{"id":196923,"date":"2026-05-19T18:09:05","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T18:09:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/196923\/"},"modified":"2026-05-19T18:09:05","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T18:09:05","slug":"paaff-fundraiser-and-spring-showcase","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/196923\/","title":{"rendered":"PAAFF Fundraiser and Spring Showcase"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In the nearly 20 years of the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival \u2014 now the Philadelphia Asian American Film Foundation<\/a> (PAAFF) \u2014 Philadelphia\u2019s Asian American community steadily grown. Nearly 9 percent of \u2014 more than 140,000 \u2014 Philadelphia residents are Asian, a figure that has, according to Pew,<\/a> tripled since the 1990s. Meanwhile, the film festival, which celebrates the diversity, strength and contributions of Asian cultures, has grown too \u2014 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.<\/p>\n

Although the event, REEL Vision | Beyond The Frame,<\/a> 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 \u2014 along with pullback from private funders who\u2019ve followed the Trump administration\u2019s lead \u2014 PAAFF realized they needed to invite more contributors to the table with a splashy benefit.<\/p>\n

If they succeed, they\u2019ll 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 \u2026 Although media and technology has made representation easier, it\u2019s still a vast swathe of the globe to answer for.<\/p>\n

\"\"A still from the short film My Only Friend Is a Robot Named Beans. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m Korean, and I know from when I first came as a child, no one knew where Korea was,\u201d says PAAFF Executive Director Nani Shin. \u201cFast forward today, and it\u2019s K- beauty, K-drama, K-pop, right? But that\u2019s such a little, teeny, tiny element of it. I\u2019m so proud that, as an organization, when we talk about Asia, we\u2019re talking the entire continent of Asia.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe key word is community. We\u2019re bringing the community together to share in whatever you\u2019re witnessing,\u201d she says. And that experience is different for everyone \u2014 and includes everyone, not just people whose families come from Asia or the Pacific Islands.<\/p>\n

While Philadelphia might be more culturally familiar with Asian global phenomena and local Asian influence \u2014 last year, the community took the spotlight by protesting a proposed 76ers arena in Center City near Chinatown, for example \u2014 PAAFF believes it can do much more to bring Asian stories and storytellers to Philly.<\/p>\n

From Festival to Foundation <\/p>\n

For most of its 18 years, the final \u201cF\u201d in PAAFF stood for \u201cfestival,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

Three years ago, a grant from the People\u2019s Media Fund<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s 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 \u201cintentional shift\u201d 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<\/a> (AAU) and Philly Asian Queer (PAQ<\/a>).<\/p>\n

\u201cBecoming a Foundation is almost like starting over,\u201d Shin says.<\/p>\n

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 \u2014 and greater competition for what\u2019s left.<\/p>\n

\"\"A still from the film American Doctor. <\/p>\n

That\u2019s 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\u2019s 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\u2019s stars Asif Ali and Saagar Shaikh. The show is about Pakistani brothers in South Philly inheriting their father\u2019s corner store \u2026 and his secret criminal enterprise. (Full disclosure: It\u2019s filmed in Chicago).<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is really a cultural statement to be able to have this whole story set about South Asians.\u201d Shin says.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Then, the films <\/p>\n

PAAFF\u2019s 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 \u2014 Palestinian, Jewish and Zoroastrian \u2014 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\u2019s Philadelphia premiere.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re just really excited about this film,\u201d Shin says. \u201cIt is fascinating to know that these three very different physicians from different backgrounds really served in Gaza under siege,\u201d Shin says. \u201cI think it\u2019s 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\u2019re looking forward to that and for the conversation afterwards.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

There will also be an afterparty in Brewerytown at Baby\u2019s Kusina with music videos and a performance from Garth Garcia.<\/p>\n

The future of PAAFF <\/p>\n

As a newly established foundation, one of PAAFF\u2019s goals is to diversify and expand the ways they can gather the community, build awareness, and raise funds for year-round programming. The benefit\u2019s title \u201cREEL Vision\u201d derives from the capital campaign, PAAFF Keeps Philly REEL.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cAt the core, it is a fundraiser, so we are going to spend a little time talking about where we\u2019ve been and where we see ourselves,\u201d Shin says. \u201cBut 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\u2019re going in the right direction, but we really can\u2019t make that decision on our own. We\u2019ve got to make sure that this is what they want, and are we really serving them right?\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith our capital campaign, and what we\u2019ve been talking about, the subtext of it all is protecting our stories, because we\u2019re an organization that really does focus on the stories and the storytellers,\u201d says Shin. \u201cAnd I feel that that is so imperative today, because a lot of our stories are being erased, or just being ignored. And it\u2019s not just the Asian Americans, it\u2019s really all the diverse stories. That\u2019s the big message.\u201d<\/p>\n

The REEL Vision | Beyond The Frame<\/a> inaugural benefit is May 26 at the Fitler Club, 24 S. 24th Street. Tickets are $150-$350<\/p>\n

The PAAFF Spring Showcase<\/a> is May 30 at Symphony Philly and Rainey Auditorium. Tickets are $16.79 per screening.<\/p>\n

\"\" MORE CITIZEN RECOMMENDATIONS<\/p>\n

PAAFF’s closing night reception at Baby’s for the 18th Annual Fall Festival <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In the nearly 20 years of the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival \u2014 now the Philadelphia Asian American…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":196924,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[7447,5646,8270,69,71,70,9511],"class_list":["post-196923","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-philadelphia","tag-asian-americans","tag-film","tag-nonprofits","tag-philadelphia","tag-philadelphia-headlines","tag-philadelphia-news","tag-the-citizen-recommends"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/196923","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=196923"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/196923\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/196924"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=196923"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=196923"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=196923"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}