Chinese Take-Out
Short
World Premiere
Åge (70), a retired man set in his ways, has his world shaken - and his prejudices challenged - when an Asian restaurant opens on the floor beneath his apartment.
Director, producer, writer and editor: Hoang Larsen
Co-producer: Aleksander Knudsen
Cast: Peter Grindem, Philip Nguyen, Mike Hoang, Trine Beathe Solberg, Pål Erik Helgerud, Guro Strand Heum.
Cinematographer: Knut Svanes Lunde
Co-editor: Fabian Engesæth
Website: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt28306331/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hoanglarsen
Falling into Silence
Feature
US Premiere
In a quiet rural town in Gifu, Minoru Okura is haunted by his mother’s death from mental illness and burdened by an absent father and a reclusive sister. As the Bon festival nears, his fascination with the afterlife leads him to a psychic and to drugs said to mimic near-death experiences, pulling him into a dangerous spiral of curiosity and rebellion. When he meets Juri, an older girl whose warmth begins to fill his emotional void, Minoru’s fragile world is shaken again by sudden tragedy. Confronting his deepening fear of death and the darkness within, he slowly discovers—through the support of those who care for him—the courage to cherish life and the people around him. This is the story of a boy’s turbulent summer and his search for meaning, connection, and acceptance.
Director: Yuto Shimizu
Producer: Ken Ochiai
Writer: Yuto Shimizu
Cast: Iori Abe, Utano Aoi, Masaya Kato, Kokona Sumi
Cinematographer: Rui Arichika
Editor: Takumi Wada
https://bokuhana.ayapro.ne.jp/
https://www.instagram.com/bokuhanamovie/
https://twitter.com/bokuhanamovie
Forever is a Delicate Thing
Short
Los Angeles Premiere
When a visit from the Los Angeles County Department of Child and Family Services interrupts the humble, kindred lifestyle of a Vietnam War immigrant and the grandson in his custody, the two spend their last days together braving what will soon become the broken pieces on which they built their lives.
Director: Cally Nguyen
Producer: Karyn Lopez
Writer: Cally Nguyen
Cast: Orion Tran, Huynh Cao Nguyen
Cinematographer: Cameron J. Schulz
Editor: Kyle Wang
2025 Independent Shorts Awards- (Gold) Best Student Female Director & (Silver) Best Drama Short
Website: callynguyen.com
Instagram: @ih8film @foreverisadelicatething
Heirs
Short
Sixteen-year-old Shun Kimura, suffocated by his violent father and fragile mother, struggles with peer pressure and his relationship with his girlfriend, Hana. As domestic abuse worsens, a tragic event underscores the profound impact on his identity and relationships, leaving his fragile adolescence in turmoil.
Director: Lisa Shiomi
Producer: Lisa Shiomi, Lidong Wang, Nana Okamoto, Izzy Silver
Writer: Lisa Shiomi
Cast: Yuki Kedoin, Alyssa Ishibashi Fan, Shigeto Terasaka, Miri O Harms, Showta Ito, Taiga Masuya, Megumi Morino
Cinematographer: Tapio Tokunaga
Editor: Yizhou 'Allen' Xu
Lanfeng-A Blue Day
Animation Short
USA Premiere
Director: Mingze Bao
Producer: Mingze Bao
Writer: Mingze Bao
Animator: Mingze Bao
Art director: Lauren Huang
Background Paintrist: Lauren Huang
Sound Designer: Daniel Viñas Morera
Sound Mixer: Joe Hirst
Ending song: "Blue DAYDREAMING" by HEDGEHOG (Have copyright and contract)
Editor: Mingze Bao
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/bao.mz?igsh=azFhZmxjdG1qNG4y&utm_source=qr
Maryjane is one Word
Short
Los Angeles Premiere
A young adopted woman meets her biological mother for the first time.
