The 48th Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF), the oldest Asian American film festival in the U.S., took place in New York from July 31 to August 10. This year, the festival's documentary program featured 12 films from around the world, three of which were nominated.

The Kazakh documentary "Gingerbread for Her Father, My Grandfather, Her Grandfather" was awarded the Sikay Tang Critical Lens Award. The award is named after the prominent director and editor Sikay Tang and is presented to documentary films that explore important social and cultural themes with depth and innovation. The award is only in its second year, but it is already considered one of the most prestigious in the AAIFF documentary program.

The film by director Alina Mustafina was produced with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the National Cinema Support Center. "Gingerbread for Her Father, My Grandfather, Her Grandfather" is an autobiographical journey of three generations of women from one family, traveling through Kazakhstan, Tatarstan, and Poland in search of their roots, language, and self-identity.

The project has previously been recognized on the international stage, including a world premiere at the Busan Film Festival, a European premiere in Turin, the "bright debut" award at the "Bastau" festival in Almaty, and the award for best international feature film at the Cinéma Vérité festival in Tehran. The film was also screened at the Bolzano Film Festival Bozen (Italy) and the ORAI Festival (Kazakhstan).

AAIFF has been held annually since 1978 and is an important platform for Asian and Asian-American filmmakers, presenting their unique stories and artistic approaches to the world.