27th Annual San Diego Asian Film Festival

The 27th Annual San Diego Asian Film Festival runs from November 5 to 14, with the San Diego Natural History Museum in Balboa Park serving as its home. It's the flagship event of Pacific Arts Movement, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that started the festival back in 2000. Since then, it's grown into the largest exhibition of Asian cinema in the western United States, and it's billed as North America's largest showcase of Asian cinema. This year, it brings more than 190 films from around the world to multiple locations across the city.

The programming covers a lot of ground. You'll find impassioned independent voices and provocative documentaries alongside the world's biggest hits and the latest works from cinema's masters. There's also a strong focus on fresh points of view from Asian Pacific Islander American filmmakers, and West Coast, North American, and world premieres are a regular feature. Artistic Director Brian Hu has talked about the festival's return to in-person screenings after the pandemic, with audiences moving back into live theaters.

Past editions have hosted some notable premieres, like Bong Joon-ho's Memories of Murder in its US premiere and Patrick Wang's In the Family in its North American premiere. This year's lineup is still being finalized, so the full schedule isn't set in stone just yet. Tickets range from free to $40, and the festival runs from November 5 to 14.