Thank you for attending the 8th Annual APFF on February 1, 2025!
The USC Asian Pacific Film Fest (APFF) is a collaborative project between the USC Asian Pacific Alumni Association (APAA) and USC Asian Pacific Cinema Association (APCA), a student organization based at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, to highlight Asian Pacific Islander (API) cinema and filmmakers from the University of Southern California. USC APFF seeks to showcase short films that are produced, written, directed and/or starring API Trojans, as well as films that address topics of interest to the API community. The festival also serves to highlight API Trojans in the entertainment industry.
All proceeds from the event go toward the Jon M. Chu APAA Cinematic Arts Scholarship Fund. This scholarship is awarded to USC School of Cinematic Arts undergraduate students whose creative work demonstrates a commitment to telling stories about the API community.
We are thrilled that many students, alumni and guests attended this year’s APFF and enjoyed the inspiring interviews with jurors, Jessica del Mundo and Joel Kuwahara, and the amazing slate of short films! The links to some of the films featured at the APFF are below. We hope to see you at next year’s film fest!
Thank you to our 2025 APFF Sponsors!
Presenting Sponsor
Gold Sponsor
8th Annual APFF Film Selections
Missing at Sea
Director: Jiayang Liu
During a research trip, an international marine biology student uncovers his lab partner’s scheme.
Growing Up Lotus
Writer/Director: Sea Gira
When a shocking crime shakes her community’s temple, Apple must confront her father and the realization of a growing distance between her and her Thai Buddhist upbringing.
Star Wars Musical: Empire’s New Groove
Director/Producer: Jeffrey Chin MFA ’16
Years after the merger of Star Wars and Disney, Luke, Han, and Leia reunite in a Disney Star Wars Musical parodying the Empire Strikes Back, this time with a New Groove!
2025 Audience Award – Loving Day
Co-Writer/Director: Daeil Kim ’24
An interracial couple’s wedding plans take an unexpected turn when the Loving v. Virginia case, which legalized interracial marriage, is overturned, leaving them to navigate the fate of their child.
Awaaz Oonchi Karo (Louder)
Director/Writer: Misha Hassan ’22
Jugnu, a young Pakistani American woman, has learned to suppress anger her entire life. When forced to meet family, minor inconveniences cause her to reach her breaking point.
One Heart One Mind
Director: Yunqi Li
Following his father’s terminal cancer diagnosis, a Chinese American student suddenly wakes up in the past and is given a second chance to mend his strained relationship with his father.
Password to access video: OHOM2025
Welcome to 8th Street
Writer/Director: Yoo Lee
As newcomers attempt to settle into their New Jersey neighborhood on 8th Street, some odd encounters make them question their decision to move.
Password to access video: 8thst_07302
2025 Jury Award – The Lights Above
Producer: Alexander Chang ’24
In the wake of Pearl Harbor, a series of unidentified aircraft sightings over Los Angeles lead a wary journalist to reluctantly pair up with a Japanese-American photographer to prevent another attack.
2025 APFF Jury
Jessica del Mundo
Executive, GoldenTV
Jessica is a writer, producer and senior communications strategist based in Los Angeles. She currently serves as head of marketing, growth and development at Golden Media, parent company of GoldenTV, ChimeTV, Golden Lab and Character Media. A former journalist, Jessica began her career as a writer and investigative news producer for a leading cable news network before pivoting to media relations and creative development. She has spent two decades as an agency executive specializing in entertainment, consumer marketing and brand strategy. Born in Manila and raised in Southern California, Jessica is a graduate of the USC Annenberg School for Communication and USC Dornsife College of Letters Arts and Sciences. At USC, she earned dual degrees in Political Science and Broadcast Journalism and was a Pre-Med Thematic Option scholar while tapped to the university’s Order of the Torch. ABC News and Good Morning America named Jessica to its annual “GMA Inspiration List.” Her other professional honors include the Clio Award, Silver Anvil, Global SABRE, PRism, PRWeek Award, Emmy Award Nomination in News, and USC Women of Distinction Alumni Award.
Joel Kuwahara
Co-Founder, Bento Box Entertainment
Joel Kuwahara is a two-time Emmy award winning producer, with over 30 years of animation experience and credits that include The Simpsons and Bob’s Burgers. As Co-Founder and President of Production of Bento Box Entertainment, Joel does what he loves most: work across both the creative and production sides of the industry and collaborate with the larger global animation community. He thrives on teamwork and is always seeking to improve and perfect the way content is produced.
Past Winners
2017 Asian Pacific Film Festival Photo Gallery
2024 Jury Award – The Nectar Instead
Yoo Lee, writer/director
A young fly gets trapped on the fly trap in the stop-motion studio only to have the existential realization that it spent its entire life chasing after the wrong thing.
Password to access video: TNI_TH23
2024 Audience Award – Welcome to ESL
Faithe Nguyen, writer/director/sound designer
A Vietnamese American immigrant must learn to get along with a fellow classmate in his ‘English as a Second Language’ class.
Sharon Park
2023 Jury Award – Director/Producer, The Unreachable Star
Inspired by the grand tales of Don Quixote, a brother and sister set off in search of adventure to escape their own wartime reality, but ultimately find that the greatest act of heroism is the imagination they lend to each other.
Stefie Gan
2023 Audience Award – Director, Joss Lotuses to Grandma
A girl returns to Malaysia after her grandma’s death. The film explores their bond, the biculturalism of immigration, and the cultural rituals that can help heal grief and the loss of separation.
Thomas Percy Kim
2022 Jury Award – Director/Writer, BUSAN, 1999
An expecting Korean-American woman returns to her mother’s rustic home. They bathe and scrub each other, searching for reconnection and redemption.
Bruce Chiu
2022 Audience Award – Director/Writer, Imperfectly complete
Lucy has been taking care of Owen, a blind guitarist she has admired for years. When Owen is about to get his vision back, Lucy faces the struggle of whether to reveal her true identity to Owen.
Tiffany Lin
2021 Jury Award – Director, Carrie Fisher is Dead
A young boy acquires a goldfish named Carrie Fisher. Then she dies.
Kevin Ung
2021 Audience Award – Director, Refrigerate After Opening
A man who is down on his luck, find a second shot at a life when he buys himself a magical refrigerator.
Shange “Z” Zhang
2020 Jury Award – Director/Producer, The Five Minutes
A businessman in mourning uses a special telephone booth to have a final conversation with his recently deceased wife in the afterlife.
Omar Al Dakheel
2020 Audience Award – Writer/Director, Ablution
Waleed washes his disabled father Khaled five times a day for Muslim prayer. But when Waleed’s sexuality is revealed, both father and son are torn between religion, duty and self.
Bruce Chiu
2019 Jury Award – Director, Sunset Sunrise
Owing to the self-condemnation of not being a good mother, Lily, a traditional Chinese woman struggles to come to terms with her son’s sexuality as her attempt to “change” him ultimately backfires.
Kalyan Sura
2019 Audience Award – Writer/Director/VFX Supervisor, The Lie Game
A desperate computer scientist struggling to fund her anti-depression AI application faces her toughest challenge yet.
Eleanor Cho
2017 Audience Award – Director, Joseon’s Bride
Joseon’s Bride is a period piece following a young Korean bride who is trying to immigrate to America to escape from the dangers of Japanese colonialism.
Isaac Deol
2017 Jury Award – Writer/Director, Warm Sweets
Long, the son of Chinese immigrant Linda must decide whether to fulfill his own dreams and move away for college or stay in South Los Angeles and take over his Mother’s bakery.