THE AAS FILM EXPO
The AAS Film Expo was established as an Association for Asian Studies conference program in 2011 by the Asian Educational Media Service (AEMS) of the Center for East Asian and Pacific Studies as part of an outreach initiative promoting documentary and independent films on issues reflecting contemporary life in Asia.
AAS 2025 Film Expo
The AAS 2025 Annual Conference will be held in person March 13-16, 2025 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio.
The AAS 2025 Film Expo will feature 24 films, with post-screening Q&As and virtual on demand screenings for selected films. Screening events will be held from March 13 – 15 at either Room A216 or A226 (Level 2) of the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Special thanks to Yuchia Chang, Naoko Gunji, Tim Liao, Rini Bhattacharya Mehta, Myoung-Sun Song, Bing Wang, and Matthew S. Winters for serving as film reviewers.
All film screenings are open to the public (conference registration is not required).
Film Screening Schedule
DAY 1: Thursday, March 13, 2025
Tiananmen Mission
Thursday, March 13, 11:25 am-1:45 pm (Room A226, Level 2, Conv. Center)
Directed and Produced by Lillian Zheng
2024. U.S.A. 125 minutes.
Country/Region Featured: China
In-person Q&A with filmmaker Lillian Zheng (The Middle Land)
Tiananmen Mission tells the story of Chinese student activist Zhang Jian, who survived the 1989 Tiananmen Square Protests and Massacre in Beijing.
In 2005, during our trip to Europe, we unexpectedly met him at a small hotel in France, where he shared his story for the first time after 16 years of hiding and struggle. With no studio production, and completely unprepared, we recorded his remarkable journey to freedom.
Distributed by The Middle Land
www.themiddleland.com
Contact: Lillian Zheng, middleland@protonmail.com
https://jointalents.com/tiananmen-mission
East & Inner Asia, U.S.A
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Taiwan Undaunted: In Search of the Nation that Cannot Call Itself a Nation
Thursday, March 13, 1:45-3:45 pm (Room A226, Level 2, Conv. Center)
Directed by Neal E Robbins and Produced by Carl Homer
2023. Taiwan/UK. 105 minutes.
Country/Region Featured: Taiwan
Also available for virtual on-demand viewing. Register at Film Expo desk.
In-person Q&A with Writer/Director Neal E. Robbins
This film explores the multifaceted aspects of Taiwanese identity and the nation's ongoing struggle for recognition from multiple perspectives. It examines the tension between economic interests and environmental concerns, indigenous rights, the impact of China's influence on political polarization, and Taiwan’s relations with China.
Distributed by TaiwanPlus
www.taiwanplus.com
Contact: Neal E. Robbins, neal@nealerobbins.com
https://localsecrets.com/taiwan-undaunted-the-documentary/
East & Inner Asia, Taiwan/UK
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Witness to Revolution: One Doctor's Story of the Xinhai Revolution
Thursday, March 13, 3:45-5:00 pm (Room A216, Level 2, Conv. Center)
Directed by Kara White and Produced by Adam White
2024. USA. 57 minutes.
Country/Region Featured: USA
Not available for virtual on-demand viewing.
In-person Q&A with Scholar Joseph Ho (Albion College), Director/Writer/Producer Kara White, Producer/Cinematographer Adam White, and Producer Peggy Klein
Witness to Revolution details the life of Dr. Edgar T. Shields, a medical missionary from the Midwest. While healing people in 1911 China, he becomes caught in the epic Xinhai Revolution.
Distributed by PBS - WIPB
https://ballstatepbs.org/
Contact: Kara White, kara@hemlockfilms.com
https://www.hemlockfilms.com/witness-to-revolution
East & Inner Asia, USA
DAY 2: Friday, March 14, 2025
Singing in the Wilderness
Friday, March 14, 8:30-10:15 am (Room A226, Level 2, Conv. Center)
Directed and Produced by CHEN Dongnan
2021. CHINA. 90 minutes.
Country/Region Featured: CHINA
Not available for virtual on-demand viewing.
In-person Q&A with CathayPlay Founder Cliff Xiao
After hiding in the mountains for a century, a Miao ethnic Christian choir is discovered by a propaganda official and becomes a national sensation. Two young Miaos and all the villagers must reconcile their faith, identity, and love with the real world of China.
