CAAMFest — Asian Pacific Film Festival

Film festivals can sound niche until you look at what they actually do. They decide which stories get a public stage, which filmmakers meet funders, and which communities get to see themselves as more than a footnote. That’s why CAAMFest matters. The 44th edition is happening right now in San Francisco Japantown, running May 7 through May 10, and this year it looks less like a generic festival week and more like a concentrated bet on Asian American independent storytelling. ### What is CAAMFest, exactly? CAAMFest is the annual festival run by the Center for Asian American Media, or CAAM. It’s built around film, but not just film — there are panels, industry sessions, shorts programs, food-centered events, and community gatherings. CAAM calls it the nation’s leading showcase for films from Asian America and beyond, and in 2026 the whole thing is back as a fully in-person event centered in San Francisco Japantown. (caamedia.org) ### What changed this year? The big shift is the framing. CAAM is pitching 2026 as a return to its roots — “scrappy, inspired, and full of attitude” — after what it describes as a hard 2025 for media. That matters because festivals are not just cultural parties anymore. They’ve become part exhibition space, part career infrastructure, part survival mechanism for independent filmmakers whose projects might not fit neatly into studio pipelines or streaming algorithms. (caamedia.org) ### How big is the lineup? It’s substantial. CAAM says this year’s festival features more than 60 films, including five world premieres. There’s also a heavier documentary tilt than usual, with 11 CAAM-supported documentaries in the program. Basically, this is not a small local sidebar — it’s a dense programming slate designed to show both finished work and the support system behind it. (caamfest.com) ### What opened the festival? Opening night started May 7 at AMC Kabuki with *The A-List: 15 Stories from Asian and Pacific Diasporas*, directed by Eugene Yi. After that came the Opening Night Gala at the Asian Art Museum. That pairing tells you a lot about the festival’s identity — it wants the prestige of a film event, but also the social energy of a community gathering. ### What’s happening today? (caamedia.org) Saturday, May 9 is packed. The schedule includes *About Face: Disrupting Ballet*, *Food Delivery: Fresh From the West Philippine Sea*, *Honeyjoon*, *Another World*, *Hoop Like This*, *The Dao of Thao*, *Breaking the Code*, *Seat at the Table*, *Jersey Boy*, *Mabuhay*, and the shorts program *Thirteen O’Clock*. There’s also an industry event, Tea House Salon, at KOHO Creative Hub. ### Which films seem especially central? (caamedia.org) A few titles keep surfacing. *The Gas Station Attendant*, directed by Karla Murthy, is the centerpiece documentary. *Forge*, directed by Jing Ai Ng, is the centerpiece narrative. *Before the Moon Falls* gets a documentary spotlight in partnership with Pacific Islanders in Communications. And closing night on May 10 belongs to *Traces of Home*, directed by 2024 CAAM Fellow Colette Ghunim. (caamfest.com) ### Why does the industry side matter? Because festivals now double as working spaces. CAAM’s industry hub runs May 7 to May 9 at KOHO Creative Hub and brings together creators and industry people around the future of independent filmmaking by makers of color. That’s the less glamorous but more consequential side of the week — not just who gets applause, but who gets meetings, collaborators, and a next project. (caamedia.org) ### So what’s the real point of this year’s festival? CAAMFest 2026 looks like a statement that Asian American film culture is not waiting around for perfect market conditions. It’s building audience, momentum, and institutional memory in one place, over four days, with Japantown as the anchor. That makes the festival feel bigger than a schedule — more like an ecosystem checking its pulse in public. (caamedia.org) (caamfest.com)