Center for Asian American Media
A San Francisco nonprofit that supports, distributes, exhibits, and develops Asian American film and media.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
The Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) is a San Francisco-based nonprofit organization devoted to expanding the production, circulation, exhibition, and public understanding of Asian American media. Founded in 1980 as the National Asian American Telecommunications Association (NAATA), it emerged during a period when activists, filmmakers, public broadcasters, and community organizations were challenging the limited representation of racial minorities in American television and independent film. The organization later adopted the name Center for Asian American Media to reflect a broader remit that extends beyond television programming into cinema, festivals, digital work, education, community storytelling, and professional development. CAAM's origins are linked to the late-1970s public-broadcasting debate over minority representation. A 1978 Corporation for Public Broadcasting report, A Formula for Change, documented shortcomings in minority programming and helped encourage the formation of minority public-media consortia. NAATA became one of the important organizations within that wider movement. Its work developed alongside earlier Asian American media institutions, including Visual Communications in Los Angeles and Asian CineVision in New York, which helped establish a national infrastructure for Asian American filmmaking and film exhibition. Public broadcasting has remained central to CAAM's mission. With support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the organization has collaborated with PBS, regional and local public television stations, the Independent Television Service, and series such as POV. Its early anthology series Silk Screen, broadcast on PBS from 1982 to 1987, brought Asian American stories to a national audience. CAAM has subsequently helped develop, fund, package, and distribute documentaries and other works concerning Asian American history, identity, migration, race, family, culture, and social change. The organization is one of the minority public-broadcasting consortia designated to support programming for PBS and related public-media networks. CAAM also operates a major film-festival platform. In 1986 it assumed planning, programming, and management of the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, which became one of the largest festivals of its kind in the United States. The event later expanded beyond a conventional film showcase and was renamed CAAMFest in 2013. CAAMFest combines screenings with music, food, talks, workshops, awards, and other forms of community engagement. Its programming has provided visibility for both established and emerging filmmakers and has served as a public-facing platform for films supported through CAAM's other activities. Funding and filmmaker development are additional pillars of the organization. Established in 1990, the CAAM Media Fund has provided financial and institutional support to Asian American independent filmmakers. Support may involve development, production, post-production, distribution, or public-media exposure. CAAM has also operated fellowships and mentoring opportunities for documentary filmmakers, producers, and directors. Other initiatives have included educational distribution, multiplatform storytelling, the Memories to Light: Asian American Home Movies project, and the Muslim Youth Voices Project, which encourages young Muslim people to document and share their experiences. CAAM's work therefore spans several connected roles: arts presenter, public-media intermediary, funder, distributor, educator, festival producer, and community institution. Its activities are designed not only to increase the number of Asian American stories available to audiences, but also to strengthen the professional ecosystem through which those stories are made and preserved. The organization remains active through its website, public-media relationships, educational resources, filmmaker programs, and CAAMFest.
History
The Center for Asian American Media was founded in 1980 under the name National Asian American Telecommunications Association, or NAATA. Its creation followed a period of increasing concern about the lack of minority representation in American public broadcasting. The 1978 Corporation for Public Broadcasting report A Formula for Change identified deficiencies in minority programming and helped stimulate cooperation among minority producers, advocates, stations, and public-media organizations. NAATA became one of the key organizations in this emerging network. The organization developed within a broader Asian American filmmaking movement. Visual Communications, founded in Los Angeles in 1971, supported community-based production and helped produce early Asian American films. Asian CineVision, established in New York in 1976, fostered an East Coast filmmaking community and organized the first Asian American International Film Festival. These organizations created precedents for the production and exhibition infrastructure that NAATA would help develop nationally. Public television was an early focus. In 1982, NAATA launched Silk Screen, an Asian American anthology series carried by PBS through 1987. Through partnerships with the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, PBS, local public television stations, regional networks, the Independent Television Service, and programs such as POV, the organization continued to bring Asian American documentaries and other independent works to national audiences. CAAM is recognized as one of the minority public-broadcasting consortia designated to help provide programming to PBS. Its Media Fund, established in 1990, extended that mission by providing financial and institutional assistance to independent filmmakers. The fund has supported work at different stages, including development, production, post-production, and distribution. Festival work became another major part of the organization's history. The San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival was initially organized outside CAAM, but CAAM took over its planning, programming, and management in 1986. Over time, the festival grew into a large American showcase for Asian American cinema, presenting more than 100 films across a ten-day program in San Francisco and Berkeley. It was initially noncompetitive, but awards for Asian American features and documentaries were introduced in 2005, including cash support intended to assist emerging filmmakers with future projects. The festival's scope broadened further in the 2010s. In January 2013, CAAM announced that the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival would become CAAMFest. The new identity signaled a program that included not only film but also music, food, interactive workshops, community events, presentations, awards, and galas. The festival became a central public platform for CAAM-supported work and for wider discussions of Asian American culture. Later editions adopted themes such as CAAMFest35's focus on the organization's past, present, and future in 2017 and CAAMFest36's emphasis on culture in 2018. Beyond broadcasting and festivals, CAAM has worked as a distributor, educator, funder, and community archive. Its educational distribution program makes films and documentaries available for instructional use. Its fellowship activities provide professional development and mentoring for documentary filmmakers, producers, and directors. Memories to Light: Asian American Home Movies encourages communities to preserve and share personal audiovisual histories, while the Muslim Youth Voices Project creates space for young Muslims to tell stories about their lives and experiences. Multiplatform storytelling initiatives have used different media channels to reach audiences beyond conventional television. The organization changed its name from NAATA to Center for Asian American Media as its work expanded across television, cinema, digital media, education, festivals, and community engagement. Today, CAAM's institutional role is to strengthen Asian American media at multiple points in the creative and distribution chain: helping stories get made, connecting them with public broadcasters and educational users, presenting them in cinemas and festivals, and supporting the communities whose histories and experiences they represent.
