Asian World Film Festival

What Asian World Film Festival does

The Asian World Film Festival (AWFF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization operated by Aitysh USA (EIN: 47-3362394), founded in 2015 by Sadyk Sher-Niyaz and headquartered in Culver City, California. It produces an annual film festival each November that showcases films from approximately 30 to over 50 Asian countries, screening 15 competition films and selecting around 20 titles for the Academy Awards' International Feature Film race. The 11th edition completed in 2025; the 12th edition is scheduled for November 12-19, 2026. The festival runs year-round programming including a Film Club, masterclasses, cultural showcases, and the "Cinema Without Borders" series, and is governed by founder Sadyk Sher-Niyaz, Co-Founder and Managing Director Asel Sherniyazova, and Executive and Program Director Georges N. Chamchoum, with approximately 25 staff.

Name

Asian World Film Festival

Legal name

Aitysh USA

Website

https://asianworldfilmfest.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Asian World Film Festival is a Culver City-based 501(c)(3) that runs an annual November film festival showcasing 30-50+ Asian countries' cinema, with explicit Oscar-qualifying programming and year-round Film Club events for filmmakers, audiences, and sponsors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Film Festival Events

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Exhibition (51213)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Allied To Motion Picture Production (7819)

akta.pro primary industry

Film Festivals & Festival Organizers (MPADAKAD)

Keywords

• Film festival events
• Asian cinema showcase
• Film competition screenings
• International film awards
• Cultural arts programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Culver City, California

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Sponsorship Revenue: Corporate sponsorships at multiple tiers (Presenting, Premiere, Platinum, Gold, Silver) providing financial support and brand exposure in exchange for association with the festival and Asian cinema audience
2. Donations: Tax-deductible charitable contributions through Aitysh USA 501(c)(3) organization
3. Ticket Sales: Revenue from festival screening tickets, gala events, and special program attendance sold via Eventbrite and Vivenu
4. Film Lover and Community Sponsorships: Available for independent film lovers, festival patrons, individuals, small businesses and friends of the Asian community

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Asian World Film Festival operates an annual week-long film festival each November in Culver City, Los Angeles, showcasing competition screenings, short films, industry panels, and awards ceremonies featuring films from more than 50 Asian countries. It serves as a bridge between Asian cinema and Hollywood by screening films before Academy members, Hollywood Foreign Press Association, and industry guilds to support Oscar and Golden Globe campaigns. Revenue is generated through multi-tier corporate sponsorships, ticket sales, and tax-deductible donations processed via the producing non-profit Aitysh USA.

Product overview

The Asian World Film Festival is a single, annual event-based product—a film festival that runs for approximately one week each November. The festival features competition sections (Snow Leopard Competition, Asian Vision Competition), a Short Film Program, special screenings, industry panels, and an awards ceremony. The festival serves as a platform for Asian films to gain exposure to Academy voters, Hollywood industry professionals, and international press.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Asian World Film Festival (Annual Event)

Quantifiable outcome

• 20 films in 2025 were selected for international Oscar race
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, foundation, supporting, silver, gold and host venue.