- Director: John Liang
- Producer: Diana Cody
- Writer: John Liang
- Cast: Anna Jaller, Kathryn Kelley
- Cinematographer: Carrie Morgan Glassman
- Editor: Joe Carugati
www.lonelydevilfilms.com (https://www.lonelydevilfilms.com)
www.instagram.com/lonelydevilfilms.com (https://www.instagram.com/lonelydevilfilms.com)
www.facebook.com/lonelydevilfilms.com
(https://www.facebook.com/lonelydevilfilms.com)
Moment of Choice
Narrative Short
West Coast Premiere
Anne—seated in an obstetrics and gynecology clinic—grapples with a heart-wrenching dilemma:whether to terminate her unexpected pregnancy for a dream job in Silicon Valley or stay in Taiwan and embrace life as a single mother. As the tension between reason and emotion intensifies, her long-buried fear of family life rises — like a monster from the deep.
Director: Yung-Han Chang / Huai-Yu Chang
Producer: Amo Chang
Writer: Yung-Han Chang / Huai-Yu Chang
Cast: Zhi Ying Zhu, Yi Jung Wu, Andie Chen, Yi Ru Li, Chia Yi Cheng
Cinematographer: Ahoj Chao
Editor: Huai-Yu Chang
Award: Best of Fest (34th St. Louis International Film Festival), Special Jury Prize & Best Actor (47th Golden Harvest Awards, Taiwan)
Ocher
Short (Animated)
USA Premiere
“Ocher” is the story of the world’s first visual storyteller: the discovery of painting, and the original artist’s hand. Because sometimes you have to leave the tribe, in order to lead.
Ocher is the story of vision, evolution… and destiny.
Writer: Chee Ho
Producers: Chee Ho, Sean Kim
Production Design, Lead Animation: Sean Kim
Director: Chee Ho
Editor: Kira Robertson
Pilot
Short
Los Angeles Premiere
In a remote, orthodox village in India, a young widow defies all norms and learns to ride a bicycle to take her son to school 20 kilometers away.
Long Logline:
In a remote, orthodox village, a young widow refuses to let grief dictate her son’s future. Defying tradition and social scorn, she sets out to learn an unforeseen skill - riding a bicycle, to carry her child to school 20 kilometres away.
Synopsis
Pilot is inspired by a true story from rural India, capturing the silent crisis of farmer suicides and their shattering impact on families left behind. In a remote, orthodox village, a young widow refuses to let grief dictate her son’s future. Defying tradition and social scorn, she sets out to learn an unforeseen skill - riding a bicycle, to carry her child to school 20 kilometres away.
At its heart, Pilot is an ode to the courage of women who transform despair into determination, and to the quiet power of education to break cycles of hardship.
An initiative of Touching Lives Welfare Trust and shot in ProtoVillage, a resilient village community, the film bridges art and social impact, bringing to screen a story that speaks to the shared conscience of humanity, inviting empathy, awareness, and a deeper humility towards the struggles of rural communities.
Director: Sonia Mackwani
Producer: Sadik Keshwani, Sonia Mackwani
Writer: Sonia Mackwani
Cast: Pallavi Kedia, K. Danish Mohammed, Kallur Basha, Kalyan Akkipeddi, M. Mujamill, G. Ganesh, K. Naveen Kumar, Lakshminarayan
Cinematographer: Jaskirat Bhatia
Editor: Kanupriya Gupta, Suraaj Gunjal
Best Director Award in Symbiosis Film Festival, Pune 2025
Best Script (2 Prize) - HessenLab, Frankfurt 2024
Process And Social Impact -
The film is an initiative of Touching Lives Welfare Trust, a nonprofit organization in Mumbai, India that works to support education, mental health, and arts for children and communities for more than 20 years.
Shot in ProtoVillage, a self-sustaining community and a non-profit too in Andhra Pradesh, the collaboration was an experiential and impactful process as the children and the members of both the organizations became an active part for making the film.
Through the film, our team has sought to integrate the purpose of art and social impact. The prize amount received from HessenLab2024 was offered as a contribution to ProtoVillage for their commitment towards their vision.
