19th Annual HAAPIFEST Showcases Films from Across the AAPI Diaspora
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 30, 2023
Contacts: Ken Scudder (917) 226-1681 ken.scudder@ocahouston.org
Trisha Morales trisha.morales@ocahouston.org
19th Annual HAAPIFEST Showcases Films from Across the AAPI Diaspora
~ 13 communities represented in 41 movies ~
HOUSTON – The 19th Annual Houston Asian American Pacific Islander Film Festival (HAAPIFEST), running from Saturday, June 3 to Sunday, June 11, offers over forty movies, ranging from three-minute shorts to full-length features, that celebrate stories from all parts of the AAPI community.
“The depth, breadth, and quality of the movies this year is breathtaking,” said Christina Fu, HAAPIFEST Director. “These movies offer a broad range of stories that amuse, entertain, educate, and touch the heart, including memories of growing up in Chinatown, mental illness, LGBTQIA+ issues, undocumented persons, and depictions of the current struggles against racism and exclusion. There is truly something for every movie fan.”
The 41 films in this year’s festival were created by writers and directors from 13 different AAPI communities – Korean, Chinese, Taiwanese, Hawaiian, Iranian, Filipino, Japanese, Malay, Singaporean, Thai, Khmer, Indian, and Vietnamese. Each day’s programming is based around a common theme, including “Healing,” “Loss,” “Hidden Stories,” “Art and Power,” and “Texas.” Descriptions of all of the films can be found at www.ocahouston.org/haapi-film-descriptions. The full schedule can be found at www.ocahouston.org/haapifest-schedule.
The festival, presented by OCA-Greater Houston, begins at 3:00pm on June 3 at The Marriott Westchase with a reception and in-person screening of “Kapwa Texas.” Three other films will be screened online that day. The festival moves completely online from June 4 to 10, and then closes with a reception and showings of two films on June 11, including “Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story,” a documentary about the renown photographer of New York’s Asian American community, starting at 2:00 p.m. at The Cannon West Houston.
“Movies like ‘Parasite,’ ‘Crazy Rich Asians,’ and ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ have been box office smashes and critical successes,” Fu added. “But there is much more to the AAPI film community. We are honored to showcase some of the lesser-known talents who are sharing our stories.”
Passes for the entire festival are $50. Tickets for the opening or closing screenings are $25 each, including the receptions. Online only passes are $30. Students are entitled to a 50% discount on all tickets (with valid student ID). Festival passes and tickets for the opening and closing day showings are available at www.ocahouston.org/haapifest-tickets.
OCA-Greater Houston is a volunteer driven organization of community advocates that strives to meet the current and evolving needs of a diverse population through a comprehensive continuum of programs targeting different life stages of AAPIs with a focus on developing advocacy, leadership, and civic engagement participation of AAPIs.
