March Recap
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March Recap 〰️
Hey AAAFF friends
We hope y’all had a joyful Easter and Ramadan Mubarak to our Muslim supporters! March was an eventful month from Diasporic Disco Queer Prom to SXSW. Let’s get into it and debrief!
Diasporic Disco
It's time to Disco! Earlier last month, we hosted our first fundraiser of the year taking over the Austin Public Library Central branch. I know I said library but it was decked. Think sequin fabric and retro TVs in a room full of hot Asian & queer people. We danced to DJ sets and sang to Prom Queen’s new songs. If the pandemic cancelled your prom like it did mine, this made up for it with an Asian, queer twist!
We wanted to give a nod to queer roots in Asian American cultures and celebrates the LGBTQIA2S+ community within our AANHPI one that draws on the rich traditions of the Disco Era that took flight in Asian and Middle Eastern nightlife through the late 70s-80s from India to Hong Kong.
If you missed it, don’t worry you can still support us by making a monetary donation or getting involved!
Best RED CARPET Fits of the Night
“I felt as though I had a space to express myself and act how I wanted unfiltered. An example of this is being able to confidently wear eye make up when usually I’d be a bit more weary wearing any sort of make up in public. I felt like I was able to connect more deeply to my identity through self expression and just being surrounded by a community that I know faces the same struggles/internal issues as me. It was also nice to see the different generations of Asian American and Queer People at the event. It reminded me that I was not alone with my group of friends trying to navigate life in Austin with this unique identity. ”
Asian Pacific Filmmakers Experience @SXSW
We had so much fun partnering with the Asian Pacific Filmmakers Experience at SXSW on March 12th! Seeing a room full of nearly 190 Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander filmmakers and storytellers & supporters was so special. Just cool Asian creatives and Asian snacks.
Photo Credit: Roger Ho @rohofoto.
“Noted attendees included six-time SXSW musical artist and documentary film subject “Big Phony” (Bobby Choy); local filmmaker, Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences member and AMPAS AANHPI Affinity Group Leader PJ Raval; actor Olivia Liang (Kung Fu); writer/producer Cherish Chen (RocketJump Film School), and actor Jordan Rodrigues (We’re All Gonna Die).”
AAPI Representation at SXSW
SXSW screens over 115 features and 80 short films. Every year, more and more Asian American stories are being shown on screen! This year was no exception. From Monkey Man to Didi.
“After so many years in Austin, it was my first time at SXSW! Its great to see South Asian cinema in festivals like SXSW. It was thrilling to see Dev Patel and Monkey Man as one of the headliners of the fest.
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