Caamfest

What Caamfest does

CAAMFest is an annual film festival operated by the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM), a nonprofit organization dedicated to presenting stories that convey the richness and diversity of Asian American experiences in film, television, and digital media. Founded in 1982 and formerly known as the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival (SFIAAFF), CAAMFest is the nation's leading showcase for films from Asian America and beyond, with the 2026 edition (its 44th year) scheduled for May 7-10, 2026 in San Francisco Japantown. The festival programs narrative, documentary, and short film competitions alongside themed showcases (including the Hong Kong Cinema Showcase), spotlight screenings, and an industry program with guest accreditation, awarding prizes such as the Narrative Competition, Documentary Competition, Loni Ding Award for Social Issue Documentary, InspirASIAN Student Film Award, and Audience Awards.

The festival's technical and operational infrastructure is built on third-party platforms: Filmbot for website content management and Box Cubed for online ticketing. Programming is staged across three primary physical venues in San Francisco — AMC Kabuki (1881 Post St), New People Cinema (1746 Post St), and Koret Auditorium at the San Francisco Public Library — with additional partner hotel accommodation rates at Hotel Kabuki and Kimpton Hotel Enso. Audience and community engagement is delivered through the CAAM Connect email newsletter, social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube), press relations via Larsen Associates, and a volunteer network of 300+ Bay Area contributors delivering nearly 2,500 hours annually. Staff size is reported at 11-50 employees.

CAAMFest's revenue model reflects its nonprofit structure and is diversified across four primary streams. Transaction revenue is generated through individual festival tickets and All-Access Passes (General $500 / Member $450 in 2018 pricing). Recurring revenue comes from a tiered membership program — CAAM Fan (free), Student/Senior ($50-$95), Friend ($65-$120), Supporter ($175-$330), Director ($1,000), and Visionary Circle Silver ($5,000+) — providing ticket discounts, advance purchasing, and exclusive benefits. Corporate sponsorship contributes across multiple tiers (Presenting, Grand, Premier, Major, Supporting), and individual tax-deductible donations round out the funding base. The customer base is bifurcated between festival attendees (long-tail individual consumers) and filmmakers/industry professionals served through programming, awards, and grants administered in partnership with SFFILM, ITVS, CPB, Pacific Islanders in Communications, and HKETO.

Name

Caamfest

Legal name

Center for Asian American Media (CAAM)

Website

https://caamfest.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CAAMFest is an annual film festival operated by the nonprofit Center for Asian American Media (CAAM), showcasing Asian American and Asian cinema in San Francisco Japantown. It serves filmmakers, film enthusiasts, and industry professionals through screenings, awards, memberships, sponsorships, and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Film Festival & Asian American Media Arts

NAICS

Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries (711)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Film Festivals & Festival Organizers (MPADAKAD)

Keywords

• Asian American film festival
• Media arts nonprofit
• Film exhibition events
• Documentary film showcase
• Cultural film programming

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Festival Tickets and Passes: Revenue from individual film tickets and All-Access Passes for the annual festival. The 2018 data showed Member pricing at $450 and General pricing at $500 for All-Access Pass, with 6-pack tickets at $75.
2. Membership Programs: CAAM operates tiered membership programs (CAAM Fan, Student/Senior, Friend, Supporter, Director, Visionary Circle) with annual fees ranging from free to $5,000+, providing ticket discounts and exclusive access to members.
3. Corporate Sponsorship: Corporate sponsors provide funding and in-kind support at various tiers (Presenting, Grand, Premier, Major, Supporting) in exchange for brand visibility and audience access.
4. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible individual contributions supporting CAAM's mission to present Asian American stories through film, television, and digital media.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CAAMFest is an annual four-day film festival organized by the nonprofit Center for Asian American Media (CAAM), showcasing narrative films, documentaries, shorts programs, and gala/special events from Asian America and beyond. Offerings include ticketed screenings across multiple Japantown venues, tiered membership programs, awards (Loni Ding, InspirASIAN, Audience), and an industry program for filmmakers, supported by donations, sponsorships, and public funding.

