Friday, September 29 (Northeastern University Blackman Auditorium)
7:00PM Silent Movie Day & BAAFF Preview Event [Free RSVP]
Thursday, October 12 (Coolidge Corner Theatre)
7:00PM The Golden Screen with Jeff Yang & Renee Tajima-Peña [Get Tickets]
Friday, October 13 (Emerson Paramount Theatre)
6:00PM Nurse Unseen (Centerpiece) SOLD OUT
9:00PM Queer & Here (Shorts Program) In-Person and Virtual [Get Tickets]
Saturday, October 14 (Emerson Paramount Theatre)
1:30PM Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story SOLD OUT
4:30PM Accidental Getaway Driver (Centerpiece) [Get Tickets]
8:30PM Laugh with BAAFF! (Shorts Program) In-Person and Virtual [Get Tickets]
Sunday, October 15 (Emerson Paramount Theatre)
1:00 PM Finding Her Beat, Preceded by Gund Kwok [Get Tickets]
4:00PM B-Side for Taylor [Get Tickets]
7:00PM Starring Jerry as Himself, Preceded by Closing Dynasty (Closing Night & Reception) [Get Tickets]
Thursday, October 19 (Emerson Paramount Theatre)
7:00 PM Past Lives Presented by Bright Lights FREE [More Info]
Sunday, October 22 (Emerson Paramount Theatre)
2:00PM Expats Preview with Lulu Wang [Get Tickets]
4:00PM Conversation with Lulu Wang [Open to all Expat Ticket Holders]
5:00PM Expats Preview with Lulu Wang [Get Tickets]
Friday, October 13 – October 22
(Virtual Shorts Programs available on-demand)
Golden Girls [Get Tickets]
Serving Family Style [Get Tickets]
Laugh with BAAFF! [Get Tickets]
Queer & Here [Get Tickets]
Grave Affairs [Get Tickets]
Lights Out [Get Tickets]
Coolidge Corner Theatre, 290 Harvard Street, Boston, MA 02446
BAAFF joins forces with Jeff Yang to kick-off the 15th Annual Festival and celebrate the national Release of his highly anticipated book, The Golden Screen.
Renee Tajima-Peña, Academy Award nominated filmmaker will join Jeff Yang for a special conversation about The Golden Screen, and Miss Massachusetts, Chelsea Vuong, will emcee this special night hosted at the historic Coolidge Corner Theater.
New York Times bestselling author, Jeff Yang presents a groundbreaking book that celebrates and examines the history of Asian Americans on the big screen, exploring how iconic films (many that have screened at BAAFF!) have shaped Hollywood, representation, and American culture.
Directed by Michele Josue | Documentary | 92 mins | USA
Emerson Paramount Center, Bright Family Screening Room, 559 Washington St. Boston MA
NURSE UNSEEN explores the little-known history and humanity of the unsung Filipino nurses risking their lives on the frontlines while facing a resurgence of anti-Asian hate in the streets. The film unearths the colonial ties between the Philippines and the United States that has led to Filipino nurses becoming the unknown backbone of the U.S. and global healthcare systems.
Shorts | 69 mins
Emerson Paramount Center, Bright Family Screening Room, 559 Washington St. Boston MA
A staple every BAAFF season, Queer and Here is self-expression and identity beyond orientation.
Cousins by Karina Dandashi
Fish by Jeremy Hsing
Gianna by Kait Schuster
After Sunset, Dawn Arrives by Andy Yi Li
Aikāne by Daniel Sousa
Directed by Jennifer Takaki
Emerson Paramount Center, Bright Family Screening Room, 559 Washington St. Boston MA
An intimate portrait of the life, work, and advocacy of pioneering Chinese American photographer Corky Lee.
Director Jennifer Takaki followed Corky Lee for nearly 20 years, documenting triumphs and tragedy. Her film offers a unique and moving memorial to one man’s mission to bring justice to his community through photography.
Directed by Sing J. Lee| Narrative | 114 min
Emerson Paramount Center, Bright Family Screening Room, 559 Washington St. Boston MA
During a routine pickup, an elderly Vietnamese cab driver is taken hostage at gunpoint by three recently escaped Orange County convicts.
Emerson Paramount Center, Bright Family Screening Room, 559 Washington St. Boston MA
A weed-buying grandma, a lonely customer service rep, and a dysfunctional Vietnamese-American family walk into a film festival… Laugh with BAAFF is a lineup of wild, genre-bending comedy shorts from some of the industry’s top comedians and new comic voices.
