In the nearly 20 years of the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival — now the Philadelphia Asian American Film Foundation (PAAFF) — Philadelphia’s Asian American community steadily grown. Nearly 9 percent of — more than 140,000 — Philadelphia residents are Asian, a figure that has, according to Pew, tripled since the 1990s. Meanwhile, the film festival, which celebrates the diversity, strength and contributions of Asian cultures, has grown too — first expanding to 10 days each fall, then adding on a Spring Showcase during May, Asian American Heritage Month. This year, on May 26, PAAFF will host its first-ever fundraiser.

Although the event, REEL Vision | Beyond The Frame, will be a celebration replete with awards for standout community members, it also comes out of financial necessity. Amidst cuts to federal funding for the arts and organizations tied to communities of color — along with pullback from private funders who’ve followed the Trump administration’s lead — PAAFF realized they needed to invite more contributors to the table with a splashy benefit.

If they succeed, they’ll be able to continue mounting creative, community-focused programs for Asian and non-Asian Philadelphians to discuss current issues facing Asian Americans, fortifying PAAFF as a cultural touchpoint. Essential to their mission is elevating less visible Asian and Pacific Islander cultures representing Pakistan, Iran, the Philippines, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia … Although media and technology has made representation easier, it’s still a vast swathe of the globe to answer for.

A still from the short film My Only Friend Is a Robot Named Beans.

“I’m Korean, and I know from when I first came as a child, no one knew where Korea was,” says PAAFF Executive Director Nani Shin. “Fast forward today, and it’s K- beauty, K-drama, K-pop, right? But that’s such a little, teeny, tiny element of it. I’m so proud that, as an organization, when we talk about Asia, we’re talking the entire continent of Asia.”

The film festival itself has always been a platform to have difficult conversations, inform, and spark activism. At this moment, that work feels more necessary than ever.

“The key word is community. We’re bringing the community together to share in whatever you’re witnessing,” she says. And that experience is different for everyone — and includes everyone, not just people whose families come from Asia or the Pacific Islands.

While Philadelphia might be more culturally familiar with Asian global phenomena and local Asian influence — last year, the community took the spotlight by protesting a proposed 76ers arena in Center City near Chinatown, for example — PAAFF believes it can do much more to bring Asian stories and storytellers to Philly.

From Festival to Foundation

For most of its 18 years, the final “F” in PAAFF stood for “festival,” and the organization was entirely volunteer-run. Over the years, what started as a three-day event staffed by about a dozen devoted community members screening 30 or so films and shorts evolved into the 10-day annual fall festival.

Three years ago, a grant from the People’s Media Fund allowed PAAFF to hire staff for the first time, and partner with seasonal contractors to assist with the festival. The 2024 festival saw a 200 percent increase in attendance over previous years with over 50 filmmakers participating.

The organization became a 501c3 at the end of 2024, and then changed its moniker from Festival to Foundation in early 2025 to reflect the organization’s work beyond its signature annual event. PAAFF had long worked with community partners, notably the annual Confluence Film Festival held by the Academy of Natural Sciences. But this was what Shin calls an “intentional shift” to hold more events outside the festival with more varied organizations, like year-round screenings and arts and civic advocacy with organizations like Asian Americans United (AAU) and Philly Asian Queer (PAQ).

“Becoming a Foundation is almost like starting over,” Shin says.

But just as PAAFF was embarking on a new era of activism and advocacy in 2025, they were dealt a serious blow when their largest corporate sponsor pulled out. As many nonprofits have found in the past year, changes in the grant landscape have primarily harmed organizations that champion diversity and inclusion and support historically marginalized communities in nearly all spaces, especially the arts. Federal cuts and a strained economy means there is less money to go around — and greater competition for what’s left.

A still from the film American Doctor.

That’s why PAAFF decided to take money matters into their own cans. Their REEL Vision Beyond the Frame Fundraiser on May 26 will support the capital campaign and double as an awards ceremony. Hulu’s popular comedy series Deli Boys is receiving an AANHPI (Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander) Storyteller Icon Award, which will be presented to the show’s stars Asif Ali and Saagar Shaikh. The show is about Pakistani brothers in South Philly inheriting their father’s corner store … and his secret criminal enterprise. (Full disclosure: It’s filmed in Chicago).

“It is really a cultural statement to be able to have this whole story set about South Asians.” Shin says.

Local-Emmy Award-winning investigative journalist, and creator and host of the documentary series #ThisIsAmerica, Nydia Han, will also be honored with a Philadelphia Icon Award.

Then, the films

PAAFF’s one-day Spring Showcase on May 30 is a full day of screenings, beginning with Strangely Familiar Worlds: Genre Shorts, a collection of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror short films that promises both relatable characters and inexplicable and bizarre phenomena. The first afternoon feature is American Doctor, a documentary following three physicians — Palestinian, Jewish and Zoroastrian — from saving lives in a Gazan hospital to meeting members of Congress on Capitol Hill. The film will be followed by a Q&A with director Poh Si Teng. Recognized at the Sundance Film Festival, this will be the film’s Philadelphia premiere.

“We’re just really excited about this film,” Shin says. “It is fascinating to know that these three very different physicians from different backgrounds really served in Gaza under siege,” Shin says. “I think it’s a phenomenal story, and shows their commitment and dedication. Poe [Poh Si Teng, director and producer] is so committed to it, and she is a big activist, and every interview, every conversation is just so compelling and so inspiring. We’re looking forward to that and for the conversation afterwards.”

No Room For Love, a touching story about a Filipino family in Los Angeles that gets a little meta about the film industry, is the more lighthearted showcase finale. After the screening, filmmakers Randal and Malou Kamradt and actors Cynthia San Luis, Garth Garcia, and Iya Baclagan will treat attendees to another Q&A.

There will also be an afterparty in Brewerytown at Baby’s Kusina with music videos and a performance from Garth Garcia.

The future of PAAFF

As a newly established foundation, one of PAAFF’s goals is to diversify and expand the ways they can gather the community, build awareness, and raise funds for year-round programming. The benefit’s title “REEL Vision” derives from the capital campaign, PAAFF Keeps Philly REEL.

“At the core, it is a fundraiser, so we are going to spend a little time talking about where we’ve been and where we see ourselves,” Shin says. “But I think in some ways, we also want to hear from the community. What are their expectations? What do they want to see from a film organization that is dedicated to Asian Americans? This is a pivotal point in our journey as an organization making these changes. And we think we’re going in the right direction, but we really can’t make that decision on our own. We’ve got to make sure that this is what they want, and are we really serving them right?”

Last year, PAAFF participated in an outdoor film series by Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation. They more recently partnered with The Free Library for a short film screening that tied into its One Book, One Philadelphia selection, Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng. These are the types of partnerships that PAAFF is planning to grow.

“With our capital campaign, and what we’ve been talking about, the subtext of it all is protecting our stories, because we’re an organization that really does focus on the stories and the storytellers,” says Shin. “And I feel that that is so imperative today, because a lot of our stories are being erased, or just being ignored. And it’s not just the Asian Americans, it’s really all the diverse stories. That’s the big message.”

The REEL Vision | Beyond The Frame inaugural benefit is May 26 at the Fitler Club, 24 S. 24th Street. Tickets are $150-$350

The PAAFF Spring Showcase is May 30 at Symphony Philly and Rainey Auditorium. Tickets are $16.79 per screening.

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