12th Annual Silicon Valley Asian Pacific FilmFest Opens with“The Rose: Come Back to Me”
The 2026 film festival expands to four days of in-person programming and showcases 80 films, with 60% of participating filmmakers based in the Bay Area.
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Oct. 6, 2026 — The 12th annual Silicon Valley Asian Pacific FilmFest (SVAPFF) returns with an expanded four-day in-person festival Oct.
Contemporary Asian Theater Scene (CATS) presents the 80-film festival under the theme “TheConnecting Power of Film.” Bay Area filmmakers make up 60% of participating filmmakers. Programming brings together Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) stories with filmmaker discussions and opportunities for audiences to meet the people behind the films.
“A film can start a conversation that people might not otherwise have,” says Cindy Toy, SVAPFF managing director. “Our ‘From Hate to Hope’ short-film collection explores how people confront anti-Asian hate and find strength in community. With so many Bay Area filmmakers participating, audiences can get to know and support artists from their own communities.”
The film festival kicks off with “The Rose: Come Back to Me” on opening night, Thursday, Oct. 22, at De Anza College’s Visual and Performing Arts Center in Cupertino. The documentary follows the Korean indie rock band as it returns from a three-year hiatus. NBC Bay Area anchor Janelle Wang and reporter Robert Handa, both Emmy Award-winning journalists, moderate a post-screening discussion with director Eugene Yi and producer Diane Moy Quon. Yi co-directed “Free Chol Soo Lee,” and Quon executive produced “Third Act,” both previously screened at SVAPFF.
The opening-night celebration, co-sponsored by Euphrat Museum, also includes access to “Threads of Resilience,” a new exhibition exploring art, well-being, and healing at De Anza College’s Euphrat Museum of Art. General museum admission begins at 5:30 p.m., with the film program beginning at 6:30 p.m. A filmmaker discussion follows the screening. VIP admission includes early museum access at 5 p.m. and a 5:30 p.m. VIP reception with filmmakers and some “Threads of Resilience” artists.
Programming continues Oct. 23-25 at AMC Sunnyvale 12. Friday’s dinner-and-movie event pairs a paid bento dinner with a free pre-release screening of “Cambodian Rock Band,” directed by Brian Hashimoto and produced by Tamlyn Tomita, a filmed performance of Lauren Yee’s stage play of the same name. The story follows a Khmer Rouge survivor who returns to Cambodia as his daughter prepares to prosecute a former regime official, bringing their family history into the present through theater and music.
Saturday’s feature, “Hoop Like This,” directed and produced by Shubhangi Shekhar, follows 12 players and traces the rise of the world’s first professional Indian basketball team. Sunday’s “Row Don’t Drift: An American Legacy,” directed by Karina Ezitis, examines the experience of Yoshi Kubo, a Japanese American farmer forcibly removed from his land during World War II and his resistance to military conscription while incarcerated.
The weekend also includes five short-film collections: “Beyond a Single Story,” “Animation,” “From Hate to Hope,” “Healing Through Connection,” and “Learn Who We Are.” The collections explore identity, prejudice, family relationships, and the community’s role in recovery and self-discovery.
“The post-film Q&As and panel discussions are among the experiences we look forward to most,” says Joanne Ho, SVAPFF managing director of programming. “Hearing directly from filmmakers and sharing questions and perspectives help audiences connect on a deeper level with stories on screen.”
“We want people to feel welcome whether they have attended for years or are coming to their first film festival,” says Leianne Wong Lamb, CATS president and board chair and SVAPFF community outreach director. “Watching a film together can help people find common ground across cultures and generations.”
The top winners of CATS’ Artistic Challenge in the sixth annual Dr. Jerry Hiura Inspiration Awards receive their awards during the festival’s opening night program. The awards recognize the creativity of young Bay Area AAPI artists.
CATS offers complimentary tickets for educators, students, veterans, and underservedaudiences. For complimentary ticket inquiries, contact CATS.
The festival continues online Oct. 26-Nov. 1. The festival website provides the full schedule, ticket and pass information, and online viewing details. Visit svapfilmfest.org.
About Contemporary Asian Theater Scene (CATS) Founded in 1995 by the late Dr. Jerry Hiura, the late Steve Yamaguma, and Miki Hirabayashi Bellon, Contemporary Asian Theater Scene (CATS) champions Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) artists in Silicon Valley and the greater Bay Area. The organization supports and presents artists through staged readings, comedy, music, film screenings, and its annual signature events, the AAPI Playwright Festival and Silicon Valley Asian Pacific FilmFest. Located in San Jose’s Japantown, CATS continues its founders’ vision of enriching the cultural landscape by supporting, mentoring, and presenting AAPI artists and their stories. CATS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Learn more at CatsAsianTheaterScene.org.