ABOUT AAIFF
The Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF) is proudly known as "The First Home to Asian American Cinema." Organized by Asian CineVision (ACV), it's the first and longest-running festival dedicated to showcasing the moving image work by media artists of Asian descent for and about the Asian diaspora experience. The Festival takes place in New York City, the second-largest Asian American market in the U.S. Every year, AAIFF attracts audiences from all five boroughs of New York City, the tri-state region, and around the world.

AAIFF49 will be a hybrid festival from July 30 - August 9, 2026, comprising both VOD and in-person screenings in NYC. Anyone in North America can watch virtually, further geoblocking on request.

Please read the below rules & terms carefully, and if there are any remaining questions or concerns, feel free to email submissions@asiancinevision.org. We will be in touch by the notification deadline, so please do not contact us before then about selection status.

Films submitted and screened at the festival are eligible to participate in our National Tour program, bringing Asian diaspora stories to broader audiences across North America through a rental service for cultural and educational institutions.

*NOTE: The winning screenplay from AAIFF49's Asian American International Screenplay Competition will be performed as a live reading during this year's festival run.

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ABOUT ASIAN CINEVISION
Asian CineVision (ACV) is a media arts nonprofit devoted to the development, exhibition, promotion, and preservation of Asian and Asian American experiences through storytelling. Our mission is to nurture and grow the community of makers and lovers of Asian and Asian American independent film, television, and digital.

Awards & Prizes

Jury Presented Awards may include:

• EMERGING DIRECTOR IN NARRATIVE FEATURE - Directors screening their first or second narrative feature film projects are eligible for this award

• EMERGING DIRECTOR IN DOCUMENTARY FEATURE - Directors screening their first or second narrative documentary film projects are eligible for this award

• EXCELLENCE IN NARRATIVE SHORT FILMMAKING

• EXCELLENCE IN DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILMMAKING

• EXCELLENCE IN ONES TO WATCH YOUTH FILMMAKING - Projects submitted by filmmakers under the age of 21 are eligible for this award

• EXCELLENCE IN MUSIC VIDEO

• ASIAN AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL SCREENPLAY COMPETITION (AAISC)

Honorable Mentions may include
• EXCELLENCE IN EDITING
• EXCELLENCE IN PRODUCTION DESIGN
• EXCELLENCE IN CINEMATOGRAPHY
• EXCELLENCE IN SCREENWRITING

By Audience Votes:
• AUDIENCE AWARD: NARRATIVE FEATURE
• AUDIENCE AWARD: DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
• AUDIENCE AWARD: NARRATIVE SHORT
• AUDIENCE AWARD: DOCUMENTARY SHORT

Additionally, AAIFF presents THE ASIAN AMERICAN MEDIA AWARD, the ASIAN MEDIA HUMANITARIAN AWARD, and the SIKAY TANG CRITICAL LENS AWARD to those who have contributed significantly to Asian American media. Since 1987, recipients of these awards have included:

Wayne Wang (1987); Loni Dong (1988); Christine Choy (1989), James Yee (1990), Steven Okazaki (1991); Mira Nair (1992), Ang Lee (1993); Joan Chen (1994); Kayo Hatta and Freida Lee Mock (1995), Russell Wong (1996); Jessica Yu and Arthur Dong (1997), Michelle Yeoh (1998); Sammo Hung (1999); Andy Lau (2000); Tamlyn Tomita (2001); Marilou Diaz-Abaya (2002); Jet Li and Maggie Cheung (2005); Janet Yang (2012); Kara Wai (2016); Justin Chon (2017); Jean Tsien (2022); and Alina Mustafina (2025).

Rules & Terms

ELIGIBILITY
• Submissions must have a date of completion on or after January 1st, 2025 (with the exception of the Works-in-Progress category).
• NYC Premieres are prioritized.
• Completed submissions must either have at least one person of Asian or Pacific Islander descent in a key creative role e.g. Director, Writer, Producer, DP, etc. and/or represent the Asian or Asian diasporic experience.

***People of Asian and Pacific Islander descent include but are not limited to people who are from and/or are descended from areas now known as Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Nepal, Tibet, Mongolia, China, Russia, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Indonesia, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Micronesia, and the Pacific Islands.***

SUBTITLES
• All primarily non-English language films must include English subtitles.
• English language films with subtitles for accessibility are strongly encouraged.

NOTIFICATION
All applicants will be notified by email or FilmFreeway. Please do not contact us before the notification deadline about selection status.

You must contact us immediately if you want to withdraw your work from our consideration.

TERMS & CONDITIONS
AAIFF is hereby granted the right to utilize an excerpt from any film submitted and accepted for exhibition at the Festival for promotional purposes.

The individual or corporation submitting the film hereby warrants that it is authorized to commit the film for screening (online or in-person), and understands and accepts these requirements and regulations.

The undersigned shall indemnify and hold harmless AAIFF from and against any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages, and expenses (including but not limited to attorney's fees, and costs of the court) which may be incurred by reason of any claim involving copyright, trademark, credits, publicity, screening, and loss of or damage to the screening videos entered.

*NOTE: If there are circumstances that prevent you from paying the required submission fee, you can apply for a hardship waiver here: https://forms.gle/xsiCCAVQamiJ8unb7.
47 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Pardeep Sahota

    While we weren’t able to attend in person, the festival ran smoothly from our perspective. Great communication and a lineup we were proud to be part of.

    December 2025
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  • Anthony Ma

    AAIFF never fails to bring the energy. This is a festival that knows how to celebrate filmmakers. The staff has always been young, spunky, and media savvy, and returning in 2025 after first attending back in 2009 and 2010, I can honestly say that spark has never changed.

    From the moment you arrive, you’re taken care of. Our programmer guided us through the screening process with care, and every night was capped with opportunities to mingle and connect at lively parties. The balance of thoughtful curation and a fun, celebratory atmosphere is exactly what makes AAIFF such a special space for filmmakers.

    Huge thanks to the team for making us feel celebrated and part of something bigger. I hope to be back again soon!

    September 2025
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  • Lindsay Nyman

    Absolutely fantastic experience with the Asian American International Film Festival! The team was exceptional, incredibly organized, communicative, and thoughtful throughout the entire process. I was proud to have They Call Me The Tattoo Witch included in such a prestigious film festival. AAIFF is meaningful, well run, and truly supportive of its filmmakers.

    August 2025
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  • Sid Gopinath

    A fantastic, community-oriented fest with great filmmaker events and lovely screenings. Thrilled to have our music video for "God on a Billboard" included!

    August 2025
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  • Vinnoth Krishnan

    I love this festival. Even though I couldn’t attend the live events, this festival made me feel like I was a part of it. I really enjoyed it, and I was able to watch almost every virtual film. The staff are kind and very communicative. Thank you for having such a dedicated team, and I'm grateful to have my film screened in this wonderful festival.

    August 2025
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