About the Festival
The Austin Asian American Film Festival (AAAFF) returns for its 18th edition from June 24 to 28, 2026, screening at the AFS Cinema in North Austin. Founded in 2008 and run as a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, AAAFF is one of the longest-running cultural film events in Central Texas, built around stories from Asian, Asian American, and Middle Eastern filmmakers and the communities they come from.
This year's program gathers 34 films — features, documentaries, and shorts — alongside opening and closing parties, filmmaker mixers, and the festival's first Taiwan VR activation, a virtual-reality showcase new to the lineup. It is the kind of compact, curated festival that rewards a full badge: a long weekend where you can move from a narrative premiere to a documentary Q&A to a rooftop mixer without leaving the building.
AAAFF is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, the City of Austin Cultural Arts Division, the Texas Commission on the Arts, and Humanities Texas.
What to See
June 24–28
Four anchor screenings frame the long weekend — the opener, the centerpiece, the closer, and the documentary that has become a festival highlight.
Opening Night
Honeyjoon
Dir. Lilian T. Mehrel
AAAFF 2026 opens with Honeyjoon, the festival's marquee première and the film that sets the tone for the week. Opening night doubles as the festival's first big gathering, so expect a full house and a party to follow.
Centerpiece · Fri June 26, 7:45 PM
Traces of Home
Dir. Colette Ghunim
The midweek centerpiece, Traces of Home, lands in the Friday-night slot — the prime real estate of any festival schedule. It's the screening to build the weekend around if you can only make one.
Highlight Doc · Sun June 28, 2:00 PM
The Gas Station Attendant
Dir. Karla Murthy
A festival-highlight documentary screening with a Q&A on closing Sunday. Read our full spotlight on The Gas Station Attendant over on Austin Hangout.
Closing Night
Gloaming in Luomu
Dir. Zhang Lu
The festival closes with Gloaming in Luomu, the final feature before the closing-night send-off — a quieter, reflective note to end five days on.
Dates, Venue & Tickets
- Dates
- Wednesday, June 24 – Sunday, June 28, 2026 (18th edition)
- Venue
- AFS Cinema — 6406 N IH-35, Suite 3100, Austin, TX 78752
- Program
- 34 films, plus parties, mixers, and a first-ever Taiwan VR activation
- Organizer
- Austin Asian American Film Festival, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2008
Badges & Passes
- General $200
- Student $95
- Five-ticket package $60
- Insider $500
Badges and individual tickets are sold through the festival's official site. Prices and availability change — always confirm before you buy.
Get Badges & Tickets →
Full Schedule →
Plan Your Festival
If you're new to AAAFF, the five-ticket package is the easiest way to sample the program without committing to a full badge — pick four anchor screenings and leave one for a short block or a documentary you stumble onto. Full-badge holders get the run of the parties and mixers, which is where a lot of the festival actually happens.
Because everything screens under one roof at AFS Cinema in North Austin, there's no venue-hopping — build your day around the Friday centerpiece and the Sunday closing-night documentary, and fill in around them.
For deeper coverage — the full lineup, filmmaker notes, and our running festival diary — see our complete guide at tvawardshows.com/festivals/aaaff, and our spotlight on the highlight documentary at austinhangout.com.
Independent coverage by Austin Festival Calendar. This page is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the Austin Asian American Film Festival. Dates, films, prices, and venues can change — confirm details on the official festival site before making plans.