One of Austin's best-kept summer traditions is back: the Austin Asian American Film Festival (AAAFF) is running now through Sunday, June 28, at the AFS Cinema. It's the festival's 18th year, with 34 films by Asian, Asian American, and Middle Eastern filmmakers — plus the parties, mixers, and a first-ever Taiwan VR program that make it one of the friendliest fests in town.
The lineup opens with Honeyjoon, a tender mother-daughter road trip, and builds to the Sundance-honored centerpiece Traces of Home on Friday before closing Sunday night with Gloaming in Luomu. Along the way: a Texas shorts block, the TikTok-ban documentary TikTok Never Dies, a Pakistani late-night double feature, and red-carpet arrivals you can come watch.
If you only catch one thing, make it The Gas Station Attendant, screening Sunday afternoon with a Q&A. Director Karla Murthy turns home movies and late-night phone calls into a quietly devastating portrait of her father — from India to the overnight shift at a Texas gas station. It swept documentary honors on the festival circuit, and it's the film people will be talking about all week.
We put together a full screening-by-screening guide with every film, party, and venue, plus a deeper look at The Gas Station Attendant: read the complete AAAFF 2026 schedule & guide. Single tickets, five-packs, and badges are at aaafilmfest.org.