FILMS by SECTION

The decay of celluloid is especially harsh in Asia and the Pacific Islands, where humidity runs high and the aftermarkets for old treasures are dim. And so SDAFF pays tribute to the archivists, the preservationists, and digital and analog surgeons who bring cultural artifacts -- and breathtaking sights and sounds -- back to life.

Films to make you laugh, cry, and cheer, featuring accidental assassins, beauty queen hideouts, and giant robot dreams.

The best of Asian American cinema in all of its colors—from stories of musical ambition and kung-fu revisited to tales of hustle and humor.

From Asia’s most innovative and thought-provoking filmmakers come new stories and new ways of telling them.

With the new SWIMMING OUT TILL THE SEA TURNS BLUE, director Jia Zhang-ke completes a trilogy of documentaries about artists in China. The films encompass fashion, painting, and literature, but also the tectonic turns of a modern China and the would-be freedoms of artists and their essential ties to Chinese society.

Fresh from Venice, Busan, and other prestigious international film festivals, these are premiere works by the world’s best directors.

Discover the thrills of the short form including international standouts, experimental documentaries, narrative thrills, and a cocktail mix--1 part quarantine to 100 parts bravado.

The feature presentations of this year’s San Diego Asian Film Festival examine the deep reserves of humanity, ingenuity, and resilience called for during this singular year.

Director Lynn Chen rounds out the nine-year cinematic journey of singer-songwriter Goh Nakamura and his friends, lovers, and everyone in between. Playing that line between fact and fiction like an old guitar, these three instant-classic comedies show Asian Americans at their bumbling bests: creating, romancing, glowing under the California sun.