When it comes to Asian American Pacific Islander (or diaspora) stories, relationships with immigrant parents and dealing with generational trauma (typically) go together hand-in-hand. It makes all Asians — East, Southeast, South, Southwest — and Pacific Islanders feel connected somehow. 

The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival highlights stories like that in their APT: Advanced Parenting Too portion of their Shorts program. This year, the program welcomed six different — yet very familiar — short films. Each tells a personal story of parenthood and how it has affected their identity. 

A Hurt Like Mine, directed by Kahea Kiwaha, tells the story of a young boy, Keoki (Kai Johnson), who escapes from a troubled home by entering a women’s shelter with his mother and baby sister. He begins to feel the weight of the world — and a haunting, child-like apparition — as he comes to terms with his situation.

Kiwaha says he based the story on his own, finding it therapeutic to create this short. 

“I’ve come to respect the process of parenting so much and the complicated nuances of having a family,” says Kiwaha. “My film is a tribute to parents–to the mothers–who have done that labor and pushed through to survive with their families.”

In Nick Hartanto’s very relatable Daly City, a young, smart Indonesian boy sees through the microaggressions and stereotypical reactions of the people around his parents and their behaviors to fit in. Immigrant parents who just moved into a small town have all done what it takes to adjust to their new lives, even if it means dealing with the bullshit from outsiders. 

In one scene, the young kid’s mother buys roasted chicken from a local Chinese restaurant, pretending she has made it when she brings it to the all-white Church function. The church ladies ask questions about the “Indonesian dish,” where the mother lies about the recipe. When they go pick up his father from his job, the son experiences his father being teased and made fun of, to which the father pretends his coworkers mean well when, in reality, he knows the truth.

Hartanto says all of this happened to him while he was growing up. He even filmed the church scene in the church where he grew up with the church ladies. This was always a funny story his family liked to tell. But, behind the laughter, Hartanto reflected on his parents’ behaviors, becoming angry at his dad for allowing his colleagues to treat him that way. 

It wasn’t until he became an adult that he understood why they did the things they did. Hartanto told the audience during the Q&A, “I’m seeing my parents in a new way through the process of excavating this story that was a joke to the family, but there are a lot more complexities.”

Flight 182, directed by Rippin Sindher, tells the harrowing tale of Jeet, a devoted husband and father who struggles with boarding a flight to India to visit his dying mother or staying home with his pregnant wife and daughter. Set during the height of Sikh tensions in the 1980s, one year after the deadly attack on the Golden Temple and the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Jeet’s wife had a growing fear of the threats that loomed over them, even in Canada. In reality, Air India Flight 182 was one of the largest aviation attacks before 9/11.

It was an emotional story, especially learning the director’s uncle was one of the victims in the real attack. The acting and sound design were superb; the last scene will haunt you.  

Mahin Sadri’s U-TURN centers on a Persian woman confronted by her secret relationship and how it connects with her home life. The story was brilliantly told and filled with twists and unexpected turns — hence U-turn. It’s one of those stories that makes you think about your circumstances, not only as a parent, but as a woman. 

ONLY IN THIS WORLD, directed by Dorothy Xiao, has a mixture of sci-fi, humor, and a lot of heart as a Chinese mother deals with the loss of her daughter. She lives alone, spending her days with a magical scanner that can bring her daughter back momentarily through old photos that become erased as she appears. Realizing she is running out of pictures of her daughter, the mother must turn to her ex-husband’s mistress for more photos. The mistress is dealing with the loss of her child, and together, they find common ground. 

Xiao thought about her aging parents, what would happen to them if one of them passed, and how lonely the one parent would be. Isolation is a big deal within senior communities. It’s hard enough making friends as adults; think about it when you’re an elderly adult. 

“I wanted to tell a story about friendship and community,” says Xiao. “Friendship is so important, especially for the elderly.”

The final film in the short program was Harshith S. Kotni’s Prematho, which tells the story of Oviya and her commitment to Bharatanatyam dance. She feels she is ready for her solo recital, but her instructor tells her she’s not ready yet because she lacks “Bhakti,” a.k.a. the love and passion shown in the dance.

Oviya is hard on herself, but is greeted with a loving and supportive mother who tells her it will all be okay. Like many young children, Oviya takes her mother for granted. Only when she accidentally reacts badly to her mother’s thoughtful gestures does she realize her mother has been her “Bhakti” all along. 

Kotni says he always saw South Asian mothers being portrayed as “tiger moms,” who always pushed their children to be the best. While it was true in his case, he says his mother was extremely loving, and that side of her was rarely shown on the screen. 

“My mother had so much love,” says Kotni. “She was always in my corner. I wanted to showcase a different side of South Asian mothers.”

The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival runs from May 1 until May 7. For more information, visit here.