By Cameron Lee
August 27, 2026
When we talk about storytelling today, the conversation often centers on algorithms, engagement, and the challenge of distilling stories into digestible, minutes-long clips. But few formats capture the emotional depth and intimacy of storytelling quite like short films experienced together in a theater.
The Charlotte Asian Film Festival returns this weekend to Independent Picture House for a full day of stories that not only represent communities that have often been overlooked, but also exploring universal themes of personal struggles, identity, family, friendship, and social dynamics. The lineup features a diverse mix of narrative, documentary, experimental, and animated shorts — stories that will make you laugh, make you cry, and leave you thinking about different perspectives long after the credits roll.
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“There’s a lot of fascinating stories that are just sitting around us. We just have to be aware of them,” said Tyler Mathews, a student, volunteer, and aspiring filmmaker who is one of the committee members responsible for selecting the 30 films that will be screened at the festival on Saturday.
The Charlotte Asian Film Festival returned last year after a multi-year hiatus, and this year’s all-day event will also feature special guests, including Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker Eugene Yi, director of the 2025 film The Rose: Come Back to Me, about the South Korean indie rock band The Rose, and HBO’s The A List: 15 Stories From Asian and Pacific Diasporas, which will make its big-screen debut in Charlotte, with Yi participating in a Q&A following the screening. Also in attendance will be Anand Kamalakar, co-director of the award-winning documentary Colonel Kalsi: Beyond the Call, which will screen at this year’s festival, and Geeta Vasant Patel, co-director of the romantic comedy documentary Meet the Patels.
Originally founded in 2017 by film enthusiast Anand Kothari, the festival returned last year under the leadership of Carolinas Asian American Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Minh Ngo, Ann Gonzales, Mark Borja, and Thong Nguyen-Vu. This year, it will take place at Independent Picture House, highlighting stories from across the Asian diaspora while providing a platform for filmmakers of diverse backgrounds to participate and connect.
Nguyen-Vu, a recent UNC Charlotte graduate — who participated in last year’s festival as a filmmaker, screening his short film about Charlotte’s beloved bánh mì spot Le’ Sandwiches and Cafe — is also a member of the selection committee, and he says the festival is an opportunity to learn, create, and find inspiration from fellow filmmakers.
“Art is an outlet… so being able to put some of these feelings, these experiences into a story and being able to tell it… it’s a shared experience,” Nguyen-Vu said. “Some of this stuff is right in our backyard and it’s just a matter of being able to platform it and having the ability to showcase some of our creators that are local right here.”
One of those local films is An Air of Khair, a coming-of-age spiritual journey about a Muslim girl named Sabine, portrayed by Sanchi Pandey, a UNC Greensboro graduate, and directed by Erza Satici, a graduate of the North Carolina School of the Arts film program.
Mathews says Ladybeetle, a 30-minute animated film directed by brother-and-sister duo Jessica Che and John Che, was another standout, using simple animation and innovative storytelling to explore the complex subject of childhood family trauma.
“It has this very interesting animation style. It’s almost like this unfinished sketch drawing animation,” Mathews said. “So all the characters kind of look like they’re literally ripped out of like a sketchbook.”
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Another compelling animated short is Rice & Mangoes, which follows a grandmother and granddaughter as they form a bond despite the language barrier between them — a story that may resonate with many second- and third-generation immigrants.
The most acclaimed film among the 30 selections is Colonel Kalsi: Beyond the Call, directed by award-winning filmmakers Geeta Gandbhir and Anand Kamalakar. Gandbhir is an Emmy-winning director, producer, and editor who won a News & Documentary Emmy for I Am Evidence, an HBO documentary, as well as Primetime Emmys for her editing of Spike Lee’s HBO documentary series When the Levees Broke and the HBO film By the People: The Election of Barack Obama.
Colonel Kalsi: Beyond the Call details the journey of an American Sikh Army officer who struggles to serve in the U.S. Army, willing to die for his adopted country but unwilling to give up his religious identity.
“We got a very great breadth of variety and diversity when it comes to countries represented, but it was really hard to narrow it down to 30,” Nguyen-Vu said.
The stories are diverse in perspective and subject matter, yet their themes are often deeply personal and relatable across cultures and backgrounds.
“I’d say, I think what I learned the most was that sometimes the best stories don’t necessarily have to be the most complicated plot,” Mathews said. “There are a lot of great stories… just within, I think people’s families… When you get to know your grandfather, when you get to know your grandmother, even great-grandfather stories, there’s a lot of fascinating stories that are just sitting around us.”
Premiering locally for the first time at Charlotte Asian Film Festival is the HBO documentary The A List: 15 Stories From Asian and Pacific Diasporas, which explores the lived experiences of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities through intimate stories from 15 influential voices, including actor Sandra Oh, comedian and actor Kumail Nanjiani, pioneering journalist Connie Chung, U.S. Senator and Iraq War veteran Tammy Duckworth, Saturday Night Live comedian and actor Bowen Yang, activist and astronaut Amanda Nguyen, and Hmong-American chef Yia Vang.
The event will also incorporate several local businesses and food vendors, including Mem’s Thai Kitchen, Yum Bai CLT, Thai Smile Street Food, Neelia’s Bakery, and Sister Suy’s Hot Sauce, along with chai and tea offerings from Gully Boys Chai Company and The Tomaru Co.
Among the major initiatives accompanying the screenings this year is an Asian Media + Mental Health Film Panel Discussion moderated by Christerly Mathews, M.S., a mental health and wellness professional, educator, and advocate with nearly 30 years of experience in child development, education, youth programming, and preventive mental health. Panelists include Pooja S. Mehta, founder of Tarang and AAPI Community Outreach Lead for the North Carolina Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Use Services; Chandhana Srihari, a UNC Charlotte senior studying Psychology and Sociology whose work focuses on health equity and Asian representation in mental health; and Charlotte-based nuclear engineer and keynote speaker Sagar Soni, who explores burnout and the “Never Enough” mindset among high-performing professionals. The discussion will examine how media, culture, identity, social media, and systemic barriers shape mental health, with a focus on creating more culturally competent and accessible resources for minority communities.
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There will also be dance performances from Wee Dance Academy and Sayaw Pilipinas, as well as a performance from jazz singer Monica Yi, who will perform the Mandarin rendition of “A Love Before Time,” the theme song from Ang Lee’s Oscar-winning film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
The full day of films, food, performances, and discussions will culminate in an after-party in the courtyard of Independent Picture House, giving filmmakers, artists, and attendees an opportunity to eat, drink, and connect with members of Charlotte’s creative and Asian American communities.
The Charlotte Asian Film Festival is made possible by the City of Charlotte Creative Growth Grant, Barings, and the Arts & Science Council’s Venue Access Grant. The festival takes place Saturday, August 29 at Independent Picture House from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., with tickets priced at $9.85. For more information about the films, filmmakers, and programming, you can visit the Charlotte Asian Film Festival’s official Instagram page.
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