• Aitysh USAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProducing organization - Aitysh USA is the 501(c)(3) charitable non-profit organization that produces the Asian World Film Festival. Founded by Sadyk Sher-Niyaz for bringing creative film and art programs.
• Samsung (Onyx)coreTechnology or IntegrationPremiere Partner providing Onyx Cinema LED screens for festival screenings, delivering premium cinematic presentation technology
• PanavisionmajorTechnology or IntegrationPlatinum Partner providing cinematography equipment and grants for filmmakers including $60K and $15K grants for best cinematography
• Taiwan (Ministry of Culture, TAICCA, Taiwan Academy)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlatinum Partner including Taiwan Ministry of Culture, TAICCA, and Taiwan Academy providing support for Focus on Taiwan programming
• Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office San Francisco (HKETO-SF)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlatinum Partner supporting Hong Kong cinema representation at festival
• Korea Tourism Organization (KTO)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerGold Partner supporting Focus on Korea programming and Korean cinema
• Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner providing scholarship awards for filmmakers including $5,000 annual HFPA Short Film Scholarship Award
• Bruce Lee FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlatinum Partner presenting the Bruce Lee Award in partnership with festival
• The Culver TheatercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHost Venue for festival screenings and events in Culver City
• Landmark TheatrescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHost Venue partner for festival screenings
• Culver CityfoundationStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation Partner and host city for festival
• Snow Leopard TrustsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting Partner - collaboration began in 2017 with Snow Leopard Trust
• CJsilverStrategic or Co-development PartnerSilver Partner - major Korean entertainment and media company
• BarcogoldTechnology or IntegrationGold Partner providing cinema technology solutions including HDR screenings
• The Criterion CollectionsilverGTM or Marketing PartnerSilver Partner - classic and independent film distribution
• Producers Guild of AmericasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting Partner - film industry guild
• Directors Guild of America (DGA)host venueChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHost Venue for industry panels and events
• Korean Cultural Center Los Angeles (KCCLA)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting Partner and Angel Benefactor Award recipient, supporting Korean programming
• Fifth AtriumgoldTechnology or IntegrationGold Partner and design agency that designed the 2025 festival key visual and poster

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Panavision: Major cinematography equipment provider and AWFF Platinum partner offering $60K and $15K grants for best cinematography. Relevant as a key enabling technology and grant sponsor rather than a direct competitor.
• Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) / Golden Globes: Provides the annual HFPA Short Film Scholarship Award at AWFF and is central to the festival's value proposition of connecting Asian filmmakers with HFPA voters. Functions as a strategic awards ecosystem partner and downstream channel for AWFF-elevated films.

Broad incumbents

• Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF): Among the world's most influential film festivals with strong Asian programming and Academy-voter screening access. AWFF competes for prestige Asian submissions and Hollywood industry attention against TIFF's considerably larger platform.
• SFFILM (San Francisco International Film Festival): Long-running major US film festival with broader programming beyond Asian cinema but overlapping as an Oscar-qualifying exhibition venue. Comparable in scale, nonprofit structure, and ability to attract Academy voters and Hollywood press.
• Busan International Film Festival (BIFF): Asia's largest film festival and the dominant platform for Asian film premieres and industry deal-making. AWFF positions itself as a complementary Western-market gateway to films that often premiere at BIFF, making them a closely linked upstream-downstream peer.
• Los Angeles Film Festival (formerly): Historic LA-based film festival (now operated by Film Independent) sharing the same Culver City / Los Angeles geography, filmmaker community, and Academy voter audience as AWFF. Competes for the same local sponsorship and venue partnerships.

Direct peers

• CAAMFest (Center for Asian American Media Film Festival): Bay Area festival dedicated to Asian and Asian American cinema, operating on a similar nonprofit model with filmmaker awards, industry programming, and country-focus sections. Directly comparable as a US-based Asian-focused film festival competing for similar sponsors, audiences, and prestige Asian film premieres.
• Hawaii International Film Festival: Pacific-focused festival with strong Asian cinema programming, awards, and industry panels. Comparable nonprofit festival model, geographic positioning as a US gateway for Asian films, and Oscar-qualifying screenings, though with a broader Asia-Pacific mandate.
• New York Asian Film Festival: Annual New York festival showcasing contemporary Asian cinema with awards and industry events. Competes with AWFF for North American premiere slots, Academy voter attention, and sponsorship dollars from the same Asian entertainment and tech ecosystem.

Regional players

• Japan Film Festival of San Francisco: Smaller country-specific Asian film festival in a neighboring US market. Operates a similar nonprofit festival model but with a single-country focus, offering a comparison point for AWFF's multi-country positioning and sponsorship strategy.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/aityshfilm
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/asian-world-film-festival

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Asian World Film Festival