ISLE CHILD: Identity, Memory, and Belonging
📅 May 31, 2026 | 1:30 PM
🎥 Narrative Feature | Texas Premiere
🌏 Languages: English, Korean | Runtime: 87 mins
HAAPIFEST 2026 presents the Texas Premiere of ISLE CHILD — a deeply moving and introspective film that explores identity, adoption, and the emotional cost of confronting one’s past.
💔 A Choice Between Two Worlds
At the center of ISLE CHILD is a Korean American adoptee living what appears to be a perfect life in the United States — stable, successful, and carefully constructed.
But everything changes when he discovers a hidden letter revealing that his birth mother in Korea is terminally ill.
Faced with this life-altering truth, he must make an impossible choice:
continue protecting the life he’s built… or return to confront the past he’s long avoided.
🌏 Identity, Memory, and Belonging
ISLE CHILD is a quiet yet powerful exploration of what it means to belong.
Through intimate storytelling and poetic visuals, the film delves into:
The emotional complexity of adoption and identity
The tension between cultural roots and lived reality
The search for truth, closure, and connection
The sacrifices we make to preserve who we think we are
At its core, the film asks a universal question:
Can you truly move forward without facing where you come from?
🎤 Screening + Meet & Greet
Join us for this special screening followed by a Meet & Greet with director Thomas Percy Kim.
A rising Korean American voice in independent cinema, Kim is known for his raw, introspective storytelling and striking visual style. His work has been recognized at major festivals including Sundance, TIFF, and Busan, and his debut feature ISLE CHILD premiered at SFFilm 2025 after raising over $1M through grassroots support.
With a passion for creating “permissionless” art, Kim continues to build a new path for independent filmmakers while telling deeply personal stories that resonate across cultures.
🎟️ Get Your Tickets
Don’t miss this powerful and emotionally resonant film at HAAPIFEST 2026.
🎟️ Secure your tickets now:
www.HAAPIFEST.org/tickets
Be part of a story about identity, truth, and the courage to face what we’ve left behind.
🌏 About HAAPIFEST
Founded in 2004 by OCA-Greater Houston, HAAPIFEST was created to celebrate the diversity of AAPI culture, food, and family while supporting AAPI artists and filmmakers.
Today, HAAPIFEST is an immersive, multi-day celebration of film, music, and art — amplifying voices and sharing the untold AAPI experience through edutainment.
This OCA-Greater Houston event is funded in part by the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance.