Director Kulap Vilaysack will attend the showcase in person for discussions following the film.

In the search for her biological father, comedian-writer-podcaster Kulap Vilaysack (BAJILLION DOLLAR PROPERTIE$, WHO CHARTED?) turns the camera on herself in an emotional quest of self-discovery. Vilaysack confronts a complicated family history that looks back into her parents’ survival during the Secret War in Laos and their immigration to the United States. She revisits her childhood in Minnesota and travels to Laos to find the biological father she never knew. Vilaysack described making ORIGIN STORY as “my way to break this cycle of trauma.” Marking her feature-length directorial debut, Vilaysack combines animation, family photos, and emotional conversations to create an intimate journey through memory, family, and Laotian American identity. Balancing humor with heartbreak, ORIGIN STORY invites viewers to take part in a tale that is both uniquely personal and universally human.