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​SHORTS PROGRAM
​​queer & here 

Please see individual films for content advisory details.
A staple of every BAAFF season, Queer and Here is self-expression and identity beyond orientation. Demonstrated through dance in God's Daughter Dances and Wo, and impacted by the pandemic in The Leaf and Dear Chaemin, our queer selves are indivisible from our experiences in totality.
Total Runtime: 91 mins​ 

​Graduation by Robin Wang
A Fire That Never Dies by Chheangkea Ieng
The Leaf by William J. Zang
Dear Chaemin by Cyan Bae
Wo by Jiemin Yang
God's Daughter Dances by Sungbin Byun
A Place to Call Home by Stephanie Tran
Noor & Layla by Fawzia Mirza
Graduation
Directed by Robin Wang
Narrative | 6 mins | USA | English | New England Premiere
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Following a graduation celebration, four Chinese must navigate their relationships' future as dictated by the circumstances of life and their families.

Advisory: Age 13+. Partial nudity.

Director's Bio - Robin Wang:
Zhongyu (Robin) Wang is an award-winning director and screenwriter. 
With his main thematic interests centering around the diversity of pan-Asian experiences, he wants to create films that stimulate the mind as well as entertain the audience, in genres as diverse as romcom, heartfelt drama, fantasy and horror.
The Leaf
Directed by William J. Zang
Documentary | 4 mins | USA | English and Chinese w/ English Subtitles  | East Coast Premiere

COVID-19 changed and destroyed everything in daily life, including filmmaking. THE LEAF is a personal, poetic, documentary film about a filmmaker's experience as both a filmmaker and a gay immigrant during this pandemic.

Director's Bio - William J. Zang:
Born in Beijing, China, William Jian Zang's  works have been screened at film festivals worldwide and has won the Audience Award at the Tampa Bay Gay & Lesbian Film Festival.
A Fire That Never Dies
Directed by Chheangkea Ieng
Drama | 7 mins | USA | English | World Premiere

A young man becomes infatuated with his upstairs neighbor after believing that his late mother has sent him.
Dear Chaemin
Directed by Cyan Bae 
Documentary | 17 min | Korean | Korean with English Subtitles

The autofictional film juxtaposes the Korean and Dutch contexts of contact tracing, biopolitics, and crowd control practices, each of which intensifies the stigmatization and violence against queer communities and people of Asian descent.

Advisory: Age 13+.Trans/Queer phobia.
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Director's Bio - Cyan Bae:
Cyan Bae (1993, KR) is a practice-based researcher based in The Hague. Her practice integrates filmmaking, visual journalism, and graphic design to respond to and participate in sociotechnical discourses. 
Wo
Directed by Jiemin Yang
Documentary | 11 min | USA | English | Boston Premiere

A short dance film exploring the internal struggle of a queer Chinese American immigrant dance artist living in New York City.

Director's Bio - Jiemin Yang:
Jiemin, originally from China, is a dancer, choreographer, and graphic designer based in Queens.  He is currently part of the CUNY Dance Initiative Residency (2020-2021) at Queens College.
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God's Daughter Dances
Directed by Sungbin Byun
​Drama | 25 min | Korea | Korean with English Subtitles

A transgender female dancer, Shin-mi, gets a call from the Military Manpower Administration, to attend for the Military Service Examination.

Director's Bio - Sungbin Byun:
Born in 1991, Byun studied Film TV & Multimedia and Eastern Philosophy at Sungkyunkwan University.

Advisory: Age 13+. Mature content.
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A Place to Call Home
Directed by Stephanie Tran
​Documentary | 8 min | USA | English
Noor & Layla
Directed by Fawzia Mirza
​Narrative | 13 min | Canada | English

Noor and Layla are breaking up. It’s the end of the road for these two Muslim women…or is it just the beginning? Five life-changing moments in their relationship are marked by the Muslim call to prayer.

Advisory: Age 13+. Sexual situations and partial nudity.

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Boston Asian American Film Festival
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