2026 Local Short Films Showcase
Saturday, March 21st, 2026
1:45 PM | 120 minutes
SPONSORED BY:
Join us in celebrating the Short Films made by local Asian & Asian American filmmakers! This showcase features films and filmmakers you won't want to miss!
There will be Q&As after the showcase so you can get to know our local talent!
Q&A Following the Showcase with Moderators Marin Lepore & Alexander Elmore!
Marin Lepore
MARIN LEPORE is an artist, writer, and film director who grew up in Colorado, and lived in Beijing from age ten to sixteen. She's currently based out of Denver.
Falling within these groups herself, Marin is passionate about creating inclusive works that celebrate women, BIPOC, and LGBTQ people.
Marin works as an educator for SeriesFest’s Mobile Cinema Lab, and volunteers on the film committee for the Colorado Dragon Boat Film Festival. Previously, Marin served as a board member for Women in Film and Media Colorado, and she was one of five chosen filmmakers in Cine Fe’s 2022 Fellowship program.
Besides film, Marin enjoys board games, sending physical mail, and collecting turtle figurines.
Marin is currently pursuing a Master of Architecture degree at the University of Colorado, Denver. She holds a BFA in Film & Television from the same university.
Alexander Elmore
Alexander Elmore is the Head Researcher for the Webby Award–winning podcast Dark History with Bailey Sarian, where he uncovers overlooked and untold histories for a global audience of more than 7 million. His interdisciplinary approach blends archival research, expert interviews, and cultural analysis to craft stories that are both rigorous and resonant, spanning topics from public health and policy to politics and pop culture.
He is a contributor to Metromode Magazine, Colorado’s LGBTQ+ quarterly, and has written for Westword, profiling senators, religious leaders, artists, entrepreneurs, and cultural innovators while covering major events and creative communities.
As Director of Film Programming and Marketing – Features for the DocuWest Film Festival, he leads film curation, community outreach, and filmmaker conversations, including moderating Q&As with Academy and Emmy Award–winning documentarians. He is also a producer of the feature-length documentary We Turned Up. Don’t Turn Down. This is for Mike Brown. and is currently producing a documentary on Denver’s historic Mercury Cafe and its cultural legacy.
Woven
directed by: Lava G. Khonsuwon
*SHOWN BEFORE OPENING & CLOSING NIGHT FILMS
“Woven”, a documentary with a vibrant tapestry that unravels tradition and modern clothes. From the stunning landscapes of England to the rural Isaan region in Thailand, we'll uncover the stories behind traditional clothing. We'll delve into the environmental impact of fast fashion and celebrate the sustainability of traditional textiles, from the intricate embroidery of China Polano to the bold tartans of Scottish kilts. We'll explore the power of clothing to shape identity and challenge societal norms.
Film Type: Short - Documentary
Country/Counties of Origin: USA, Thailand, England
Language: English
Director: Lava G. Khonsuwon
Screenwriter: Lava G. Khonsuwon
Producer: Lava G. Khonsuwon, John K.D. Graham
Editor: John K.D. Graham
Cinematographer: John K.D. Graham, Morgan, Estill, Lava G. Khonsuwon
Principal Cast: John K.D. Graham, Lava G. Khonsuwon, Kai Uwe Faust, Jennifer Hunter, Andy Wear, Dr. Anucha Thirakanont, Nora Chavez
Social Media Handles: https://www.beinglava.com/
I Wish I Were Pretty
directed by: Hanah Chang
I Wish I Were Pretty’ explores how Korean beauty standards affect our protagonist’s ability to love herself.
Areum (“beautiful” in Korean) is monolidded and, therefore, “average”. Which is fine - she’s always managed to deal with being compared to her gorgeous best friend, Jane (as in plain Jane).
But when a man humiliates Areum in front of Jane, Areum has to finally face this long-festering wound or let it control her forever
Languages: English, Korean
Director: Hanah Chang
Screenwriter: Hanah Chang
Producer: Quand C Robinson Thomas
Editors: Rou Wang
Cinematographers: Amy Limpinyakul
Principle Cast: Hanah Chang, Miriam Lee, Mandy Walsh, James Macapagal, Yuchi Chiu, Cynthia Shinae Jeon, Kay Lee
Social Media Handles: @iwishiwere_pretty , @242amprod, @hanahjjang
I Love You and I Am Going to Fix You
directed by Bruce Tetsuya
Based on true events in 1990s Denver, a young couple uncovers a disturbing anomaly inside a sushi restaurant. Upon arriving, the couple finds the restaurant is full of patrons, but no one is moving or talking. There is no smell of food, or sounds of cooking in the back. They theorize supernatural activity, aliens, or something worse, and while also dealing with the stress of becoming new parents, the couple both harbor unspoken fears, resentments, and anxieties, that bubble to the surface at a time they least expected
Language: English
Director: Bruce Tetsuya
Screenwriter: Bruce Tetsuya, Jade Tsumura
Producer: Bruce Tetsuya, Jade Tsumura, Drew Matsushima
Editor: Bruce Tetsuya
Cinematographers:Justin Balog
Principal Cast: Satoshi Machihara, Yuffieh Koi
Social Media Handle: @brucetetsuya
Website: https://www.houseofkodo.com/
Misadventures of a Nisei Week Queen
directed by Sharon Yamoto
Embark on a story of survival with JANM’s film screening of The Misadventures of a Nisei Week Queen. Told with poise, humor, and strength, this documentary chronicles the Forrest Gump life of spirited 92-year-old June Aochi Berk. Growing up in prewar Little Tokyo, she goes from surviving in a horse stall at the Santa Anita temporary detention center and in a barrack at the Rohwer concentration camp during World War II to being crowned Nisei Week Queen in Los Angeles
Film Type: Short - Documentary
Country/Countries of Origin: USA
Languages: English
Director: Evan Kodani
Screenwriter: n/a
Producer: Sharon Yamato
Editor: Evan Kodani
Cinematographer: Evan Kodani
Principal Cast: June Aochi Berk
Social Media Handles:
https://www.instagram.com/onefightingirishman/
A Slice of Home
directed by Pauline Tran
Between the hum of mixers and the scent of coconut, Brooklyn baker Stacey Mei Yan Fong prepares a pandan pie in memory of her Singaporean grandfather, blending Americana with Asian flavors and a touch of nostalgia. Each whisk and pour is paired with reflections on bicultural identity, family expectations, and the ways food encapsulates love across time and cultures.
