various cultural terrains of her life. Upon learning that her former classmate, Kelly Kelley, is engaged to their childhood sweetheart, Leela decides to take action. Convinced that happiness lies in meeting the ‘right’ person—someone perfectly calibrated to her ever-changing sense of self—she decides to literally “frankenstein” an ideal partner, Sai. (AAIFF 2024)

Screening Date:
August 3, 2024 | Saturday | Regal Union Square – Auditorium 14 | 4:15 pm
Available online from August 2 – 11, 2024

Trailer:

Sunflower Girl by Holly M. Kaplan – USA | 2023 – 13 minutes
Section | How To Live as An Asian Woman in NYC

Rosie, a 13-year-old Chinese-American girl, embarks on a skateboarding escapade through the streets of New York with her crush and his best friend—at the cost of abandoning her little sister and never delivering a forgotten lunchbox. (AAIFF 2024)

Screening Date:
August 8, 2024 | Thursday | Regal Union Square – Auditorium 14 | 6:00 pm
Available online from August 2 – 11, 2024

Trailer:

Tayal Forest Club by Laha Mebow – Taiwan | 2024 – 19 minutes
Section | A Filed Guide To The Natural World

Bullied at school and weighed down at home by his dad’s drinking, Yukan is eager to escape it all. When his best friend, Watan, invites him on a hike, a physically and emotionally bruised Yukan grabs his machete, and the two boys head into the woods. But this isn’t just any hike, or just any woods—as Yukan and Watan’s youthful overconfidence runs them up against the realities of nightfall in the dense and mountainous Tayal homelands, other forces begin to reveal themselves. Before they can find a way home, these two young Tayal men must first humble themselves enough to learn the lessons that the land itself has to offer. (AAIFF 2024)

Screening Date:
August 11, 2024 | Sunday | Regal Union Square – Auditorium 14 | 12:15 pm
Available online from August 2 – 11, 2024

The Little Shopping Trolley by Laurence Ly – Canada | 2024 – 18 minutes
Section | Coloring Out of The Lines

Living on a shoestring in Montreal, a Vietnamese mother must act in bad faith to assert her right to buy 12 discount laundry detergents that she’s been refused at a grocery store. (AAIFF 2024)

Screening Date:
August 2, 2024 | Friday | Regal Union Square – Auditorium 14 | 6:00 pm

The Rooms by Heeryun You – Korea | 2023 – 24 minutes
Section | Choose Your Fighter

Cast in a green light, a long corridor seems never-ending in sight. Jun-sang faces multiple rooms in this long corridor, meeting various and bizarre people from door to door. (AAIFF 2024)

Screening Date:
August 9, 2024 | Friday | Regal Union Square – Auditorium 14 | 6:00 pm
Available online from August 2 – 11, 2024

Trailer:

Video Funeral by Linh Tran – USA, Canada, Vietnam | 2023 – 21 minutes
Section | Coloring Out of The Lines

Lam is an ex-international student from Vietnam. Years ago when her father passed away, she couldn’t make it back home for his funeral. Now that she has graduated, Lam is in the process of applying for a US visa to stay, and because of it, she hasn’t been able to leave the country. Phuong, Lam’s sister, arrives at Lam’s Chicago apartment on a summer night, bringing with her books, food, and gifts from home. She also brings some cash and a DVD of their father’s funeral. The two sisters bicker and bond as the night goes on. And while Phuong is asleep, Lam plays the DVD that she has avoided watching since her father’s death. (AAIFF 2024)

Screening Date:
August 2, 2024 | Friday | Regal Union Square – Auditorium 14 | 6:00 pm
Available online from August 2 – 11, 2024

Trailer:

Yesterday, I Dreamt About… by Chyan Lo – Taiwan, USA | 2023 – 17 minutes
Section | How To Live as An Asian Woman in NYC

Yang struggles to fall asleep. Within days, with an expired visa and a heart full of disappointment, she must leave New York City. As she packs away her professional dreams and plans goodbyes to those she loves, Yang’s dreams and reality blur. (AAIFF 2024)

Screening Date:
August 8, 2024 | Thursday | Regal Union Square – Auditorium 14 | 6:00 pm
Available online from August 2 – 11, 2024

Trailer:

To see part 1 of this article please go HERE
For festival we also recommended 10 feature films, you can read more about them HERE

For more information, please visit: https://www.aaiff.org/