Distributed by CATHAYPLAY INTERNATIONAL PTE. LTD.
www.cathayplay.com
Contact: Gloria LIU, gloria@cathayplay.com
https://www.cathayplay.com/en/singing-in-the-wilderness
East & Inner Asia, CHINA
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Hot Stuff (Barang Panas)
Friday, March 14, 10:15-11:55 am (Room A216, Level 2, Conv. Center)
Directed by Dandhy Laksono and Produced by Benaya Norobu/EIB, Sunspirit for Justice and Peace, JATAM
2024. Indonesia. 82 minutes.
Country/Region Featured: Indonesia/Southeast Asia
Also available for virtual on-demand viewing. Register at Film Expo desk.
In-person Q&A with director Dandhy Laksono and co-producer Cypri Jehan Paju Dale (on behalf of Sunspirit for Justice and Peace)
Hot Stuff (“Barang Panas”) is a documentary film depicting social and environmental issues related to geothermal project in the larger context of energy transition in Indonesia. Located strategically on the Ring of Fire, Indonesia has roughly 40% of the world’s known geothermal reserves (at 29 GW). It is currently second in the world for installed capacity, after the US, but this accounts for only about 7% of its geothermal potential. Aiming to utilizing this potential in accordance with the global commitment for green energy transition, Indonesia is in the process of exploiting its geothermal deposits. Produced by Ekspedisi Indonesia Baru and Sunspirit for Justice and Peace, the film documents the dynamics of Indonesia’s geothermal sites from Sumatra, Java, Bali and Flores and interrogates the claim of “environmentally friendly” to geothermal energy.
Distributed by Koperasi Ekspedisi Indonesia Baru and Sunspirit for Justice and Peace
https://sunspiritforjusticeandpeace.org
Contact: Cypri Jehan Paju Dale, cjdale2@wisc.edu
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5h6fdnE-2A&t=114s
Southeast Asia, Indonesia
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A Gregarious Species
Friday, March 14, 11:55 am - 12:15 pm (Room A226, Level 2, Conv. Center)
A film by Natasha Raheja
2023. India/Pakistan/USA. 9 minutes.
Country/Region Featured: India/Pakistan
Also available for virtual on-demand viewing. Register at Film Expo desk.
In-person Q&A with Scholar/Filmmaker Natasha Raheja (Cornell University)
What do bugs and borders have to do with each other? Bringing together mobile phone videos of transboundary gregarious locust swarms, political rallies, and scientific webinars, this found-footage, experimental video raises questions about the selective porosity of borders amidst environmental crisis, farmer insecurity, and nationalism in South Asia.
Self-distributed by the filmmaker.
https://anthropology.cornell.edu/natasha-raheja
Contact: Natasha Raheja, nraheja@cornell.ed
Southeast Asia, India/Pakistan/USA
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The Vietnam Action
Friday, March 14, 12:15-12:55 pm (Room A216, Level 2, Conv. Center)
Directed and Produced by Chenghao Wen / Uranus Yau
2024. Vietnam / United States. 23 minutes.
Country/Region Featured: Vietnam
Also available for virtual on-demand viewing. Register at Film Expo desk.
In-person Q&A with Director Chenghao Wen
“The Vietnam Action” is a documentary about the improvised live art performances at the 2023 Dunghhingh International Live Arts Festival, which was held in the summer of 2023 on both sides of the Beilun River, the border river between China and Vietnam.
Distributed by Shiyou Chen, Santo Streets Studio
clone7.wordpress.com
Southeast Asia, Vietnam / United States
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Bombay Has No More Crocodiles!
Friday, March 14, 12:55-1:35 pm (Room A226, Level 2, Conv. Center)
A film by the Aparichit Collective (Devraj, Sakshi, Sparsh, Srinjoy)
2024. India. 38 minutes.
Country/Region Featured: Mumbai, India
Also available for virtual on-demand viewing. Register at Film Expo desk.
The film is an anthology which explores the idiosyncratic development of urban Bombay, and its symptomatic relationship with the ecological. It looks at different ways how people have and continue to access the city. It looks into the issues of housing, livelihood, and the ecosystem that powers this city and how it is being depleted by elements of capitalism.
Self-distributed by the filmmaker (Aparichit Collective)
Contact: aparichitcollective@gmail.com
Southeast Asia, India
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The Bophana Center Shorts Collection
Friday, March 14, 1:35-2:10 pm
Also available for virtual on-demand viewing. Register at Film Expo desk.