Director’s Note : As a filmmaker, therapist, and social entrepreneur, I made Pilot to honour stories that pass quietly through generations, yet carry the power of seeking and relentless human spirit. The immortality of storytelling can inspire transformation and healing in making our mortal lives more humane and that is always my aim with camera, words and cinema.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sonia_mackwani/
Run
Short
World Premiere
After a frightening encounter during her practice run, a teenage girl named Maddie struggles with fear and self-doubt. She must find the courage to face her trauma and get back on her feet, ultimately deciding whether she is ready to run again.
Director: Hanissa Kartika
Producer: Jack Huang
Writer: Hanissa Kartika
Cast: Hannah Aronson, Ellie Donahue, Stanislaw Kowalski
Cinematographer: Eric Tang
Editor: Jack Huang
Instagram: instagram.com/hanissaayu
Sunhwan
Short
World Premiere
A new mother struggling with alcoholism faces her intergenerational trauma head-on.
Director: Ben Tedesco
Producer: Tara Jayn
Writer: Cecilia Kim and Theodore Newton
Cast: Cecilia Kim, Theodore Newton, Jennifer Soo, Richard Chiu, Angela Park, Joohun Lee, Eric Ha, Han Kim, Iris Newton, Richard Taylor
Cinematographer: Wey Wang
Editor: Alex Tedesco
Instagram: @sunhwan.shortfilm
The Door Refused
Short
USA Premiere
After an act of violence shatters her sense of safety, a young pregnant woman isolates herself from the world, until her father’s silent presence reopens wounds she cannot ignore. "The Door Refused" is a quiet study of trauma, tenderness, and the weight of unspoken love.
Director: Nguyen Thanh Thuy
Producer: Duong Hai Long
Writer: Phung Nhuong
Cast: Pham Thu Minh, Tran Tien
Cinematographer: Phuong Bong, Nong Ich Nam, Truong Hao Nhien
Editor: Nong Hoang Son, Nguyen Hong Van, Nguyen Thanh Thuy
Official Selection and Top 6 – Inspiring Vietnam 2025 Short Film Competition
Website: https://saucanhcua.my.canva.site/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saucanhcua.film/
The Stranger
Shorts Shorts
Eunhee struggles to care for her ill mother, Young-ja, who loves only her son and refuses to go to the hospital with her. This pattern has persisted throughout Eunhee's life. After Young-ja's death, Eunhee grapples with mixed emotions towards her mother. She gradually encounters her feelings as she talks with David, a cleaner from the ‘Grief Cleaning’ service. In the end, she finds herself mourning after discovering a note from her mother hidden behind a photo.
Director: Minseo Kwon
Producer: Adin Replogle
Writer: Minseo Kwon
Cast: Victoria Sheen, Seong Park, Angie Rhee
Cinematographer: Zhen Li
Editor: Adin Replogle
Selected and Screened in 11th Asian World Film Festival (screening for Focus on Korea), Chain NYC Film Festival, KAFFNY Infinite Cinema
Selected and Awarded in Independent Shorts Awards (August 2025): Best Actress (Silver Award), Best Student Female Director (Bronze), Best Student Short (Honorable Mention)
Instagram: @minseoannie / @mare.lalune
f*ck feelings
short
F*ck Feelings follows a talented Vietnamese painter preparing for her huge debut at an art gallery, only to be welcomed by a dark past that she fought hard to forget.
Linh is a healthy and successful 26 year old who is forced to face her past traumas when she learns her ex-abuser got engaged. As she spirals and reaches her breaking point, she struggles to rely on her best friends and loving boyfriend for support. F*ck Feelings paints the importance of consent and that healing is not linear.
