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AAAFF 2026 • In the Press

The festival, in the wider press

Media coverage • reviews • interviews

The 18th Austin Asian American Film Festival and its standout films drew notice well beyond Austin. Here is the outside coverage — reviews, interviews, and festival press for the closing documentary, the centerpiece, and the breakout short — gathered in one place, alongside our own reporting.

The Gas Station Attendant • Karla Murthy

Our pick of the festival — a daughter’s portrait of her father built from home movies and recorded phone calls. It world-premiered at Sheffield DocFest and swept best-doc honors on the 2026 circuit.

Astoundingly generous as a personal document.— Jefferson Everest Crawford, In Review Online
POV Magazine“When One Family’s Story Is Everyone’s Story” — review→ Business Doc EuropeSheffield International Competition review→ AWFJReview by Sarah Ward, Alliance of Women Film Journalists→ In Review OnlineFeature review→ Film ThreatReview→ easternKicksReview→ Asian Movie PulseDocumentary review→ Exposed MagazineSheffield DocFest review→ Rotten TomatoesReviews & ratings aggregator→
11:11 • Mahnoor Euceph

The festival’s breakout personality — the USC-trained, Oscar-long-listed filmmaker whose proof-of-concept short was backed by Cate Blanchett’s Proof of Concept Accelerator.

Sharp, bold, and bitingly honest — a magic mirror of a film.— Rachel Sinclair, Film & Television Business
VarietyCate Blanchett’s Proof of Concept debuts short films at LA showcase→ NetflixInaugural Proof of Concept short films screened in LA→ Proof of Concept“11:11” — 2025 accelerator selection→ Film & TV BusinessReview: “A sharp reckoning with assimilation”→ The Contending“11:11” drops its official trailer→ Bond on CinemaPodcast: 11:11 gets Cate Blanchett’s stamp of approval→ ExposureShort-film review: reflections on race→ Mahnoor EucephThe filmmaker’s official 11:11 page→
Traces of Home • Colette Ghunim

The Friday centerpiece — a nine-year documentary tracing the director’s parents back to the homes they fled in Mexico and Palestine. Grand Jury Prize, Best U.S. Documentary at DOC NYC 2025.

A poignant and emotionally resonant exploration of the trauma caused by forced dislocation.— Eleanor J. Bader, The Indypendent
Kartemquin FilmsOfficial film page (production company)→ Film ThreatDocumentary review→ Hammer to NailA conversation with Colette Ghunim→ The Forward“Her parents fled Mexico and Mandatory Palestine”→ The IndypendentThe trauma of displacement, Palestine to Mexico→ BAVC MediaWorld premiere announcement→ IMDbFilm record→ Traces of HomeThe film’s official site→
The Festival

AAAFF — a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2008, presented at the Austin Film Society’s AFS Cinema.

AAAFF (official)Austin Asian American Film Festival→ Austin Film SocietyAAAFF series at AFS Cinema→ Texas Film CommissionState of Texas event listing→ Visit AustinOfficial Austin visitor listing→ FilmFreewayFestival submissions page→ CAAMFest 2026Where The Gas Station Attendant is a centerpiece→
Our coverage

TVReviewer.com and the WholeTech network’s own reporting from the carpet and the closing weekend.

AAAFF Coverage HubGuide, spotlights, and everything we published→ Red Carpet89 photos + 29 video interviews from Centerpiece Night→ Mahnoor EucephOur dedicated filmmaker profile→ Karla MurthyProfile + our walk-around interview, the vote, and the Q&A→ TVReviewer.comOur AAAFF coverage page→ Asia Film FestsOur festival hub, with the two stars→ Austin HangoutThe Gas Station Attendant — feature→

Links open on the publishers’ own sites and are provided for reference. TVReviewer.com is an independent outlet and is not affiliated with the festival or these publications. Spot a piece we missed? It belongs here — this page is kept up to date.