George Takei, recipient of the 2007 SDAFF Lifetime Achievement Award Photo by Daniel K. Lew

The first San Diego Asian Film Festival took place in August 2000 at the University of San Diego, and was founded by local news anchor/reporter Lee Ann Kim. The festival was an event of the San Diego chapter of the Asian American Journalists Association until 2002, when the San Diego Asian Film Foundation became its own nonprofit corporation. Since then, the SDAFF has premiered nearly 1,000 films and videos from around the world, and served more than 75,000 patrons.

While the SDAFF offers year-round programs, the Foundation is best known for its annual film festival, which has gained an international reputation as one of North America's premiere Asian American film festivals and continues to grow in size each year. Most recently, the 2007 film festival experienced record attendance (more than 15,000 patrons), and attracted high profile filmmakers and celebrities, including George Takei (Star Trek) who received a lifetime achievement award from the Foundation.