a golden guide to: aanhpi film festivals with submission deadlines

there is power in collecting, seeing, and sharing narratives and experiences that add to the diversity of the stories we tell (others about) ourselves

film festival calendar (by month)

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Below is a running list of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander film festivals, including Indian, South Asian, Vietnamese, and Filipino film festivals, in the United States. Festival dates are subject to change from year to year. comprehensive, it is not exhaustive—if you see something missing or if a festival has changed its dates, let us know, and we’ll update it!

FEBRUARY

• Seattle Asian American Film Festival / Seattle, Washington

  • Founded: 1985

  • Submission Deadline: August - October

• DisOrient Film Festival / Eugene, Oregon

  • Submission Deadline: September - December

• South Asian Film Festival of America (SAFFA) / Los Angeles, CA

  • Organizer: Product of Culture

  • Submission Deadline: December - February

APRIL

• Hawaii International Film Festival Spring Showcase / Hawaii

• San Diego Asian Film Festival Spring Showcase / San Diego, California

• Guam International Film Festival / Guam

  • Founded: 2011

  • Submission Information

MAY

• Los Angeles Asian Pacific Festival / Los Angeles, California

  • Founded: 1983

  • Organizer: Visual Communications

  • Submission Deadline: November - December

  • Academy Award-Qualifying

• CAAMFest / Bay Area, California

  • Founded: 1980

  • Organizer: Center for Asian American Media/CAAM

  • Submission deadline: October - December

• Sacramento Asian Pacific Film Festival / Sacramento, California

  • Organizer: Sacramento Asian Pacific Cultural Village

• SEE Asian Film Festival / Costa Mesa, California

  • Organizer: Some Folks Productions/Vietnamese American Arts and Letters Association (VAALA)

  • Submission Deadlines: March-April

• Asian American Showcase / Chicago, Illinois

  • Founded: 1995

  • Organizer: Foundation for Asian American Independent Media

  • Submission Deadline: February - April

• Māsima: Pacific Islands Film Tour / Salt Lake City, Utah

  • Organizer: Utah Pacific Island Film

JUNE

• Houston Asian American Pacific Islander Film Festival / Houston, Texas

  • Organizer: OCA Greater Houston

  • Submission Deadline: October - January

• Austin Asian Film Festival / Austin, Texas

  • Submission Deadline: November - February

JULY

• DC Asian Pacific American Film Festival / Washington, D.C.

  • Founded: 2000

  • Organizer: Asian Pacific American Film

  • Submission Deadline: January - May

• Asian American International Film Festival / New York, New York

  • Founded: 1978

  • Organizer: Cinevision

  • Submission Deadline: January - April

• New York Asian Film Festival / New York, New York

  • Founded: 2002

  • Organizer: New York Asian Film Foundation

  • Submission Deadline: May

• Asian Film Festival of Dallas / Dallas, Texas

  • Founded: 2002

  • Submission Deadline: December - March

SEPTEMBER

• Chicago South Asian Film Festival / Chicago, IL

  • Founded: 2010

  • Submission Deadline: March - July

• Taiwan Film Festival of Boston / Boston, MA

  • Founded: 2019

  • Organizer: Taiwan Film Festival of Boston (TFFB)

OCTOBER

• San Diego Filipino Film Festival / San Diego, CA

  • Founded: 2018

  • Organizer: San Diego Filipino Cinema

  • Submission Deadline: February - July

• FACINE Film Festival / San Francisco, CA

  • Founded: 1993

  • Organizer: The Filipino Arts & Cinema, International (FACINE)

• Silicon Valley Asian Pacific Film Festival / Sunnyvale, CA

  • Organizer: Contemporary Asian Theatre Scene

  • Submission Deadline: February - July

• Atlanta Asian Film Festival / Atlanta, GA

  • Founded: 2005

  • Submission Deadline: June

• Vietnamese International Film Festival / Orange County, CA

  • Founded: 2003

  • Organizer: Vietnamese American Arts and Letters Association (VAALA)

  • Submission Deadline: January - April

• Boston Asian American Film Festival / Boston, MA

  • Founded: 2008

  • Submission Deadline: March - May

• Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) / Los Angeles, CA

  • Founded: 2002

  • Submission Deadline: April - June

• San Francisco International South Asian Film Festival (SFISAFF) / San Francisco, CA

  • Founded 2002

  • Organizer: 3rd i Film

• Tasveer South Asian Film Festival / Seattle, WA

  • Founded: 2002

  • Submission Deadline: March - July

  • Academy Award-Qualifying

• Hālāwai Film Festival / New York City, NY

  • Founded: 2023

  • Organizer: Hālāwai

  • Submission Deadline: June - August

• Hawaii International Film Festival / Hawaii (Multiple Locations)

  • Founded: 1981

  • Submission Deadline: February - July

  • Academy Award-Qualifying

NOVEMBER

• Chinese American Film Festival / Los Angeles

  • Founded: 2005

  • Organizer: EDI Media

• Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival / Philadelphia, PA

  • Founded: 2008

  • Submission Deadline: February - July

• San Diego Asian Film Festival / San Diego, CA

  • Founded: 2000

  • Organizer: Pacific Arts Movement

  • Submission Deadline: January - July

• KOHO Japantown Film Festival / San Francisco, CA

  • Organizer: KOHO SF

• Asian World Film Festival / Los Angeles, CA

  • Founded: 2014

  • Submission Deadline: January - August

• FilAm Creative Film Festival / Los Angeles, CA

  • Founded: 2023

  • Organizer: FilAm Creative

  • Submission Deadline: May - October

DECEMBER

• South Asian International Film Festival / New York, NY

  • Founded: 2003

  • Submission Deadline: August - November