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Rice Farm
Friday, March 14, 1:35-1:50 pm (Room A216, Level 2, Conv. Center)
A film by Lysokun MON
2024. Cambodia. 15 minutes.
Country/Region Featured: Cambodia
Also available for virtual on-demand viewing. Register at Film Expo desk.
OENG Sony from Kampong Thom Province is 63 years old. She sells vegetables everyday. As a widow she alone has to take care of her son, who he has a mental illness that cannot be treated.
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Life on Tonle Sap
Friday, March 14, 1:50-2:05 pm (Room A226, Level 2, Conv. Center)
A film by Thy RATH, Lysokun MON, and Lis LANN
2024. Cambodia. 15 minutes.
Country/Region Featured: Cambodia
Also available for virtual on-demand viewing. Register at Film Expo desk.
Located on the banks of Tonle Sap Lake, Kampong Prahok village is confronting the impacts of climate change, including wildfires, changing water levels, and fish shortages. Chin Narom, a 47-year-old community leader, is at the forefront of addressing these challenges. The community is responding by constructing fish barriers and replanting flooded forests to mitigate the effects and preserve their way of life. As they implement these changes, they are forced to consider the sustainability of their actions and the future of their village.
Distributed by Bophana center
Bophana.org
Contact: Sopheap CHEA, sopheap.chea@bophana.org
https://bophana.org/luce/
Southeast Asia, Cambodia
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Turning the Bhumi: The Uprising of Peasants in the Northern Thai, 1974-1976
Friday, March 14, 2:10-3:20 pm (Room A226, Level 2, Conv. Center)
Directed and Produced by Sorayut Aiem-UeaYut.
2024. Thailand. 53 minutes.
Country/Region Featured: Thailand
Not available for virtual on-demand viewing.
In-person Q&A Scholar/Filmmaker Sorayut Aiem-UeaYut (Chiang Mai University)
Turning the Bhumi: The Uprising of Peasants in Northern Thailand, 1974-1976 tells the poignant story of the struggles, losses, and experiences of farmers in northern Thailand between 1974 and 1976. Through the lens of these nameless representatives of ordinary farmers, the film examines the changing conditions of their “life world” and highlights the vital role of students during this tumultuous period.
Distributed by Sorayut Aiem-UeaYut and DOC Q SCENE FILM
Contact: Sorayut Aiem-UeaYut, sorayut27@gmail.co
Southeast Asia, Thailand
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Shadowing 쉐도잉
Friday, March 14, 3:20-3:30 pm (Room A226, Level 2, Conv. Center)
A film by Okyoung Noh
2024. United States. 8 minutes.
Country/Region Featured: United States / Korea
Not available for virtual on-demand viewing.
A Korean woman who recently moved to the United States found her White "shadowing" (learning English by imitating a native English speaker) strange. She tries to understand the history and power dynamics around this shadowing practice.
Self-distributed by the filmmaker.
Contact: Okyoung Noh, okyoungnoh@gmail.com
https://oknoh.com/Shadowing
Northeast Asia - Korea Focused, United States
===
Echoes of Home
Friday, March 14, 3:30-4:30 pm (Room A226, Level 2, Conv. Center)
Directed and Produced by Mirshad Ghalip
2024. USA. 43 minutes.
Country/Region Featured: USA and Canada
Also available for virtual on-demand viewing. Register at Film Expo desk.
In-person Q&A with Scholars/Filmmakers Mirshad Ghalip and David Tobin
This documentary explores the Uyghur American Cup, the largest event for Uyghur diaspora communities across the U.S. and Canada. The tournament uses soccer as a medium to foster community engagement and promote language maintenance. It also serves as a vital space for younger members of the diaspora, born or raised in North America, to connect with their heritage.
Distributed by Public Domain
https://youtu.be/dBRNzHfCT2E
Contact: Mirshad Ghalip, mirshad.ghalip@gmail.com
https://youtu.be/dBRNzHfCT2E
East & Inner Asia, USA
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Hug Me Tight: A Robot Story
Friday, March 14, 4:30-5:30 pm (Room A216, Level 2, Conv. Center)
Directed and Produced by Heesun Shin, Chihyung Jeon
2024. South Korea. 61 minutes.
Country/Region Featured: South Korea
Also available for virtual on-demand viewing. Register at Film Expo desk.
Following the journey of Hyodol, a South Korean robot with sensors and communication modules, “Hug Me Tight: A Robot Story” explores how the meaning of care is evolving in the age of robots. Featuring the robot’s developers, caregivers, and older adults who interact with it daily, it raises essential questions: Can robots take care of older adults, and can older adults take care of the robot? How should we take care of each other?
