The Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) is now accepting submissions for the 40 anniversary of CAAMFest! The festival is scheduled for May 12-22, 2022.

CAAMFest (presented by the Center for Asian American Media) is the nation’s largest showcase for new Asian and Asian American films, presenting approximately 120 works virtually and in-person throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Since 1982, the annual festival has been an important launching point for Asian American independent filmmakers as well as a vital source for new Asian cinema.

We are calling our 2022 festival CAAMFest40, as we are marking four decades of bringing together Asian American creatives and community for dialogue, engagement, and celebration. “CAAMFest 40 is the latest chapter in a legacy of raising our voices and telling our stories that began in Berkeley forty years ago, when a group of Asian American filmmakers gathered together to present and celebrate our stories, which are a part of the American narrative,” says Stephen Gong, Executive Director of CAAM.

During the past two years, CAAM has pivoted to virtual programming as a result of the unprecedented global pandemic, and we will continue to monitor state and local public health guidance as we plan for 2022. Whatever form the festival may take, we are excited to present a robust slate of film screenings, conversations, performances, and workshops to honor our legacy and look forward to our future. Currently CAAMFest40 will be a hybrid festival with a mixture of live screenings and dynamic virtual programs.

To stay up to date on CAAMFest40 plans, keep an eye on CAAM's social media and website: caamedia.org.

About CAAM:
The Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) is a non profit organization dedicated to presenting stories that convey the richness and diversity of Asian American experiences to the broadest audience possible. We do this by funding, producing, distributing and exhibiting works in film, television and digital media.

Awards & Prizes

List of CAAMFest 2021 Awards

Juried Awards:
Best Narrative Feature
Best Documentary Feature
Loni Ding Award for Social Issue Documentary

Audience Awards:
Best Narrative Feature
Best Documentary Feature

Rules & Terms

By submitting your film for consideration, you grant CAAM permission to screen the above-mentioned work at the 2022 CAAMFest (formerly San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival) if accepted and warrants that all necessary steps have been taken to obtain the rights to use and display the work. Signatory also gives CAAM permission to use stills and excerpts from accepted works for promotional purposes.
9 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
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Networking
  • Peter Hsieh

    CAAMFest is one of my favorite festivals. I've attended it in the past and this year I got to participate as one of the official selection narrative features. They did a wonderful job with the online networking events and I was able to meet a lot of different artists through their multiple events. The staff are all really friendly and helpful and did such a great job in making this an awesome festival experience. There was a really great mix of different films and I enjoyed watching them. I would definitely recommend folks check out this festival, it really is one of the best.

    June 2021
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  • Myat Noe

    They have so many virtual meet-up events for 2021 edition and nice drive-in venue. The communications are frequent and they really take care of filmmakers.

    May 2021
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  • Teddy Tenenbaum

    CAAMFest is a world class film festival in every way, and by far one of the best festivals we’ve ever experienced. The curation of the films is stellar - we were truly honored to be part of this tremendous field of projects and artists. The communication and professionalism are excellent. The special programs are fantastic. And during the pandemic, the festival created a really ingenious hybrid of live and online events, and found brilliant ways of bringing the online community together. CAAMFest is like the Sundance for Asian and AAPI film, and we can’t wait to attend as audience members next year. Thank you, Masashi Niwano and team for an unforgettable experience.

    May 2021
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  • Sujata Day

    So great to return here with my directorial debut feature, after premiering my short film here in 2017. Masashi and the CAAMFest team made the most of a virtual experience, despite the unusual circumstances. We had fun on the panel and our Best Narrative win made it extra special!

    November 2020
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  • Baldwin Chiu

    It's hard to give this festival less than a 5 because 2020 will probably be the worse year to ever release movies. CAAMFest did so much to keep things going in the virtual world even more so than the larger mainstream festivals. They worked tirelessly and the only thing I regret is not being there live. It's so hard to network and make new friends virtually. The live experience is what we had our hopes on but... well...2020. We hope we can come back in person when the world reopens.

    October 2020
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