We’re now accepting film submissions for next year’s festival — and we want to see your stories on screen. Whether you’re a filmmaker exploring identity, culture, community, or bold new perspectives, HAAPIFEST is the place to share your vision.

📌 Submission Deadlines:
• Regular Deadline: November 30, 2025
• Late Deadline: January 5, 2026

Ready to submit?
👉 www.filmfreeway.com/haapifest

The Houston Asian American Pacific Islander Film Festival (HAAPIFEST) is excited to announce that submissions for our 2026 festival are officially open! We are looking for powerful, innovative, and authentic stories from AAPI filmmakers and allies around the globe.

HAAPIFEST is more than a film festival — it’s a platform for representation, a hub for creative exchange, and a celebration of culture and community through the art of storytelling. Every year, we welcome filmmakers whose voices inspire, challenge, and move audiences.

HAAPIFEST 2025 is excited to bring two powerhouse screenings that showcase the strength, creativity, and cultural impact of the global Asian community—on screen and beyond.

Whether you're a lifelong member of the BTS ARMY or a fan of legendary Asian cinema, these two films are must-sees for anyone who believes in the power of AAPI storytelling.

HAAPIFest is proud to partner with Tokyo X to present an exclusive series of in-person screenings at Houston’s NRG Center, spotlighting powerful cinematic works by and about the Asian diaspora.

As HAAPIFEST 2025 heads into its final weekend, we're inviting Houston's film lovers, creatives, and culture seekers to unwind, connect, and celebrate at HAAPI Hour, a special social and screening night hosted by OCA–Greater Houston and HAAPIFEST.

In Between Pictures: The Lens of Tamio Wakayama, director Cindy Mochizuki brings to light a deeply personal and historically resonant journey through the life of Tamio Wakayama.

Directed by Jon Osaki and Josh Chuck, this documentary explores how the Ethnic Studies movement—rooted in the late 1960s student protests at UC Berkeley and San Francisco State University.

This June, audiences in Houston will have the rare chance to experience The Truer History of the Chan Family, a daring, genre-defying film that blends musical theatre, historical drama, and social satire.

Are you an emerging filmmaker eager to bring your personal stories to life on the big screen? Join us at HAAPIFest for an unforgettable experience at our Lunch & Learn: Story Development Workshop with special guest Marcos James!

Join us for an unforgettable screening of Sharing Aloha, the acclaimed documentary by award-winning director Blair Treu, at HAAPIFest 2025.

Join us for HAAPIFest Closing Night featuring Embarrassed By Night — a live comedy showcase celebrating Vietnamese American stories with heart and humor.

Join us for an unforgettable cinematic experience! HAAPIFest proudly presents the groundbreaking documentary The Absolutely Amazing, Wonderful, Frightening, Threatening Edge of Tomorrow, followed by a special Director Q&A with the visionary Springna Zhao.

Join us at HAAPIFest for the Texas screening of Paper Marriage, written, directed, and starring Jeff Man. After the film, stay for a special Director Q&A and hear Jeff’s journey from indie shorts to feature filmmaking!

Whether hand-drawn, digitally rendered, or stop-motion, these films prove that animation is not just for kids—it's for anyone with a sense of wonder.

A powerful film block featuring seven emotionally resonant and visually arresting stories that explore themes of family, identity, mental health, grief, and transformation.

Whether set in real corporate corridors or surreal bureaucratic backrooms, these films challenge how we define success, identity, and sanity in the modern workplace.

Start your Saturday morning at HAAPIFEST 2025 with Cultural Illuminators—a powerful collection of short films that spotlight AAPI trailblazers, traditions, and untold stories.

From poetic explorations of heritage to philosophical futurism and deeply personal documentaries, this block presents an exciting lineup of short films crafted by AAPI creatives based in Texas.

Spanning themes of migration, gender, family, home, and heritage, this dynamic collection of 12 short films will introduce you to the next wave of voices shaping AAPI cinema.

From intergenerational humor to culinary love, neighborhood nostalgia to emotional depth—this showcase proves that Texas is fertile ground for fresh, impactful AAPI filmmaking.