Self-distributed by the filmmaker
Contact: Chihyung Jeon, cjeon@kaist.ac.kr
Northeast Asia - Korea Focused, South Korea
DAY 3: Saturday, March 15, 2025
Carving the Divine - Buddhist Sculptors of Japan
Saturday, March 15, 8:30-10:05 am (Room A216, Level 2, Conv. Center)
Directed and Produced by Yujiro Seki
2023. Japan. 98 minutes.
Country/Region Featured: Japan
Also available for virtual on-demand viewing. Register at Film Expo desk.
Carving the Divine is a documentary film that offers a rare look into the 1400-year-old Buddhist woodcarving tradition and the practitioners struggling to preserve its legacy in a rapidly changing Japan. The film provides profound insight into the Japanese psyche as well as the nature of human perseverance through suffering.
Distributed by Carving the Divine LLC.
https://www.carvingthedivine.com/
Contact: Yujiro Seki, info@carvingthedivine.com
carvingthedivine@gmail.com
Northeast Asia - Japan Focused, Japan
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Epiphany
Saturday, March 15, 10:05-10:30 am (Room A226, Level 2, Conv. Center)
Directed and Produced by Kate Mai Man Xu
2024. China. 11 minutes.
Country/Region Featured: Foshan, Guangdong, China
Also available for virtual on-demand viewing. Register at Film Expo desk.
In-person Q&A with director Kate Mai Man Xu
The film EPIPHANY documents the endangered cultural heritage of the art of making Lion Dance Heads across generations and celebrates the legacy of female craftsmanship. Through the mother and daughter of the Li family - Master Li and Master Zhou, it tells a story of passing down family legacies and unwavering commitment to reviving cultural traditions, fostering a renewed appreciation and dedication to preserving cultural heritage.
Self-distributed by the filmmaker.
Contact: Mai Man Xu, kate.xu1109@gmail.co
East & Inner Asia, China
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We Have a Show
Saturday, March 15, 10:30-11:00 am (Room A216, Level 2, Conv. Center)
Directed and Produced by Xudong Liu/ Menglian Tang
2024. United States. 27 minutes.
Country/Region Featured: United States
Also available for virtual on-demand viewing. Register at Film Expo desk.
Revealing the lost world of shadow puppetry through the eyes of a passionate couple as they put the finishing touches on the biggest show of their lives, in a narrative that blends the artistry of their craft, with the enduring innocence of a cross-cultural love story.
Distributed by Xudong Liu
Contact: Xudong Liu, theodoreliu24@gmail.com
East & Inner Asia, United States
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Nizhal Yaathrikan
Saturday, March 15, 11:00-11:45 am (Room A226, Level 2, Conv. Center)
Directed and Produced by Rahul Koonathara
2024. India. 28 minutes.
Country/Region Featured: India
Also available for virtual on-demand viewing. Register at Film Expo desk.
In-person Q&A with Producer Rahul Koonathara, Director Saheer Ali and Puppeteers Rajeev Pulavar and Ramachandra Pulavar
Nizhal Yathrikan (The Shadow Wanderer) is a biographical documentary that chronicles the life and legacy of Padmashri Ramachandra Pulavar, a renowned shadow puppeteer from Kerala, India. As a master of Tholpavakoothu, a traditional shadow puppetry art form, Ramachandra Pulavar has played a pivotal role in preserving and promoting this ancient performance practice, which is deeply rooted in Kerala’s cultural and spiritual traditions. The documentary traces Pulavar’s journey as he carries forward the lineage of 11 generations of puppeteers, dedicating his life to the craft of Tholpavakoothu.
Distributed by Rahul Koonathara
www.tholpavakoothu.in
Contact: Rahul Koonathara, rahul.koonathara@uconn.edu
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGGqyCUUj0s
South Asia, India
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My Sarangi, Your Sarangi
Saturday, March 15, 11:45 am -12:20 pm (Room A216, Level 2, Conv. Center)
Directed and Produced by Bhokraj Gurung
2016. Nepal. 32 minutes.
Country/Region Featured: Nepal
Also Available for virtual on-demand viewing. Register at Film Expo desk.
