Choosing Ourselves: AAPI Queer Shorts

At a time where our personhood is questioned again and again, Choosing Ourselves is a resilient short films program that celebrates the autonomy and the relationships between Asian American and Pacific Islander LGBTQ+ folks. We span across generations and borders to bring you stories of love, loss, courage and realness. [With Select Filmmakers In-Person for Q&A]

Presented in Parnership with

Invisible to Invincible (i2i)
https://invisible2invincible.carrd.co/

Invisible to Invincible (i2i) is a community-based organization that celebrates and affirms Asian, Pacific Islander, & Desi Americans (APIDA) who identify as LGBTQ+ in the Chicago area.

Tuesday, May 20, 2025
8:30 PM

Gene Siskel Film Center
164 N State St, Chicago, IL 60601

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RAT!

Directed & Written by Neal Mulani
https://www.nealmulani.com/

When a disgruntled music journalist accuses a global pop star of queerbaiting, the singer’s devoted fans descend on his remote cabin to wreak havoc and seek retribution.

Ice Cream, Ice Queen

Directed & Written by Jeremy Tianyu Chi
https://www.jeremychi.com

Two women searching for connection in a city where they both feel like outsiders navigate the complexities of loneliness, language, and the fragile boundaries of intimacy, their bond grows. Cultural divides and language barriers threaten to keep them apart, while the quiet anxiety of needing someone too much hangs in the air.

Lovin’ Her

Directed & Written by day

Ann Lai, a mature trans woman, navigates the complexities of her fading memory, delving into the intricacies of love and the burgeoning of her evolving gender identity.

Really Good Driver

Directed & Written by Alex Song-Xia
https://alexsongxia.com/

An Asian American mom teaches her grown-up child how to drive, forcing both to confront parts of the car, and themselves, they never have before.

Clementine

Directed by Sally Tran
Written by and Starring Yên Sen
IG: @clemthefilm

A late-blooming trans woman, with the help of her besties, navigates the complexities of a life-altering dilemma, as she determines her path on her own terms.

One Day This Kid

Directed & Written by Alexander Farah
https://www.alexanderfarah.com/

As told through a deftly composed array of small yet pivotal moments, a first-generation Afghan Canadian man takes steps toward establishing an identity of his own while always conscious of his father's shadow.

2024 | Narrative | Canada | 18 mins | English, Dari and Farsi w/ English Subtitles| | Digital

Three

Directed & Written by Amie Song
https://www.amiesong.com/three

At a gathering, a Chinese woman who has recently moved to the United States to live with her daughter, tries to keep her daughter’s secrets from her new church friends.