A person wearing a loose denim jacket and a grey hiking backpack, stands in a field scattered with large irregular boulders and looks towards a small group of people under a clear sky.

A Swim in the Desert

Coffee Kang 2026 0:10:12 Min English, Mandarin Chinese English Open Captions United States

A spectacular vision leaves K unable to close her eyes. In search of a cure, she sets out on a haunting journey tracing the presence and absence of water through California’s landscapes.

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Synopsis

After encountering a spectacular scene of shimmering waters in Alabama Hills, K can no longer close her eyes. A terrifying diagnosis sends her on a journey to Owens Lake for remedies, only for her to discover the tragedy St.Francis dam collapse and a drained lake. There, K meets others suffering from the same illness, a community that has learned to care for another. As the sun sets and night falls, they begin to swim together as if the water were still there, or had finally returned.

Screenings

Queer Asian World Cinema at Oakland Asian Cultural Center

Eight films moving between memory, diaspora, and dream where identity flickers, stretches, and insists on being seen.

Friday, May 22, 6:30 PM - 9:30 PM
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Satellite Screening Queer Asian World Cinema at Oakland Asian Cultural Center

Content Warnings

No content warnings provided

Specific Themes

Community Environmental justice Nature

Credits

Director
Coffee Kang
Screenwriter
Coffee Kang
Producer
Coffee Kang
Executive Producer
Visual Communications
Cast
Mao, Grace Ciacciarelli, Libby Chun, Woohee Cho, Jiayun Chen, Jisoo Chung, Jungmok Yi 이정목, Chenlei Zhang, Ruoyi Shi
Cinematographer
Isaac Kau
Editor
Coffee Kang
Production Design
Coffee Kang, Ruoyi Shi
Composer
Squash & Biscuit
Sound Design
Squash & Biscuit
Music
Squash & Biscuit

About Filmmaker(s)

Coffee Kang is a visual artist based in Los Angeles. She primarily works with photo, video, installation, and performance. Kang holds a BA in Creative Media from City University of Hong Kong (2016), and an MFA in Photo and Media from California Institute of the Arts (2018). Her works have been showcased at The Box, Last Projects, MAK Center, Launch LA, A Room to Create, LA Artcore, LACE, and Phase Gallery. She and her projects have received grants from the Canada Council for the Arts, City of Pasadena, Mike Kelly Foundation for the Arts, California Humanities, and Foundation for Contemporary Arts. Kang was an artist in residence at Pilotenkueche and Eastside International in 2019, and Level Ground in 2021, and is currently an Armed with Camera fellow at Visual Communications.

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