Schedule Of Events
Programmed by PAAFF (the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival)
5 - 6:30 p.m. Pre-screening gathering with organizational partners In Dino Hall
6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Film Program: Screening followed by Q & A
Afterearth, (2017, 14min), short film by dir. Jess X. Snow
Hailing from Hawai’i, the Philippines, China and North America, four women give offerings of song, poetry and gardening to preserve the volcano, ocean, land and air for future generations. They draw their understandings of motherhood through connections with their homeland environment.
Heaven Rain Flows Sweetly, (2023, 68 min), a documentary film by dir. Shasha Li
After wildfires force her to leave her home in Oregon, a young filmmaker reconnects with the rituals and the landscapes of her maternal tribe in Himalayan China. In a poetic and contemplative revisiting of her family and her ancestors’ history, director Shasha Li reflects on their animistic traditions while visiting her childhood hometown, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site, transformed beyond recognition into a bustling tourist attraction.
Q&A with Hongwei Rose Niu, director Shasha Li's mother, who has worked in field of environmental conservation for many years, moderated by Arzhang Zafar, PAAFF's Festival & Programming Director.