“Halmoni’s Pot” by Lauren Lee
Open and Shut by Kulap Vilaysack
The Family Circus by Andrew Fitzgerald
Running by Arpita Mukherjee
Preceded by Gund Kwok
Directed by Dawn Mikkelson & Keri Pickett
Emerson Paramount Center, Bright Family Screening Room, 559 Washington St. Boston MA
A master of Japanese drumming and a Korean adoptee from Minnesota boldly convene an all-female troupe to perform Taiko, the Japanese drumming art that has been off-limits to women for centuries. As the early menace of Covid rumbles in the background, the group faces down hurdles to prepare for a historic performance in snowy St. Paul.
Directed by Christina YR Lim
Emerson Paramount Center, Bright Family Screening Room, 559 Washington St. Boston MA
A year after the sudden death of her mother, TAYLOR, a 14-year-old adoptee has secretly grown obsessed with finding her birth family in Korea. The loss has also taken a severe toll on her relationship with her father, BILL, a high school teacher who medicates his grief with alcohol.
Preceded by Closing Dynasty
Directed by Law Chen | 75 Minutes
Emerson Paramount Center, Bright Family Screening Room, 559 Washington St. Boston MA
A family documents how their immigrant father Jerry, a recently retired Florida man, was recruited by the Chinese police to be an undercover agent, only to discover a darker truth.
$25 Opening Night
$20 Special Presentations (Centerpiece, Closing Film)
$15 Features Films* (excludes Opening, Centerpiece, Closing Film)
$15 Shorts Programs
$150 All-Access Festival Pass (All 2023 Film Programs)
$60 All-Access Shorts Pass (All 2023 Virtual Shorts Programs)
$12.50 Student/Senior Discount
20% off for group sales of 10+, please call 617-824-8400 or email [email protected] for more information.
All Shorts Program available on-demand in the U.S. from October 13, 7:00PM until Sunday, October 22, 2023. The content must be started within the designated viewing window. Once started, you have up to 24 hrs to finish playing the content or until the end of the viewing window – whichever comes first.
See individual films for content advisory
Don’t Be Sorry Directed by David Au
Perry And A Pause Directed by Tess Paras
Supermarket Affairs Directed by Hang Luong Nguyen
Tequila Sunset Directed by Jinsui Song
The Old Young Crow Directed by Liam LoPinto
Nai Nai & Wai Po (Grandma & Grandma) Directed by Sean Wang
In a time when violence against the elderly is at an all-time high, Golden Girls is in honor of the life and achievements of the older woman, showing us that not all stories are fully told quite yet.
See individual films for content advisory
Mandarins Directed by Chelsie Pennello
The Resemblance Directed by Derek Nguyen
The Van Directed by Bernard Badion
Video Funeral Directed by Linh Tran
Take Me Home Directed by Liz Sargent
Don’t be afraid to bring out your tissues, Grave Affairs follows stories of families honoring and mourning their deceased loved ones, and how it brings out the best and worst in them.
See individual films for content advisory
Astonishing Little Feet Directed by Maegan A Houang
Sandals of Gold Directed by Raj Kapadia
Dirty Rotten Tofu and the Gohan Girls Directed by June K Inuzuka
Happy Ending Directed by Élodie Yung
Teen Troubles in Dirty Jersey Directed by Waley Wang
Hearsay Directed by Banban Cheng
Depiction isn’t always endorsement. Violence, obsession, revenge… Light’s Out explores the darker side of the Asian-American experience.
See individual films for content advisory
Halmoni’s Pot (Grandma’s Pot) Directed by A. Lauren Lee
Open and Shut Directed by Kulap Vilaysack
The Family Circus Directed by Andrew Fitzgerald
Running Directed by Arpita Mukherjee
A weed-buying grandma, a lonely customer service rep, and a dysfunctional Vietnamese-American family walk into a film festival… Laugh with BAAFF is a lineup of wild, genre-bending comedy shorts from some of the industry’s top comedians and new comic voices.
See individual films for content advisory
Upsidedown Directed by Razan Ghalayini
Mother’s Tongue Directed by Vanesa Millado
When You Left Me on That Boulevard Directed by Kayla Abuda Galang
Lunchbox Directed by Anne Hu
Breaking Fast with a Coca Cola Directed by Amy Yasmine Omar
Benkyodo: The Last Manju Shop in J-Town Directed by Tadashi Nakamura & Akira Boch
Guaranteed to make your mouths water, Serving Family Style highlights stories about the preparation and enjoyment of the meals we share with our loved ones, and how they play into the shaping of our own identities.
See individual films for content advisory
Cousins Directed by Karina Dandashi
Fish Directed by Jeremy Hsing
Gianna Directed by Kait Schuster
After Sunset, Dawn Arrives Directed by Andy Yi Li
Aikāne Directed by Daniel Sousa
A staple every BAAFF season, Queer and Here is self-expression and complexities of Identity beyond orientation.
Learn more
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