The Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival 2026 opens Thursday, Nov. 5, and is scheduled to run through Nov. 15, according to 6abc. The 19th edition brings 73 films, five world premieres and a Trailblazer Award for Philadelphia native Danny Chung of KPop Demon Hunters. Here is what to know before you choose your screenings.

What is playing at the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival 2026?

Quick answer: The Philadelphia Asian American Film Foundation says the lineup has 73 films from 23 countries and territories: five narrative features, five documentary features and 63 short films. The foundation counts 38 premiere screenings, including five world premieres: Kiyoshi, Drive On Mr. Otter, Dry, The Way We Are and Significant Other People.

The same release names an international premiere (Gopchang), a North American premiere (Mama's Girl) and a U.S. premiere (Toward the Sun), plus East Coast premieres that include Sgt. Haane, Iakwe and Halcyon Days. Women and nonbinary filmmakers direct 37 films, and 13 films center LGBTQ+ stories and perspectives. Curated programming also highlights Iranian filmmaking, Philippine stories and connections between Asian and Latine communities. 6abc adds that the slate includes documentaries, shorts, international selections, local films and a horror block.

What is the opening film, and what is the festival's theme?

6abc reports that Kiyoshi opens the festival. Creative director Joseph Carranza told the station the film spotlights Kiyoshi Kuromiya, whom he called a queer HIV and AIDS activist and civil rights activist in Philadelphia. The same report names Sgt. Haane as the centerpiece, a war film that organizers described as unlike anything audiences have seen before.

This year's theme is "Migration Patterns." Carranza said it is about how stories move "not just from continent to continent" but from generation to generation. He also credited the filmmakers' trust in the festival: "We're so lucky that Asian filmmakers really trust us here at PAAFF" to be "the first ones to show their film to the world."

Who is Danny Chung, and why is the festival honoring him?

PAAFF will give Chung its Trailblazer Award at the Storyteller Spotlight on Saturday, Nov. 7, at 6:00 p.m. at Asian Arts Initiative. The release describes him as a Korean American songwriter, lyricist, producer, recording artist and voice actor. It credits him on Netflix and Sony Pictures Animation's KPop Demon Hunters as a songwriter, a performer and the voice of Baby Saja, and says he wrote two featured songs for the film, "Soda Pop" and "How It's Done." According to the release, the film won Best Animated Feature at the 98th Academy Awards and its song "Golden" won Best Original Song.

The honor comes with an onstage conversation moderated by 6abc's Nydia Han. Han is also the byline on 6abc's report on the festival, so the station's coverage and the moderator are the same person. 6abc's account adds that Chung is a big Eagles fan.

What else is on the schedule beyond screenings?

PAAFF is launching an inaugural Storyteller Summit, a half-day professional development program open to all. It brings film industry professionals to Philadelphia to cover topics from intellectual property and contracts to professional positioning, relationships, visibility and sustainable creative practice. The release names 12 Gates Arts, Scribe Video Center and FRIEDA as partners. With FRIEDA, the festival will present What We Carry, What We Create, a conversation among women and femme-presenting artists working across disciplines, and with Scribe Video Center it will hold a tribute to filmmaker Christine Choy. The sources do not give times or venues for the summit, the FRIEDA conversation or the Choy tribute.

Executive director Nani Shin framed the larger goal this way: "PAAFF has always been about creating a home for stories and storytellers, but our vision has grown beyond the festival itself." A slate of 73 films paired with an industry summit points to a regional festival building a year-round home for Asian American filmmakers as it approaches its 20th anniversary.

How do you get tickets?

6abc says tickets and the event schedule are available on PAAFF's website, and the foundation's main site is paaff.org. The sources reviewed for this story do not list ticket prices, pass types or screening venues, so check the festival schedule before you plan your weekend. For more festival coverage, see 88tumble's reports on the Hawaii International Film Festival and the San Diego Asian Film Festival.

Sources: 6abc and the Philadelphia Asian American Film Foundation.