NEW WAVE | FYC Best Documentary Feature

Los Angeles Public Library is proud to kick off AAPI Heritage Month with NEW WAVE Join us at AAPI Joy for a book talk with NEW WAVE filmmaker/author, Elizabeth Ai + special guest @Trace — filmmaker, singer/songwriter, and contributor to @newwavedocumentary and companion book. (Books will be available for purchase at the Library Store!) We’ll dive into why preserving our histories matters more than ever—and how reclaiming our stories is an act of joy and resistance. AAPI Joy: Narratives, Storytelling, and History Saturday, May 17, 2025 from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. at Central Library NEW WAVE Programs 3:00–3:40 PM | Book Talk with Elizabeth Ai + Trace Le 3:45–4:30 PM | Dance Party at Thornton Courtyard (Music by DJ V!) 🎟 Free & open to all. Let us know you’re coming by commenting below. Let’s celebrate joy, memory, and community—together. More info at LAPL.org/aapi-joy #aapi #aapiheritagemonth #newwave

WATCH NOW: The official trailer for NEW WAVE is here! ✨ Mile-high hair. Synthesized music. Underground parties. Elizabeth Ai was on a mission to excavate an untold story of rebellious punks in the chaotic world of 80s Vietnamese new wave until she rediscovered a hidden past. Winner of the Special Jury Mention for Best New Documentary Director at the Tribeca Film Festival. Find a screening near you at newwavedocumentary.com/screenings 🔗

About to get started here with filmmaker @elizabeth_ai and her film @newwavedocumentary at San Leandro Public Library. Thanks to everyone who came out on a beautiful Saturday afternoon to create community!

NEW WAVE merch has officially dropped — and it’s going fast 😍 You asked, and we made it happen. The official NEW WAVE merch shop is now LIVE! Shop exclusive NEW WAVE tees, posters, hats, and more at newwavedoc.myshopify.com (link in bio). Quantities are limited and items are already selling out, so don’t wait. This is the final merch drop from the tour ✨ ⏳ Please allow 4–6 weeks for processing and shipping. We’re a small team and truly appreciate your patience and support! Special thanks ✨ Designed by: @studiolhooq @tinasnowle Photography by: @guarionex_jr Models: @wendiegrmz @_mia_kim_ @useless.and.fragile @shawnax , Rumi + Ren

“Cathartic.” “Powerful.” “Surprisingly relatable edge.” Hear what audience members had to say after our London screening last year in collaboration with @milkteafilms Don’t miss your chance to stream NEW WAVE virtually on June 20th. For one day only, our film will be available to watch worldwide! ✨ 🎟️ Tickets and more info at /events/New-Wave-qzt6zx

NEW WAVE heads to San Leandro 😍 Join us for a special screening of NEW WAVE at the San Leandro Main Library—a community space bringing stories, culture, and connection to life. 📅 May 16, 2026 ⏰ 2:00 PM Screening 📍San Leandro Main Library | 300 Estudillo Ave 🎤Q&A moderated by filmmaker: Ursula Liang w/ New Wave director Elizabeth Ai ✨ NEW WAVE is part of a new documentary series launched by the Renegade Humanities Collective—celebrating California films made possible through public support. These free community screenings bring filmmakers and audiences together to explore the impact of storytelling, social good, and the importance of accessible, publicly funded art. Directed by Elizabeth Ai, NEW WAVE captures the music, fashion, and rebellion that defined a generation of Vietnamese American youth in the 1980s and the legacy that still resonates today. With gratitude to @renegadehumanities @sanleandrolib for making this event possible! 🎟️ Free and open to the public—/e/new-wave-free-screening-at-san-leandro-public-library-for-aapi-heritage-tickets-1987630273654?aff=oddtdtcreator 📷 archival via Thai Tai, Christine Tran, Tu David Phu, Harry Langdon, New Wave

