Announcing the SAAFF 2026 Award Winners
The 14th Seattle Asian American Film Festival has wrapped, and before we fully catch our breath, we want to celebrate the films and filmmakers that stayed with all of us this year. Here are the 2026 winners!
Audience Choice Award: Best Feature
Third Act, directed by Tadashi Nakamura
Audience Choice Award: Best Short
Bridging Our Stories, directed by Rafael Bitanga
Festival Best Emerging Filmmaker Award
Chowmein Holiday, directed by Iris Lanhua Ma
Staff enjoyed this rambunctious and subversive Asian American take on Thelma and Louise. In addition to the spectacular, hilarious, and heartfelt performances of Cici Lau and Evelyn Olson, we particularly liked the blend of Chinese storytelling and puppetry with western humor.
Congratulations to all three of our 2026 honorees, and thank you to everyone who watched, voted, and made this year what it was. We will see you next year.
