From rappers to sherpas: What to see at the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival

Some of the most interesting action at this year's Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival (PAAFF), the largest film festival of its kind on the East Coast, takes place away from the screen.

The ninth annual festival, running Nov. 10-20, is a documentary-heavy slate and tackles a diverse range of topics affecting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, or AAPI. Festival director Rob Buscher is also eager to highlight two noncinematic aspects of this year's program.

The first, an academic conference scheduled for Nov. 14 and 15 at the Community College of Philadelphia, will highlight multigenerational narratives, migration, and identity, all topics in the greater theme of Asian diasporic cinema.

The PAAFF will also feature free Asia-centric theater performances Nov. 16 and 17 at the Fleisher Art Memorial (719 Catharine St.). "OK Tell You," for example, will feature first-person stories from Asian children adopted into American families.

Buscher sees the Fleisher's willingness to open its doors to such discussions as a sign that Philadelphia's greater artistic community is sincerely recognizing the AAPI experience. "I love the community they've built there," says Buscher. "To be able to share these cultural aspects with a community of artists, I think, is going to be really phenomenal."

But the main event is still the films. Here are our picks for what to see at the fest.

» READ MORE: The Tiger Hunter

Lena Khan, who made her name crafting music videos for international artists like Maher Zain and Humood Alkhudher, presents this full-length directorial debut, starring Community's Danny Pudi as Sami, an ambitious Indian engineer who moves to Chicago with plans to make it big. His hopeful, hapless quest to become a true "Professional American" — and to win the affections of his childhood crush, played by Karen David (Once Upon a Time) — also features appearances by Rizwan Manji, Napoleon Dynamite's Jon Heder, and Kevin Pollak. Pudi will be in attendance for the opening-night screening and reception, featuring eats from Nanee's Kitchen and a live set from Basement Bhangra founder DJ Rekha.

Thursday, Nov. 10, 7 p.m., International House, 3701 Chestnut St. $8-$10.

» READ MORE: Tested

Curtis Chin casts a sensitive analytical eye on the public school system of New York City, and how race, class, and merit influence admissions to the coveted "Big 3": Stuyvesant, Bronx Science, and Brooklyn Tech. Sixty-four percent of enrollees in these elite institutions are of Asian descent, while that group makes up only 15 percent of NYC public school students citywide. Chin wonders why, shadowing kids of Chinese, Japanese, and Bangladeshi descent as they study for the Specialized High School Admissions Test, the single exam that will shape their futures.

Friday, Nov. 11, 3:40 p.m., International House, 3701 Chestnut St. $6-$8.

» READ MORE: Bad Rap 

The underexplored realm of Asian American hip-hop is the subject of Salima Korama's doc, profiling MCs Awkwafina, Dumbfoundead, Rekstizzy, and Lyricks as they navigate the tempestuous music industry. The foursome are the focus, but Korama also pulls back to build a timeline of AAPI in rap, from Filipino pioneers like Mastaplann and DJ Qbert to Chinese Americans like the Mountain Brothers and Jin, who blew up via BET battles and signed to Ruff Ryders. This screening will be followed by live performances from rappers Jaeki "JKey" Cho (who also produced the film), Chee Malabar, and Prach Ly.

Saturday, Nov. 12, 7:35 p.m., International House, 3701 Chestnut St. $6-$8.

» READ MORE: Sherpa Stew

The U.S. premiere of Andy Cockrum's engaging feature follows Kipa Sherpa and Nima Dawa Sherpa, who transitioned from leading epic Everest summits in their home country of Nepal to working blue-collar jobs in New York. Mixing elegant animation with honest, intimate documentary footage, Cockrum champions the selflessness of these overlooked men, who want nothing more than to provide for their families. The value we ascribe to conquering Earth's tallest mountain vs. the harsh socioeconomic realities of the practice is a fascinating contrast. Cockrum, mountaineer Gary Guller, and subject Kipa Sherpa will attend.

Sunday, Nov. 13, 2 p.m., International House, 3701 Chestnut St. $6-$8.

» READ MORE: Mixed Match

Those diagnosed with such cancers as leukemia can recover with a successful bone marrow transplant — so long as they can find a match. It turns out this is a challenge for individuals with mixed ethnic heritage, as their complex gene structures are rare among the donor pool. Mixed Match focuses on what individuals and groups around the world are doing to address this under-covered medical crisis. Director Jeff Chiba Stearns will be in attendance. The screening will be followed by a new donor drive with the goal of introducing individuals ages 18 to 44 to the national registry Be the Match. More info at join.bethematch.org/mixedmatch.

Saturday, Nov. 19, 12:15 p.m., Asian Arts Initiative, 1219 Vine St. $6-$8.

The centerpiece film, Tyrus (Nov. 13, International House), highlights unsung artist Tyrus Wong, the Chinese American painter who influenced the early days of Disney ... Hollywood special effects artist Hiroshi Kakagiri makes his directorial debut with the creepy horror entry Gehenna: Where Death Lives (Nov. 11, International House) ...  Atousa's Laughter (Nov. 18, AAI) is a tense Iranian thriller set entirely on a train traveling from Tehran to Istanbul ... Dialogue: Living Harmony (Nov. 19, AAI), about organic-farming practices in Southern Japan, will be preceded by a Reading Terminal Market cooking demo from director (and chef) Chigumi Ôbayashi ... the PAAFF food-shorts program (Nov. 20, AAI), features a number of culinary gems, including a surreal film (Sameer and the Giant Samosa) and a touching profile of Philly's own Xi'an Cuisine (Taste of Home) ... closing-night entry Mele Murals (Nov. 20, AAI), celebrating native Hawaiian street artists, will be accompanied by Hawaiian graffiti artist Prime's producing an original piece live.

Festival runs Nov. 10-20, various venues.