- 2013
Festival renamed CAAMFest
[1]CAAM replaced the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival name with CAAMFest and expanded the event beyond film screenings.
- 2007
Wallace Foundation funds digital audience development
[1]The Wallace Foundation awarded CAAM support for using digital media to broaden and diversify the festival's audience.
- 2005
Festival introduces competitive awards
[1]The festival added awards for Best Asian American Feature and Best Asian American Documentary, with cash prizes intended to aid emerging filmmakers.
- 1990
CAAM Media Fund established
[1]The organization created a fund to provide financial support and distribution opportunities for Asian American independent filmmakers.
- 1986
CAAM takes over management of the San Francisco festival
[1]CAAM assumed planning, programming, and management of the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival.
- 1982
Silk Screen begins on PBS
[1]The Asian American anthology series Silk Screen established an early national public-television outlet for Asian American programming.
- 1980
National Asian American Telecommunications Association founded
[1]NAATA, the organization that later became CAAM, was established in San Francisco to advance Asian American participation in independent media and public broadcasting.
- 1978
Minority public-broadcasting report highlights representation gap
[1]The Corporation for Public Broadcasting's A Formula for Change documented deficiencies in minority programming and contributed to the formation of minority public-media consortia.
Products and positioning
A nonprofit media institution focused on Asian American representation, independent filmmaking, public broadcasting, cultural exhibition, education, and community storytelling.
Film festival and cultural event · 1986
CAAMFest
CAAMFest is CAAM's principal public festival. It grew from the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, which CAAM began managing in 1986, and was renamed in 2013. The event presents Asian American and broader Asian diasporic film and media while incorporating music, food, workshops, conversations, awards, and community gatherings. Its programming has provided exhibition opportunities for emerging and established filmmakers and has served as a major public platform for work connected to CAAM's funding and media programs.
Filmmaker funding program · 1990
CAAM Media Fund
Established in 1990, the CAAM Media Fund supports independent Asian American filmmakers through assistance connected to development, production, post-production, distribution, and public-media presentation. The fund has helped projects gain resources and visibility, although supported filmmakers may face conditions concerning broadcast rights and scheduling. It forms part of CAAM's broader role as an intermediary between creators, public broadcasters, educational users, and audiences.
Public television and documentary distribution · 1982
Public Media Programming
CAAM works with PBS, local and regional public television networks, the Independent Television Service, and public-media series to develop and distribute Asian American stories. The work began prominently with the Silk Screen anthology, which ran on PBS from 1982 to 1987, and continued through documentaries and independent productions reaching national public-media audiences.
Community archive and storytelling initiative
Memories to Light: Asian American Home Movies
Memories to Light encourages Asian American communities to document personal histories and experiences through home movies. CAAM collects, preserves, and shares this community-generated material, linking everyday family records with broader approaches to Asian American cultural memory and media history.
Professional development program
CAAM Fellowship Program
The CAAM Fellowship Program supports professional growth among Asian American documentary filmmakers, producers, and directors. The program combines development opportunities with mentoring and peer relationships, helping participants build skills and advance projects within the documentary and independent-media fields.
Youth media initiative
Muslim Youth Voices Project
The Muslim Youth Voices Project provides young Muslims with an opportunity to create and share stories about their identities, communities, and experiences. It extends CAAM's representation mission into youth media and supports first-person storytelling by participants whose perspectives may be underrepresented in mainstream media.
Marketing campaigns
- 2018CAAMFest36: Culture, In Every Sense
United States
The festival used the theme Culture, In Every Sense to connect film programming with the wider cultural dimensions of Asian American life, including food, music, and community.
Outcome. The theme reinforced CAAMFest's expanded identity as a multidisciplinary cultural event rather than a film-only showcase.
- 2017CAAMFest35: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow
United States
The festival's 35th-edition theme connected CAAM's institutional history with contemporary Asian American media and future directions for the field.
Outcome. The edition positioned the festival as both a celebration of past achievements and a platform for continuing work in Asian American media.
Brand decisions
2013
Expansion and renaming of the festival as CAAMFestStrategyBackground
CAAM's festival had expanded beyond conventional film screenings into music, food, workshops, presentations, and community activities.
Action taken
CAAM renamed the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival as CAAMFest and adopted a broader multidisciplinary format.
Aftermath
CAAMFest became the organization's principal public platform for film, media, and cultural engagement.
2005
Introduction of competitive festival awardsStrategyBackground
The festival had historically operated as a noncompetitive showcase, while emerging filmmakers needed additional recognition and project-development support.
Action taken
CAAM introduced awards for Best Asian American Feature and Best Asian American Documentary, including cash prizes.
Aftermath
The awards added a development and recognition function to the festival alongside exhibition.
1986
Assumption of festival planning and managementStrategyBackground
CAAM sought to strengthen the exhibition infrastructure for Asian American independent film and took responsibility for the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival.
Action taken
The organization assumed the festival's planning, programming, and management, helping it grow into a major national showcase.
Aftermath
The festival became a central part of CAAM's public identity and later evolved into CAAMFest.
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