It is truly film festival season in San Francisco, and CAAMFest 2025 is absolutely one not to miss! Illuminating theatres throughout the city from May 8-11, this beloved showcase platforms AAPI filmmakers from the Bay Area and beyond. This is a thrilling week devoted to authentically promoting the international and diasporic AAPI experience, with a diverse range of creative narratives centered on family, cultural intersections, generational bonds, and the future of AAPI identities.
Now in its 43rd year, this inclusive festival returns bigger than ever, replete with an Opening Gala, celebrity visits, and for the the Filipinx community specifically- an enlightening selection of documentaries, shorts, and coming-of-age tales that amplify beyond typical myopic media representations. See this list of proud Filipinx films to catch around San Francisco’s iconic landmark theatres of the Roxie, AMC Kabuki, and more!
Because of You: A History of Kilawin Kolektibo
Director: Desireena Almoradie
When: Saturday, May 10, 2:30pm
Where: Roxie
About: Joyful, raw, revolutionary. Because of You: A History of Kilawin Kolektibo tells the story of queer Filipinxs who, in the 1990s, against a racist, lesbophobic backdrop, came together for the first time in NYC to create a safe and loving community.
Maybe It’s Just the Rain
Part of the Shorts Program: Inheritances
Director: Reina Bonta
When: Saturday, May 10, 7:30pm
Where: AMC Kabuki 4
About: In their debut at the FIFA World Cup, a diasporic, underdog group of young women become the first Filipino soccer team in history to win a match at the tournament. Combining home video footage and voice mail recordings, Reina, a Filipino-American center back, brings us along on this turbulent journey, which culminates in an intimate, transformative trip to her grandmother’s hometown in the Philippines.
Myself When I Am Real
Part of the Shorts Program: Coming of Ages
Director: Angeline Gragasin
When: Saturday, May 10, 5:00pm
Where: AMC Kabuki 4
About: Set in the year 2000, a single mother and her teenage daughter struggle to make friends and find belonging at a Filipino Christmas party in suburban Wisconsin. Filmed on MiniDV tape in the style of a home movie, the film explores memory, identity, and assimilation from the contrasting perspectives of childhood and adulthood.
Painted Ones
Part of the Shorts Program: Inheritances
Director: Julia Nacario
When: Saturday, May 10, 7:30pm
Where: AMC Kabuki 4
About: An Oakland-based Bisaya tattoo artist rediscovers and unlocks Indigenous Filipino histories through ink.
Te Seguiré a la Oscuridad
Part of the Shorts Program: Through Children’s Eyes
Director: Nicholas Luciano
When: Saturday, May 10, 3:00pm
Where: AMC Kabuki 4
About: A driven high school sophomore obsessively studies Spanish all year so she can test up a level into her crush’s class in this stylized coming-of-age comedy set in 2005.
To Dance Again
Part of the Shorts Program: Let It Out
Director: M.G. Evangelista
When: Friday, May 9, 9:00pm
Where: AMC Kabuki 4
About: After an unprecedented tragedy for the Asian American community of Monterey Park, ballroom dancing offers an unexpected path to healing and joy.
The Grocery List Show
Director: Emily Strong
When: Sunday, May 11, 2:30pm
Where: AMC Kabuki 4
About: The Grocery List Show explores international grocery stores throughout the U.S. and the communities they serve. The first episode, screening at CAAMFest 2025, highlights Seafood City Supermarket and features former Top Chef contender Chrissy Camba. Through cooking, conversation, and history, the series celebrates global food traditions and immigrant communities in Chicago, Brooklyn, and New Jersey.
For more information of the films listed, gala events, and a full list of other AAPI films to view, visit the CAAMFest website!
