Gabriella Rees ‘27 (Communication, Journalism, and Film)
The College of New Jersey celebrated the 2025 AAPI Heritage Month with its second biennial Asian American Film Festival (April 30-May 1) (see the 2-minute trailer)! Hosted by Dr. Yifeng Hu, a professor in TCNJ’s communication, journalism, and film department, and her COM 487 / HON 370 class, “Reel Films on AAPI Experiences: Defying Injustice, Invisibility, and Misrepresentation,” the event raised awareness about authentic AAPI experiences through films, empowered the AAPI community, and sparked meaningful cross-cultural dialogue.
The festival was kicked off by the “What’s Your Take” TCNJ Street Interview Series created by student directors Maya McKelvey ‘25 and Bryanna Carrie ‘26, which showcased TCNJ students’ knowledge about AAPI matters. The first film screened was Making Waves: The Rise of Asian America, a powerful and inspiring new documentary by director Jon Osaki that explores the movement to include Asian American studies in school curricula. Political science major Cathy Zheng ‘26 emphasized why the class chose Making Waves: The film shatters stereotypes of Asian passivity, showcasing decades of activism. “It defines who we are. Despite harmful stereotypes that we are quiet and submissive, this film demonstrates that we have advocated for — and will continue to advocate for — our visibility and right to having our history taught in schools across the nation,” said Cathy. “Asian American history is American history.” Public health major Isabelle Sameiro ‘28 reflected that the film taught her about Asian Americans’ diverse “role in nation-building,” adding, “I was shocked by some parents’ resistance to learning this history.”
Afterwards, we welcomed Gabriella Son ‘22, also an alum of the TCNJ Inaugural AAPI Advocacy Campaign led by Dr. Hu in 2022, to discuss her experiences working at Fulbright Korea and exploration of her Korean American identity. The peak of day was a thoughtful pairing of Blurring the Color Line by director Crystal Kwok and Liquor Store Dreams by director So Yun Um–screened consecutively–illuminated the intricate and evolving relationships between Asian and Black American communities, from the Jim Crow South to the present day. Ting Sun, Associate Professor of Accounting and Information Systems at TCNJ, recalled her viewing experience: “I loved how the chosen documentaries and films educated us about our shared history and the diverse Asian American experience. It was a wonderful opportunity to learn, reflect, and feel proud of our heritage.”
The second day highlighted Asian Americans breaking barriers in arts, sports, and other fields while overcoming discrimination. Audiences first had the chance to “meet” a trailblazing Asian American dancer, George Lee, who sadly passed away on April 19 at age 90, through the short film Ten Times Better—a tribute to his extraordinary life, directed by Jennifer Lin. Among the attendees was a couple who drove two hours from Pennsylvania just for the screening. “I had wanted to see Ten Times Better for a while since it was profiled in The New York Times,” Edward Wong explained. “TCNJ’s festival worked for our schedule, and the lineup of films, free parking, food, and post-screening discussions made the trip even more worthwhile.” They praised the event as “worth traveling two hours for” and said they’d “certainly consider coming back another time.”
The festival then screened Linsanity, directed by Evan Jackson Leong, chronicling Jeremy Lin’s groundbreaking basketball career – attracting some fans who came specifically for this film. Though released in 2013 at the height of “Linsanity,” fans shared updated research about Lin’s subsequent career journey during the post-screening discussion, which the rest of the audience found very informative. The festival closed with Sean Wang’s award-winning Dìdi (弟弟), a poignant coming-of-age story about a California boy navigating identity, family, and friendships that had audiences both laughing and crying. “When non-Asian viewers found Dìdi relatable,” observed community member Andy Abat Tang, “it proved these experiences are fundamentally American – not foreign. We’re just beginning to explore our shared AAPI identity!”
A unique part of the festival was the student-led Q&As. In the weeks prior to the event, student moderators from Dr. Hu’s class revisited the films in order to curate a comprehensive list of questions to provoke the most impactful answers from the directors and audiences. “It was really touching to hear Jon’s story,” community member, Dr. Kani Ilangovan of The E Pluribus Unum Project reflected, “And to learn that he is the child of parents who were in the Japanese incarceration camps and has been doing AAPI and cross racial solidarity activism since his college years.” TCNJ Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Suzanne McCotter commented, “The conversation between the director and the students was really special,” and this sentiment was shared by Judy Harkins, Assistant Professor and Graduate Coordinator of the Department of Nursing. Director Jon Osaki praised the student moderators’ preparation, calling the audience conversation “wonderful.” “Making Waves was produced for dialogue like this,” he said, “my experience at TCNJ exceeded my expectations.” Being a student moderator for this event—and hearing these comments first hand—made me realize how meaningful our work was. It surpassed anything I’d dreamed of.
