2026 BAAFF Opening Night: Isle Child

Join us for red carpet photos at the Opening Night of the 18th annual Boston Asian American Film Festival! Meet inspiring filmmakers, take part in meaningful conversations, and explore diverse Asian American stories that connect, empower, and uplift our communities through film.

OPENING NIGHT

ISLE CHILD

Directed by Thomas Percy Kim
Narrative | 91 Minutes | English & Korean

Thursday, Oct. 15, 7:00PM EST

Coolidge Corner Theater 290 Harvard St, Brookline, MA

Followed by Q&A with Director Thomas Percy Kim

When a young Korean-American adoptee discovers a hidden letter revealing his birth mother is terminally ill in Korea, he must choose between maintaining his perfect American life or confronting the painful truth of his past.

Director’s Bio – Thomas Percy Kim

Thomas Percy Kim, who grew up in Concord, Massachusetts, is a young, Korean-American writer/director kindled by raw, introspective narratives. His stop-motion short film, TREJUR, screened at venues such as Indyshorts and Busan International before receiving the Harry Winston Brilliant Futures award and YoungArts gold medal. Before attending USC film school, his live-action short, SI, starring Ki Hong Lee (MAZE RUNNER) premiered at LAAPFF before being sold and distributed by HBO Max.

He is a 2022 Sundance Ignite Fellow, 2024 TIFF x CJ Ent. Fellow, 2023 Blacklist Michael Collyer Finalist, 2024 Screencraft Film Fund Winner, 2021 Shorts to Feature Lab Fellow, and a 2021 Diverso Minority Report Fellow, where Dede Gardner (MOONLIGHT) selected and reviewed his dramatic feature, ISLE CHILD, based on his proof-of-concept short, SI. His latest short, BUSAN, 1999, is distributed by Argo, Zen Movies, and won Best Narrative at the SFFilm Festival and BFI Future Film Festival, qualifying it for the 2023 Oscars.

After equity-crowdfunding $1M+ and premiering his debut feature, ISLE CHILD, he is now in pre-production on his sophomore feature, STARING AT THE SUN, while growing a filmmaking community and online academy through THE VANDALIST – his popular YouTube series sharing his journey of creating permissionless work as a modern artist.