Welcome to the 2nd Annual SEE Asian Film Festival--

a festival celebrating Southeast/East Asian film!

 

This year’s festival is part of the AAPI Heritage Month Celebration of Asian Film at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, California. In partnership with Segerstrom, we’ll be screening several celebrated feature-length films from Southeast/East Asia and its diaspora along with the winning film of our highly anticipated short film competition.

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FEATURE FILM SCREENING: Past Lives (2023) by Celine Song
Since the early days of cinema, voices from Southeast/East Asia have played a vital role in transforming the art form, from legends like Akira Kurosawa and Wong Kar-Wai to more recent auteurs like Bong Joon-ho, Chloe Zhao, and Apichatpong Weerasethakul. In celebration of these contributions, Segerstrom Center of the Arts and SEE Asian Film Festival will screen several feature films from some of today's most critically acclaimed international directors. Last year’s program included films from South Korea (Broker), the Philippines (Leonor Will Never Die), the US (Turning Red), and others, and we expect this year’s program to be just as varied and compelling as last year’s.

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SHORT FILM COMPETITION
Celebrating acclaimed cinema from Southeast/East Asia is an essential goal of the SEE Asian Film Festival, but equally important is giving voice to a new generation in the community. This is why we're thrilled to curate the Second Annual SEE Asian Film Festival Short Film Competition.

 

AWARDS & PRIZES

The winning short film selected from submissions to the SEE Asian Film Festival will be screened before Oscar nominated PAST LIVES directed by Celine Song. The winning film will also be given a cash prize. Our inaugural Grand Jury Prize winner from 2023 was the sumptuous short film HOPE, directed by Yvonne Lim of Singapore.

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Rules & Terms

Submissions will be adjudicated by a select jury composed of the artists and board members of the SEE Asian Film Festival. One film will be selected from a group of chosen finalists as the Grand Jury Award Winner and screened before a feature presentation in the Julianne and George Agyros Plaza at Segerstrom Center for the Arts. All chosen finalists will be available for viewing on the SEE Asian Film Festival website beginning May 4, 2024, through the remainder of AAPI Heritage Month, May 31, 2024. Note that only the film selected as the winner of the Grand Jury Award will be screened in person at the festival on Friday May 3, 2024.

 

Submissions must be short productions of 40 minutes or less, centered around Southeast/East Asian cultures and people. We welcome submissions of any short content written and/or directed by a person of Southeast/East Asian descent living anywhere around the world.

All films must have English subtitles, even if they are presented in the English language. Rough cuts are acceptable for submission but final film versions must be submitted at a specified agreed date prior to the film festival launch of May 3, 2024.

All entries MUST BE UPLOADED ONLINE no later than 11:59 pm PST on April 20, 2024. We will announce the final selections the following week, Friday, April 26, 2024.