AAIFF49 opens tomorrow. Indonesia, then Korean America, then Indian basketball.
The 49th Asian American International Film Festival runs July 30–August 9 in NYC and online, opening with Indonesian Levitating, centering Isle Child, and closing with Hoop Like This.
The Goldscene Desk
NYAFF just wrapped. AAIFF picks up the next day.
The 49th Asian American International Film Festival runs July 30 through August 9, 2026, in New York City and online. Asian CineVision has staged it since 1978, which makes AAIFF the country’s first and longest-running festival built for Asian, Asian diaspora, and Pacific Islander cinema. That history matters less as a plaque and more as a booking habit: when pan-Asia prestige leaves Lincoln Center, the diaspora slate stays open on the Upper East Side and at Village East.
The three nights that map the fest
Opening night is Indonesian. Levitating (Para Perasuk), Wregas Bhanuteja’s Sundance World Cinema Dramatic Competition title, gets its New York premiere Thursday at Asia Society (725 Park Avenue). Doors at 5:30 p.m., screening at 6:30 in the Lila Acheson Wallace Auditorium, then a Q&A with Bhanuteja and a reception at The Astor House. The story follows Bayu (Angga Yunanda), a young musician who wants to lead a village trance party so the community can raise money before a developer takes the sacred spring. Possession here is joy and fundraising math, not a horror gimmick. If you only buy one spotlight ticket, this is the non-Korean soft-power open the week needs.
Centerpiece night is Korean American without being a K-drama export night. Thomas Percy Kim’s debut Isle Child screens August 1 at Asia Society at 6:45 p.m. Ethan Hwang plays Si Miller, a Concord, Massachusetts baseball pitcher adopted from Korea who has built an all-American life until a letter about his dying birth mother forces the choice he has been dodging. Ben Wang, already fluent in diaspora-teen casting after American Born Chinese, plays the transfer student who mirrors what Si buried. Crowdfunded past a million dollars and still hunting wider distribution, this is the kind of film AAIFF exists to put in a room before a streamer decides it is safe.
Closing night is South Asian sports documentary. Hoop Like This, Shubhangi Shekhar’s feature about India Rising, the first professional Indian-origin basketball team, lands August 9 at 6:45 p.m. at Village East by Angelika, with reception. Jeremy Lin, Shams Charania, NAV, and Utkarsh Ambudkar show up in the cast list, but the spine is founder Gautam Kapur assembling players who cannot simply slot into a national-team pathway. Pair it with our Ramayana watchlist if your August India queue wants fiction and court receipts in the same month.
How to actually use the week
In person spans Asia Society, Village East by Angelika, Linen Hall, and more. Online VOD runs July 31 through August 9 for North America, with a 48-hour window once you hit play. General admission sits at $19 in person / $11 online; Opening Night screening is $25 (reception separate); Closing Night with reception is $60. Buy through the festival’s Elevent links on aaiff.filmbot.com. Arrive 15–20 minutes early: unclaimed seats go to the rush line at start time.
Stack this against our AAIFF planning guide and the calendar listing. Our NYAFF Joan Chen note covered the pan-Asia first half of the summer. AAIFF is the second job: Indonesia opens, Korean America centers, Indian basketball closes. That is the map. Buy the nights that match your borough plans, and use the online window if you are outside the tri-state but still want the diaspora slate before fall festivals take over.