Director: Samantha K. Tan
Executive Producer: Fiorella Vescovi
Producer: Kemi Jackson, AJ Starzak, Les Krone
Writer: Samantha K. Tan
Cast: Shirley Kim Nguyen, Reagan Gift, Alyssa Leanne So, Lawrence Sharma, Ray Raymundo, Jeannie Elise Mai, Jon Harris
Director of Photography: Isabel Mazzolini
Editor: Samantha K. Tan
Production Designer: Tim Molina
Costume Designer: Molly Martin
Hair and Makeup: Sarah Monares
Composer: Evan Wright
Awards: Bronze Award for Best First-Time Female Director and Honorable Mention for Best Women Short at Independent Shorts Awards,
Nominations: Best Short Film (USA) at the Asian Film Festival in Los Angeles, Best First-Time Female Director and Best Actress at Indie Short Fest, Best Actress at the Studio City International Film Festival
Instagram: @fckfeelings.short
BANANA
Web Series
When mukbang fame thrusts her into the spotlight, Dizzy, an insecure Korean-American woman, must untangle her fractured identity and self-sabotage before her family decides to disown her...again.
Director: Raghav Puri & Kieran Barry
Producer: Braden Kimble
Writer: Crystal Kim & Kieran Barry
Cast: Crystal Kim, Kieran Barry, Esther Moon, Jongman Kim, Justin Kang
Cinematographer: Joseph Lim
Editor: Raghav Puri, Braden Kimble
Winner, Best Digital Short Series at SeriesFest
Website: bananatheseries.com
Instagram: @bananatheseries
Boru
Documentary
West Coast Premiere
The most unusual connection is forged between two islands: Japan and the Dominican Republic. BORU follows the invisible thread linking two seemingly opposite cultures, revealing how discipline, hard work, and identity can build real bridges between people who chose to start over far from home.
Through intimate stories and everyday moments, the film presents a “recipe” for integration that goes beyond simple adaptation, it’s about belonging, respect, and transformation. In a world that feels increasingly divided, BORU offers an inspiring example of coexistence and mutual learning, where geographic distance becomes small compared to the human power of connection.
Director
Ronny A. Sosa
Producer
Biviana Bautista, Julio Grisanty, Ronny A. Sosa
Writer
Ronny A. Sosa
Cast, separado por comas
Yoko Nishio, Prof. Juan Zapata, Fumie Hiromitsu Román, Mitsuteru Nishio, Mabely Jiménez, Kenzo Yamamoto, Fanny Rojas de Yamanaka, Eiji Tanioka, Marilyn Soledad de Hiromitsu, Masami Hiromitsu, Masahiro Takagi, Teruki Waki, Keiko Hamada, Ángel Tateyama, Tetsuji Matsunaga, Hiroshi Waki, Jaime Viñas, Ayame Kuroda, Juan Feliciano Nolasco, Santiago Acosta, Vicente Árias, Aderlin Rodríguez, José Canó, Etsuo Miyamoto, Keisuke Asahi, Moisés Ramírez, Edwin Domínguez, Wander Suero, Minoru Noguchi, Rikimitsu Higa, Yutaro Takahashi, Hikari Takatsuki, Mercedes Mitsuko Yamasato, Luis Sasaki, Lili Julian, Vladimir Báez, Arisa Ohara, Danny Kato, Melina Durán, Robert Takata, Noboru Kawashiro, Wataru Suzuki, Noriyuki Shimazaki, Jensserly Gratereaux, Jeynssser Samuel Gratereaux, Jeysser Issac Gratereaux, Oliver Gómez.
Cinematographer
Raynnier Gómez
Editor
Angelo Alberto
Premios, selecciones, reconocimientos o detalles relevantes del proceso
Fine Arts International Film Festival, Dominican Republic
Website
https://www.instagram.com/fenixlegendariostud/
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Facebook, si aplica
Returning Words
Returning Words
Short
World Premiere
Zhang Zhe is a second-generation Chinese who grew up in Korea. For years, he resisted his father’s insistence that he learn Chinese, unable to understand the older man’s deep attachment to his homeland and language. To Zhang Zhe, Chinese was nothing more than a distant and irrelevant burden. After his father’s death, however, he unexpectedly receives a letter informing him that in order to claim his inheritance, he must deliver a eulogy—in Chinese.
