18th Austin Asian American Film Festival
June 24–28 at AFS Cinema. 34 films, parties, and the festival’s first-ever Taiwan VR activation. Opened with Honeyjoon, centerpiece Traces of Home, closed with Gloaming in Luomu.
The Gas Station Attendant
dir. Karla Murthy • documentary • Sun, June 28 · 2:00 PM + Q&A
A daughter’s portrait of her father — from poverty in India to the overnight shift at a Texas gas station — assembled from home movies and recorded phone calls. World-premiered at Sheffield DocFest, Best Documentary Feature in Nashville and San Diego, and a CAAMFest 2026 Centerpiece. Devastating, surprising, and deeply human.
“Astoundingly generous as a personal document.”— Jefferson Everest Crawford, In Review Online
Read the full spotlight →Traces of Home
dir. Colette Ghunim • documentary • Fri, June 26 · 7:45 PM + Q&A
The festival’s Centerpiece. Colette Ghunim traces her parents’ histories across Mexico and Palestine, sitting with inherited grief and asking how “home” survives when the map keeps changing — bracketed by Friday’s red carpet and the Centerpiece Corral after-party.
“A poignant and emotionally resonant exploration of the trauma caused by forced dislocation.”— Eleanor J. Bader, The Indypendent
Read the spotlight →Live from the Red Carpet
Centerpiece Night • The Mane Event · Traces of Home · the Corral Party
We were on the carpet for Friday’s Centerpiece Night — 89 photos and 29 video interviews from The Mane Event.
See the coverage →Spotlights, news, and Austin event coverage across the network — the full schedule guide, both film spotlights, and reporting from the carpet and closing weekend, gathered in one index.
See all our AAAFF 2026 coverage →
In the PressThe films drew reviews and interviews well beyond Austin — Variety, POV Magazine, Kartemquin Films, and the Sheffield and DOC NYC circuit among them, gathered in one index.
Coverage by Year About AAAFFThe Austin Asian American Film Festival is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit that has spotlighted Asian, Asian American, and Middle Eastern cinema in Austin since 2008. Its home base is the AFS Cinema, the Austin Film Society’s theater. The 2026 edition ran June 24–28 with 34 films, filmmaker Q&As, food-stop socials, and a first-ever Taiwan VR program. Tickets and badges at aaafilmfest.org. This is an independent guide by TVAwardshows.com; confirm details on the festival’s official schedule.