Film Type: Short - Documentary
Country/Countries of Origin: USA
Language: English
Director: Pauline Tran
Screenwriters: Pauline Tran
Producers: Pauline Tran
Editors: Pauline Tran
Cinematographers: Alexander "AV" Volberding; Pauline Tran
Principal Cast: Stacey Mei Yan Fong
Social Media Handle: @by.paulinetran
Asian Adoptees in Dialogue: Notes to Ourselves
directed by Jasmine Chu
“Asian Adoptees in Dialogue: Notes to Ourselves" is a conversation series directed and edited by local Asian adoptees, Anna Eunjoo Ghublikian and JinYoung Kim in collaboration with Colorado Asian Pacific United and Meta Sarmiento. The project explores the unique experiences of three Asian adoptees directly from their point of view through a series of honest dialogues, elevating an authentic and often unheard perspective of our community in a journey for belonging.
Three chapters of the longer conversation have been curated especially for the Colorado Dragon Boat Film Festival. The chapters include "A New Leaf," "Mirrors of Discovery," and "Notes to Our Younger Selves." The short film asks the audience to reflect on the threads of connection weaving through multiple layers of the film, beginning with the bond between adoptees in conversation and expanding outward to examine how family ties are formed, questioned, and re-stitched.
How do adoption narratives change when adoptees tell the story? We hope viewers reflect on their own "notes to themselves" and view the complete Adoptees in Dialogue series streaming now on Youtube. Additional storytelling opportunities centering Asian Adoptees are available now, contact Colorado Asian Pacific United for details.
Film Type: Short - Documentary
Country/Countries of Origin: USA
Local Colorado Production: YES
Language: English
Director: Anna Eunjoo Ghublikian
Screenwriter: n/a
Producers:Colorado Asian Pacific United
Editors: Project Editor: JinYoung Kim and Short Editor: Meta Sarmiento
Cinematographers: JinYoung Kim
Principal Cast: Dan Taylor, Kirby Shedlowski, and Su Sheeha
Social Media Handle: @capu_2021, @annaghublikian
Bonfire Event Co Brand FIlm
directed by Bruce Tetsuya and Jay Kim
A highlight film of the cultural and community based significance that Bonfire Event Co brings to the table. Founder Jay Kim also tells his story and shows how his background and dreams for what Bonfire can become.
Film Type: Short- Documentary
Country/Countries of Origin: USA
Local Colorado Production: YES
Language: English
Director: Bruce Tetsuya
Screenwriter: Jay Kim
Producer: Bruce Tetsuya, Jay Kim
Editor: Bruce Tetsuya
Cinematographer: Bruce Tetsuya
Principal Cast: Jay Kim
Social Media Handle: @bonfireeventco
Website: https://bonfireeventco.com/
RUYA
directed by Nicole Dizon
While weaving a t’nalak, Sanay, a dreamweaver, suffers from a heart attack. After Sanay goes into a coma, her daughter, Ruya, is faced with the daunting task of finishing her mother’s next design to make ends meet. To do this, she needs to overcome the two obstacles standing between her and dreaming: her anxiety and her insomnia. When she starts dreaming, her subconscious manifests as nightmares about being overwhelmed with her responsibility, leading to sleep disruptions again. Frustrated, Ruya tries remedies to stay asleep long enough to dream (and dream well). It isn’t until she works through her crippling anxiety and self-limiting beliefs that she’s finally able to get in touch with who she thinks is her mother in the dream. It turns out to be Fu Dalu–the Spirit of abaca who communicates designs to the T’boli women.
Film Type: Short - Narrative
Country/Countries of Origin: USA
Languages: English, T’boli
Director: Nicole Mairose Dizon
Screenwriter: Nicole Mairose Dizon
Producer: Nicole Mairose Dizon
Editor: Calvin Chin
Cinematographer: Mike Maliwanag
Principle Cast: Yssamei Panganiban, Bernadette Balagtas, Malia Villegas
Social Media Handles: Instagram (@nicolemdizon): https://www.instagram.com/nicolemdizon/
Instagram (@dissonance_prodco): https://www.instagram.com/dissonance_prodco/
Instagram (@ruyashortfilm): https://www.instagram.com/ruyashortfilm/
Between Us
directed by Quyen Nguyen-Le
Between Us follows the multilayered stories of queer Khmer and Vietnamese cultural workers in southern California as they contemplate the in-betweenness of belonging, healing, and carving out spaces of their own
Film Type: Short- Documentary
Country/Countries of Origin: USA
Languages: Khmer, Vietnamese, English
Director: Quyên Nguyen-Le
Screenwriter: N/A
Producers: Quyên Nguyen-Le, Nancy Nguyen, Nyingv Jae Saechao
Editor: Nancy Nguyen
Cinematographers: Serena Violet Hodges, Makarya Santilla Diaz
Principle Cast: Hunny Hach, Ivy Hang, Hanh Thi Pham
Social Media Handle: @seaajourneys_doc
