A Day at the Office – Workplace Realities, Surrealities & Struggles
HAAPIFEST 2025 presents A Day at the Office, a clever and cutting short film block that explores the strange, stressful, and sometimes liberating experiences of working life—especially as experienced by Asian and Pacific Islander professionals. Whether set in real corporate corridors or surreal bureaucratic backrooms, these films challenge how we define success, identity, and sanity in the modern workplace.
From corporate microaggressions and identity crises to supernatural cubicles and glitching timelines, these seven stories will make you laugh, think, and possibly question your next meeting invite.
📅 June 7 @ 12:40 PM
📍 DoubleTree by Hilton – 10609 Westpark Dr, Houston, TX 77042
🎟️ Get tickets/passes: www.haapifest.org/tickets
🖇️ Featured Short Films:
THE AMERICAN
📽️ Director: Bryan Yanbing Lee
🕒 15 minutes
After pooping his pants at a world-leaders’ conference dinner, the first Asian-American President of the United States must escape the situation undetected.
🎭 PAINTED ONES
📽️ Director: Julia Nacario
🕒 5 minutes
An Oakland-based Bisaya tattoo artist rediscovers and unlocks indigenous Filipino histories through ink.
🐟 KOI
📽️ Director: Taige Shi
🕒 18 minutes
After a divorce, Chinese immigrant Lee Huan and his son move to the Great Lakes, where Lee starts an unusual fishing business targeting Asian Carp.
📞 WILLOW AND WU
📽️ Director: Ying Liu
🕒 13 minutes
Finally receiving a day-off after being recently dumped, young and anxious assistant Willow is ordered to aid the elusive husband of her high-powered boss with an unusual task.
🕹️ DESYNC
📽️ Director: Minerva Marie Navasca
🕒 12 minutes
A young Filipina filmmaker attempts to overwrite a painful memory of her mother with a perfect narrative.
🩹 OUR LAST SCAR
📽️ Director: Justin Wang Powell
🕒 14 minutes
A jaded acupuncturist confronts lingering regrets as she helps a patient with a traumatic brain injury uncover fragmented memories of his lost love, leading them both on a journey toward healing and redemption
DON'T THINK ABOUT THE PINK DOLPHINS
📽️ Director: Anthony Lee
🕒 15 minutes
Kaki is obsessed with finding an exotic species of pink dolphin that takes habitat in Hong Kong despite living in Canada.
🎟️ Punch in, log on, and lean out—these workplace stories will challenge how we think about ambition, identity, and survival in professional spaces.
💼 Join us for A Day at the Office at HAAPIFEST 2025.
🎫 Get tickets & passes: www.haapifest.org/tickets
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