Product overview

CAAMFest is a film festival organized by the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM), a nonprofit organization. The festival is the nation's leading showcase for films from Asian America and beyond, celebrating its 44th year in 2026. The core product is the CAAMFest film festival featuring narrative films, documentary films, and shorts programs across multiple venues in San Francisco Japantown. Supporting products include the membership program with various tiers offering benefits and discounts, awards programs (Loni Ding Award, InspirASIAN Student Film Award, Audience Awards), industry programs for film professionals, and special showcases like the Hong Kong Cinema Showcase. The festival runs May 7-10, 2026 in San Francisco.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CAAMFest Film Festival The nation's leading showcase for films from Asian America and beyond; a four-day annual festival held in San Francisco Japantown featuring narrative films, documentaries, shorts, galas, and special events for general audiences, filmmakers, and industry professionals.
• Narrative Films Program Narrative competition showcasing diversity and ingenuity of modern cinema, recognizing excellence in narrative filmmaking with the CAAMFest Narrative Competition Award.
• Documentary Films Program Documentary competition showcasing films that capture the challenging reality and surprising beauty inherent in the human experience, including the Loni Ding Award for Social Issue Documentary.
• Shorts Programs Short film programs including themed collections such as Revival & Reconnection (CAAM/ITVS funded), Shifts and Dreams, and Seasons of Becoming.
• Gala & Showcases Special events including Opening Night, Closing Night, Centerpiece presentations, and themed showcases such as the Hong Kong Cinema Showcase.
• Industry Program Professional development and networking opportunities for film industry guests with accreditation options for filmmakers and industry professionals.
• CAAM Membership Program Tiered annual membership offered by the parent Center for Asian American Media: CAAM Fan (free), Student/Senior ($50-$95), Friend ($65-$120), Supporter ($175-$330), Director ($1,000), and Visionary Circle ($5,000+), providing ticket discounts, advance purchasing, program guides, recognition, and member-only screenings.
• Festival Venue Access In-person festival screenings held across partner venues in San Francisco Japantown including AMC Kabuki (1881 Post St), New People Cinema (1746 Post St), and Koret Auditorium at the San Francisco Public Library (100 Larkin St).

Quantifiable outcome

• CAAMFest has grown to become the nation's largest Asian American film festival, celebrating its 44th year
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in San Francisco (HKETO)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026HKETO supports CAAMFest 2026 for presenting contemporary and classic Hong Kong film through the Hong Kong Cinema Showcase, featuring films like Love Massacre and Another World.
• SFFILMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSFFILM provides Rainin Grant funding to filmmakers; Honeyjoon was a recipient of the SFFILM Rainin Grant.
• Pacific Islanders in Communications (PIC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Spotlight Documentary: Before the Moon Falls (directed by Kimberlee Bassford).
• Friends of the San Francisco Public LibraryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsor of special screening program including The Only Language She Knows.
• AMC TheatrescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAMC Kabuki theater is a primary venue for CAAMFest screenings in San Francisco Japantown.
• Hotel KabukiminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFestival partner hotel offering CAAMFest 2026 special rates ($249 flat-rate) for attendees; located in Japantown near venues.
• Kimpton Hotel EnsominorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFestival partner hotel offering CAAMFest 2026 special rates ($249 flat-rate) for attendees; 5 minute walk to festival venues.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Tribeca Festival: Tribeca is a major general-audience festival that has actively expanded AAPI programming and award categories (AT&T Untold Stories, where a CAAM-supported film won in 2025). Operates at much larger scale and competes for high-profile Asian American filmmakers and premieres.
• Sundance Film Festival: Sundance is the largest US independent film festival, with a far broader programming mandate than CAAMFest. It competes for the same pool of AAPI filmmakers and audiences, and its industry programs (labs, grants) overlap with CAAM's Doc Fund and Building Bridges programs.
• Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF): TIFF is a top-tier international festival that programs substantial Asian cinema content and competes for the same filmmaker pool. Comparable in featuring Hong Kong, Nepal, and other Asian-region content, but at significantly greater scale, audience reach, and industry deal-making capacity.
• SXSW Film & TV: SXSW's film component runs concurrent with its broader tech/music festival, programming Asian and Asian American content alongside international work. Comparable in its annual multi-day structure and industry accreditation, but operates as one component of a much larger media festival.

Direct peers

• Hawaii International Film Festival: HIFF is a fall festival programming films from Asia and the Pacific with a comparable mix of narrative, documentary, and shorts competitions. Similar curated Asian cinema focus, nonprofit governance, and filmmaker grant components, though broader in geographic scope.
• San Francisco Film Festival (SFFILM): SFFILM operates the San Francisco International Film Festival, the same metropolitan market as CAAMFest, and is also a CAAM partner. Both are nonprofit festivals running annual multi-day programs with filmmaker grants (SFFILM Rainin Grant), industry accreditation, and tiered membership, making them the closest direct geographic peer.
• New York Asian Film Festival: NYAFF is an annual Asian cinema showcase with a similar model of curated narrative and documentary programming, special showcases, and industry networking. Comparable in mission and audience (Asian/Asian American cinema enthusiasts) and serves as the East Coast counterpart to CAAMFest.
• Visual Communications (LAAPFF): Visual Communications produces the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, the other long-running AAPI-focused film festival in the US. Both organizations are nonprofit media arts groups running annual multi-day festivals with documentary and narrative competitions, filmmaker funding programs, and educational outreach.
• Pacific Arts Movement (San Diego Asian Film Festival): Pacific Arts Movement operates the San Diego Asian Film Festival, a regional AAPI festival with a comparable programming structure (narrative, documentary, shorts, showcases). Same nonprofit-led AAPI cinema mission, smaller regional scale, and similar reliance on community partnerships and filmmaker development.

Others

• Pan African Film Festival (PAFF): PAFF runs an annual multi-day festival in Los Angeles focused on African and African American cinema. Not a direct competitor for audience, but a structurally similar nonprofit model: community-rooted ethnic-focused film festival with filmmaker grants, awards, and corporate sponsorship tiers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/caam
• YouTubeyoutube.com/caamchannel
• Facebookfacebook.com/CAAMFest

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Caamfest