Another student moderator, elementary education major CJ Castaneda ‘28, felt lucky to have gotten the opportunity to hold a discussion panel with the audiences and the directors of the films as well. “Most of the work I did was toward the discussion panels that I had hosted. I loved diving deeper into the films that I had learned an immense amount from and that I genuinely enjoyed.” After the viewing of Blurring the Color Line and Liquor Store Dreams, the two directors, Crystal Kwok and So Yun Um, interacted with the audience through a one-hour student-moderated Q&A. For a rarely explored topic, these conversations broke new ground, adding context to a complex issue. Kwok appreciated the space for discussion: “It was great to be in conversation with Liquor Store Dreams.” Um also shared her excitement by saying that the festival “provided us a safe space and platform so Crystal Kwok and I could discuss our collective and individual Asian American struggles and how we could build solidarity with the Black community.” The spontaneity—like one director quizzing another about their filmmaking process—highlighted the value of this space for Asian creators.
The talk with director Jennifer Lin after the screening of Ten Times Better attracted the most audience for a single program. Community member Jack Liu attended the festival two days in a row with his friends and family. As the former President of the Greater Philadelphia Association of Chinese Computer Professionals, Liu said: “I appreciated the thoughtful discussions and Q&A sessions that followed the screenings — they added important context and opened up space for deeper reflection.” Lin also commented that “the best thing about an in-person screening are the questions afterwards.” She praised the depth of the questions from the student moderator, Castaneda, saying “he not only had insights into the film, but he drew from his own experiences to make connections to the story.” Castaneda, a member of the AAPI community himself, described that the discussions “tackled the idea of what it really means to be Asian American; what this title means to us, what our community means to us, and what it means to fight for our voices to be heard.”
Music bridged cultures at the festival, with Dr. YZ’s one-man band serenading the audience with traditional Chinese songs and popular American ones. Dr. YZ, a multi-talented West Windsor resident, performed solo on multiple instruments. Keen to include the audience, Dr. YZ improvised by playing solely the harmonica for a portion of the song, while two tenors in the audience sang the original melody back at him!! Nodding their heads in time to the music—some even tearing up—listeners displayed music’s cross-cultural power. Psychology major Kenya Caballero ‘25 said: “Although I don’t speak or understand Mandarin, the emotional weight of the song was evident. What made the performance especially moving for me is that I am approaching graduation, and the song’s reflective tone resonated deeply with my current feelings of transition and nostalgia.” It was undeniably one of the most impactful moments of the film festival!
This event was nothing short of a success, thanks to Dr. Hu and her COM 487 / HON 370 class. From designing the flyers to coordinating food and logistics, the team worked tirelessly to bring this festival to life. “The snacks and refreshments were delicious, a great touch!” exclaimed Caballero. Dr. Ilangovan praised both Dr. Hu and the students: “I’m very grateful for this festival, and your students excelled at leading discussion with filmmakers.” TCNJ alum Pema Nodong ‘01, now a DEI coordinator for WWPRSD school district, added: “This festival does more than spotlight AAPI narratives—it challenges invisibility, counters misrepresentation, and fosters dialogue. As both an alum and educator, I’m proud to see TCNJ leading this work.”
The film festival brought people together to celebrate AAPI experiences– their culture, struggles, and triumphs. “Collaborating with Dr. Hu and our class was a very inspiring and fulfilling experience,” said Castaneda. “The course opened my eyes to diverse AAPI perspectives and showed me how to actively support our community’s growth as an Asian American.” Zheng echoed this sentiment: “It was extremely rewarding to watch our film festival come to fruition. Events like this make Asian American students at TCNJ feel more seen and cared about.” For me, it was the most meaningful experience of my time at TCNJ, and an honor to work with Dr. Hu and my peers. Here is to many more years of TCNJ’s Biennial AAPI Film Festival!