The film draws on some of the complexities surrounding caste, social position, and cultural practice amongst the music-making Gandharba caste – a community that has historically been (and continues to be) marginalised as Dalits or people of lower caste in Nepal. A focus on the relationship between Gandharbas and the Sarangi (a musical instrument) enables one to grasp an articulation of social imaginaries that emanate from an awareness of social and cultural history and economic opportunity among Gandharbas. As such, the film attempts to elucidate intricate ways through which individuals or societies are realised and cognised, negotiated or enforced, manifested or obscured, reproduced or altered, through the realm of objects.
Self-distributed by the filmmaker.
Contact: Bhokraj Gurung, bhokraj123@gmail.co
South Asia, Nepal
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Limits of History
Saturday, March 15, 12:20-1:15 pm (Room A226, Level 2, Conv. Center)
Directed and Produced by Dharitri Bhattacharjee
2024. USA. 40 minutes.
Country/Region Featured: USA, India, Europe
TBD for virtual on-demand viewing.
In Fall quarter (2019), a student refuses to do a reading for a college history class because she has already read about the topic in her temple/religious school. The teacher is confronted with the question, "What are the limits of academic history—of history as a discipline?" Limits of History traces the walls built around the discipline of history from the outside, by non-academics; and from the inside, by historians themselves. Returning 5 years later, the student decides if she will do the reading she once refused.
Self-distributed by the filmmaker.
Contact: Dharitri Bhattacharjee, bhattad@wwu.edu
https://tinyurl.com/loh2024
South Asia, USA
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1923 Kanto Massacre
Saturday, March 15, 1:15-3:30 pm (Room A216, Level 2, Conv. Center)
Directed and Produced by Tae-yeong Kim, Gyuseog Choi, Jinhee Lee
2024. Korea. 116 minutes.
Country/Region Featured: Japan and Korea
Not available for virtual on-demand viewing.
In-person Q&A with Scholar/Creative Producer Jinhee Lee (Eastern Illinois University)
The 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake in the Tokyo-Yokohama area brought forth not only material destruction but also the rumors and violence against Koreans in the Japanese metropole. After a century, this first Korea-produced film on the topic reconstructs the course of the post-quake mayhem against the colonized and traces the ways in which the history of this genocidal violence has been concealed, haunting those whose lives were never the same after encountering the forbidden truth.
Distributed by Indecom
http://indecommedia.com
Contact: Jinhee Lee, jlee@eiu.edu
https://thekeep.eiu.edu/all_faculty_pubs/3/
Northeast Asia, Korea
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How to Have an American Baby
Saturday, March 15, 3:30-5:40 pm (Room A226, Level 2, Conv. Center)
Directed by Leslie Tai
2023. United States. 114 minutes.
Country/Region Featured: China and America
Also available for virtual on-demand viewing. Register at Film Expo desk.
In-person Q&A with Director Leslie Tai
How to Have an American Baby is a kaleidoscopic voyage into the booming shadow economy that caters to Chinese tourists who travel to the U.S. on “birthing vacations”— in order to obtain U.S. citizenship for their babies. Inside bedrooms, delivery rooms, and family meetings, the story of a hidden global economy emerges—depicting the aspirations and anxieties, fortunes and tragedies that befall the ordinary people caught in the web of its influence.
Distributed by Grasshopper Film
https://store.grasshopperfilm.com
Contact: Lily Spitz, lily@grasshopperfilm.com
https://www.americanbabyfilm.com
East & Inner Asia, United States
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Suzzanna: The Queen of Black Magic
Saturday, March 15, 5:40-7:10 pm (Room A216, Level 2, Conv. Center)
Directed and Produced by David Gregory/ Ekky Imanjaya
24. Indonesia. 87 minutes.
Country/Region Featured: Indonesia
Not available for virtual on-demand viewing.
She starred in 42 classic movies, was hailed as ‘The Queen of Indonesian Horror’ and crowned ‘Asia’s Most Popular Actress’. But who was Suzzanna Martha Frederika van Osch, long-beloved by the Asian world as Suzzanna yet virtually unknown outside it? Through exclusive interviews with family, colleagues, filmmakers, and historians, as well as clips from her classic films, director David Gregory (ENTER THE CLONES OF BRUCE) unearths the legacy of the Scream Queen who has begun to emerge as one of the most compelling icons in cinema history.
Distributed by Severin Films
www.severinfilms.com
Contact: Nicole Mikuzis, nicole@severin-films.com
https://filmfreeway.com/projects/3216134
Southeast Asia, Indonesia