MINNEAPOLIMEDIA NEWS | Hmonglloween Brings Local Horror Filmmaking to Saint Paul’s TriLingua Cinema

Friday’s free screening will feature supernatural stories, cultural traditions and a new short film created for the event.

SAINT PAUL, MN (October 29, 2026). A free Friday-night film program at TriLingua Cinema will give Hmong filmmakers a shared screen for stories exploring fear, spirituality, loss and the unsettling possibilities of familiar surroundings.

The Hmonglloween Horror Film Scare-A-Thon is scheduled for 8 p.m. Friday, October 30, at 1105 Greenbrier Street on Saint Paul’s East Side. The cinema’s reservation page recommends the program for audiences 16 and older.

New work and an expanding filmmaking community

Filmmaker Kang Vang curated the lineup. Speaking with MPR News on October 28, he described a selection incorporating cultural practices, spirituality, relationships and the unknown.

Lucky Cha’s new short, Don’t Sleep, follows a teenage girl whose discovery of a traditional Hmong silver necklace leads to a supernatural experience inside her home. Cha created the film for the event.

Vang also discussed The Storm, describing its frightening arrival within a household as a way to explore loss and the disruption it can bring.

Four films were confirmed at the time of the interview, with organizers seeking a fifth. Vang said submissions included work from the Twin Cities and North Carolina, extending the program beyond a single local circle.

Cha described a filmmaking community that has grown since the early 2000s, with online platforms helping filmmakers share different approaches and encourage others to create their own work.

A community cinema on the East Side

TriLingua’s name means “three tongues,” referring to English, Spanish and Hmong, the languages central to its East Side identity.

The organization says friends, neighbors and volunteers have presented free and low-cost pop-up screenings since 2020. Its work combines film programming with a longer-term ambition to establish a stand-alone neighborhood cinema.

Friday’s program forms part of its “Unearthed” Halloween series.

Reserve before traveling

Admission is free, but the event uses an online reservation system and available seats are limited. Patrons should check the official reservation page before setting out.

The event-specific listing and checkout both identify an 8 p.m. start. Attendees should use that time when planning their visit.

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