Seattle Asian American Film Festival: Celebrating the storytelling of Asian and Pacific Islander experiences

The Seattle Asian American Film Festival (SAAFF) is back again to showcase movies and documentaries  about Asian and Pacific Islander stories here in the Pacific Northwest! For their 10 year anniversary, SAAFF will be showing more than 100 films, including short stories and animated films.

Most of the films will be streamed online, however, a selected few will be shown in-person and on drive-in screenings at the Stonehouse Cafe. The film festival will run from March 3 to 13 and tickets/passes are available now for purchase here. You can also view the film guide listed here.

In addition to the festival, viewers can also vote for the Audience Choice Awards right after the film, and winners will be announced on Friday, March 18, 2022. More details to here

SAAFF is the only film festival in Seattle that primarily provides a space for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to show their rich culture, history, and perspective that is not often told or represented in mainstream media.

It was founded in 1985 by KingStreet Media — a community-based advocacy group and media production and an offshoot of the International Examiner newspaper.  Over the years it has been revived by different producers, but in 2012, it was revived again and is now a volunteer-run organization and an associated program of Shunpike. 

The ongoing pandemic has certainly impacted the film industry worldwide, but local filmmakers and small theater staff have been struggling a lot with lay-offs and temporary shutdowns. However, we can do our part in supporting them by volunteering or making a donation to a local non-profit film organization or simply watching their films. You can be a volunteer for SAAFF by applying here, or make a donation here.