NEW WAVE in STUTTGART, GERMANY 🫶 Join us for a special screening of NEW WAVE at the Delphi Arthaus Kino. 📅 May 18, 2026 ⏰ 8:00 PM Screening, arrive early for seats 📍 Delphi Arthaus Kino ✨ Featuring a special guest talk by Dr. Kien Nghi Ha, moderated by Dr. Thanh Lan Truong. This screening is presented in collaboration with the ZEBRAS Collective Stuttgart—an initiative dedicated to building intercultural bridges through art and storytelling. Rooted in the belief that creativity connects us beyond language, they celebrate diversity with their motto: “Even with colorful spots, you’re still a zebra!” 🦓 With gratitude to @delphiarthauskino @aboutpopfestival @dazstuttgart @dr_nghiha @thanh.illustrates @ducthibui @mayha @jeeenyle for making this event possible! 🎟️ Advance tickets available at: https://bit.ly/4uJ7REI Free entry for everyone with ABOUT POP @aboutpopfestival Festival ticket (first come, first served) 📷 Archives provided by: Anh Tai, Sandy Nikko, Harry Langdon, New Wave

“The photographs in New Wave depict a thriving subculture of fun, beauty, youth, and joy. It’s a side of the Vietnamese American experience rarely shown in mainstream media […] Seeing Vietnamese faces in counter-culture-expressive, stylish, unburdened -gave me a jolt of happiness, an unfamiliar familiarity.” — Larissa Pham Special thanks to photographer Thai Tai @thaitaistudio for sharing these archival photos from his collection and to @aperturefnd writer Larissa Pham @lrsphm for highlighting our companion book, “New Wave: Rebellion and Reinvention in the Vietnamese Diaspora”. We are so grateful for such thoughtful words about the project— thank you for seeing our work so clearly. Thank you to our book partners: @angelcitypress @mylinhtrieu @studiolhooq @lapubliclibrary @rachel_sine @julia_huynh @thuyvodang @menadolinh ++++

Over the years, I’ve honored 80s New Wave and Alternative acts that haven’t always gotten their due for the cultural impact they had on a generation of young people searching for identity and belonging. But last week, I made a point to honor those on the other side of that story. At LA City Hall, I recognized filmmaker and proud Angeleno Elizabeth Ai for her documentary and book ‘New Wave,’ which tells the long-overlooked story of how Vietnamese American youth in Southern California found community, expression, and a sense of belonging through that very same music and era. As we celebrate AAPI Heritage Month, it’s a reminder that these interconnected stories are what make Los Angeles extraordinary. ___ A lo largo de los años, he reconocido a artistas del New Wave y Alternative de los años 80 que no siempre han recibido el reconocimiento que merecen por el impacto cultural que tuvieron en una generación de jóvenes en busca de identidad y pertenencia. Pero la semana pasada, me enfoqué en honrar a quienes cuentan la otra cara de esa historia. En el Ayuntamiento de Los Ángeles, reconocí a la cineasta y orgullosa angelina Elizabeth Ai por su documental y su libro “New Wave”, que narran la historia, durante mucho tiempo ignorada, de cómo jóvenes vietnamitas estadounidenses en el sur de California encontraron comunidad, expresión y un sentido de pertenencia a través de esa misma música y esa misma época. Al celebrar el Mes de la Herencia AAPI, esto nos recuerda que estas historias entrelazadas son las que hacen a Los Ángeles una ciudad extraordinaria.

Growing up Viet means “the classics” can have a totally different meaning. Brady Bunch? Star Search, what? More like Paris By Night!! Ross and Rachel? More like Quang Minh and Hong Dao. Nguyen Ngoc Ngan and Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen. Learn a bit more about “the classics” when you watch NEW WAVE — available on-demand via @kinemahq for 24 hours on June 20th. Don’t miss your chance to watch! ✨ Happy AANHPI Month! 🎟️ Tickets are limited, find them at kinema.com/events/New-Wave-qzt6zx or link in bio

JUNE 20th —WATCH NEW WAVE VIRTUALLY! ✨ To commemorate World Refugee Day, NEW WAVE will be available to stream all-day on Saturday, June 20th exclusively on Kinema. Couldn’t make it in-person during our 50 for 50 campaign? Missed our first virtual screening? We are excited to announce that for ONE DAY the film will be available worldwide, so you can watch the film anywhere. Invite your friends, gather your new wave aunties and uncles, we can’t wait to see your watch parties across the globe! Tickets are limited, so get yours before they’re gone. 🎟️ Tickets and more info at kinema.com/events/New-Wave-qzt6zx or link in bio.