Driven by financial pressure, Zhang Zhe reluctantly begins to relearn the language. Yet he soon realizes how little he actually knows. Hoping to meet the requirement, he enrolls in a language course, only to find the tuition far beyond his means. At the same time, overdue rent notices pile up. Cornered by circumstance, he makes a deal with his landlord, Xiao Mei: she will teach him Chinese, and he will repay the rent and an additional fee once he masters it. What begins as a cold, transactional arrangement—one in which Xiao Mei even tries to take advantage of him—slowly transforms through repeated lessons and shared moments into a fragile but genuine connection.
The process of learning Chinese becomes a journey of self-confrontation and remembrance. The words he once rejected begin to stir long-suppressed emotions toward his father. Through practice and reflection, Zhang Zhe gradually comes to understand the solitude and persistence behind his father’s will. When he finally stands before the grave and delivers the eulogy in halting Chinese, his imperfect pronunciation becomes the first bridge toward reconciliation.
Director: Liu Qinyuan
Producer: Huang Nan
Writer: Tao Jiaqi
Cast: 윤경호, Tan Qi, 안형주, 박준서, Shi Lifan
Cinematographer: He Cheng, Han Xiaoyi
Editor: Zhang Jingyi
The film was officially selected for the Tokyo Lift-Off Film Festival 2026.
Instagram: @qinyuan.creates – Director's Instagram
Threading the Needle
Short
Los Angeles Premiere
Twenty years after their adoption, two Chinese Americans attempt to reconcile their ethnicity with their experiences.
Director: AJ Johnson
Producer: AJ Johnson
Writer: AJ Johnson
Cast: AJ Johnson, Mia Nails
Cinematographer: AJ Johnson
Editor: AJ Johnson
What does it mean to be Asian American? For Chinese American adoptees, the answer is uncertain. The circumstances of adoption—severed lineage and a transracial upbringing—complicate identifying with either. Despite a growing presence of Asians in popular media, these depictions are incongruent with the experiences of adoptees, who often lack the same cultural traditions, language knowledge, or access to Asian community. Threading the Needle is a personal journey to establish belonging through confronting the strained relationship between heritage and upbringing. The film was completed as a senior year capstone project for the University of Central Florida's documentary production program.
Instagram: @adj.ohnson
"We Rise Together"
The main subjects of "We Rise Together" are:
Phoeun You, a Cambodian man who came to the US as a refugee in 1978, and lived here almost his entire life. He was deported in 2022.
Phoeun You's family, who live in Las Vegas. They are survivors of the Cambodian War.
So Young Lee, an immigrant rights attorney with Asian Law Caucus.
Members of API RISE, an Asian American Pacific Islander Native Hawaiian organization that helps the formerly-incarcerated.
Members of Nikkei Progressives, a grassroots Japanese American community organization.
Documentary Short
Over 16,000 Southeast Asians who live in the US are at risk of deportation to countries they have never set foot in, or where they have suffered trauma. Some have been incarcerated and served their full time, but were then imprisoned by ICE upon their release. The goal of the video is to educate the community, to advocate pardons to those who may be deported, to change immigration policy, and to demonstrate the power of supporting each other and working together.
Director: Alan Kondo
Producer: Kimi Maru
Writer: Alan Kondo
Cast: James Bunyou, Eugene Fujimoto, Jun Hamamoto, Kanaka Malia Jennings, Deanna Matsumoto, Erich Nakano, Amy Oba, Jhae Pagsisihan, Dara Yin,
Cinematographers: Alan Kondo, Michael Kuge
Editor: Alan Kondo
wedding flowers
Short
New York University
A begrudgingly adept family outcast and her overbearing mother struggle to find connection as their family reunites for a wedding celebration. Set against the heightened intimacy of a Vietnamese-American Wedding, the film explores the quiet loneliness that can exist between a mother and a daughter, even while surrounded by family.
Director: Madeleine Tran
Producer: Madeleine Tran, Shreeya Jayabharathi
Writer: Madeleine Tran
Cast: Brittney Quach, Cat Ly, Jonathan Agustin, Stacy Song
Cinematographer: Amira Aboudallah
Editor: Madeleine Tran
Instagram: @weddingflowersfilm www.instagram.com/weddingflowersfilm/
