SF Int’l Asian American Film Fest Turns 30

Posted on 3rd February 2012 in film

The Center for Asian America Media presents the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival (SFIAAFF) every March. SFIAAFF turns 30 this year and the organizers are planning a special festival to mark the occasion!

The SFIAAFF is the largest and most prestigious showcase for new Asian American and Asian films in North America, annually presenting approximately 120 works in San Francisco, Berkeley and San Jose. SFIAAFF also features the best in Asian American music and digital and interactive media. Since 1982, the SFIAAFF has been an important launching point for Asian American independent filmmakers as well as a vital source for new Asian cinema.

“It’s [SFIAAFF] great. I’m really proud to be part of it because it’s a community. It really is a community. And it’s great to see the variety of films this year. We’ve gone beyond talking and complaining about Asian American issues and being a minority to just telling great stories. That’s exciting to me.”
-Daniel Wu, Actor

“What began as a way for Asian Americans to counteract negativity and neglect in American mainstream media has blossomed into an acclaimed draw for actors, producers, musicians and artists of all kinds.”
- Kevin Lee, AsianWeek

“The pressures to make a living and to fit in, without denying one’s parents or losing sight of one’s origins, are the stuff of cliché, or fiction. To the contrary, the S.F. International Asian American Film Festival reminds us, in a variety of ways from a dozen directions, that’s reality. Up to the minute, and at the same time the latest chapter in an unfolding history. Our collective history, I might add.”
- Michael Fox, KQED Arts and Culture

“This is one of the finest, most respected Asian American film festivals in the country, and they always put together a really fun, amazing program. I’ve had a close relationship and affinity for the good people who put this festival on for years. SFIAAFF rules.”
- Angry Asian Man

“…SFIAAFF has grown from being a niche event to a major contender on the international festival circuit—with more than enough voices and crossovers to justify its unwieldy moniker.”
- Max Goldberg, SF360

Festival details will be announced soon. In the meantime, connect with CAAM at http://caamedia.org.

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Seoul/San Francisco Film Project to Star James Kyson Lee

Posted on 5th December 2011 in community, film

Actor James Kyson Lee, most famous for his role on NBC’s “Heroes” television show, will collaborate with San Francisco-based film director Henry J. Kim on an independent feature film that is thought to be the first joint film project between San Francisco and Seoul production companies.

Kim will direct a short prelude film, titled “No Rest for the Righteous,” starring Lee in San Francisco that will start shooting on Dec. 16. The short film will set up the untitled feature film.

Through the collaboration between South Korean and Asian American filmmakers and actors, Kim and Lee hope to spur more opportunities to showcase Korean American and Asian American films and artistic projects in South Korea and other Asian countries.

“The film and entertainment industries in Seoul, Hong Kong and Tokyo have been incredibly successful in influencing their American counterparts,” said Kim, who is also co-founder of Empty Kingdom, one of the leading media arts websites, “which is fantastic since it represents the pendulum swinging back after Asian creatives embraced, adapted and evolved American cinema.”

“Unfortunately, Asian American artists are largely overlooked in Asia, so No Rest for the Righteous and the following feature film represents an effort by James Kyson, me and many others to create more opportunities for Asian audiences to experience Asian American cinema.”

To kick off the filming of the short film, Kim and Lee will appear at a special event to raise funds for the project on Dec. 15, from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Aato Restaurant, 1449 Lombard St., San Francisco. Empty Kingdom, Asian Business League of San Francisco (ABL-SF), Korean American Professional Society (KAPS), Keith Kamisugi, Louis Hong, Claire Chang, Suhi Koizumi, Min Lee, Dennis Kwon, Tae E. Kim, Amy Kang and Christine Chang are also on the event host committee.

Organizers are requesting a $20 donation at the door. Food will be available to order and bar will be no-host. To RSVP for the event, visit http://on.fb.me/sfseoul or http://sfseoul.eventbrite.com.

If you’d like to support the project with a donation, but can’t make the event, contribute on indiegogo.com.

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First Asian American Serial Killer Movie Begins Crowd-Fundraising Drive

Posted on 29th November 2011 in film

The filmmakers responsible for the hit independent film, The People I’ve Slept With, are joining together again to make Chink, the first Asian American serial killer movie. It is the directorial debut of Stanley Yung, the film is written by Koji Steven Sakai and produced by Stanley, Koji, and Quentin Lee. The film stars Jason Tobin (Better Luck Tomorrow and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift) and Eugenia Yuan (Memoirs of a Geisha and The Eye 2).

They are hoping to raise at least ten thousand dollars to cover production expenses on USA Projects, created by United States Artists to expand its mission of investing in America’s finest artists. They plan on beginning production in the spring of 2012.

Chink is about an Asian American man who has internalized the racism he felt as a child and turned it into a hatred of all Asians – including himself. His anger and his desire to be like his hero (Ted Bundy) leads him to violence and ultimately to his dream of becoming the greatest serial killer in history.

The production team of Stanley Yung, Koji Steven Sakai and Quentin Lee have produced more than a half-dozen independent motion pictures. Their films have been exhibited on television, in theaters, and at major festivals such as AFI, São Paulo, Golden Horse in Taiwan, Toronto, and most of the Asian American and LGBT film festivals throughout the world.

USA Projects is a community where America’s finest artists and those that love and support them can share their latest work, discover new artists, enter into a dialog with each other, and make direct donations (of any size, all of which are tax deductible) to new projects created by each artist. This is the first website that allows direct public donations between art patrons and accredited artists on the Internet.

For more information and to donate, visit http://www.unitedstatesartists.org/project/chink.

Source: Press release via Koji Steven Sakai

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DramaFever, SDAFF Present Online Film Fest

Posted on 29th August 2011 in film

This fall, experience some of the best in Asian Pacific American cinema at the click of a mouse when DramaFever and the San Diego Asian Film Foundation present a free, groundbreaking online festival of Asian American cinema.

The San Diego Asian Film Foundation is proud to be partnering with the largest Asian online video streaming platform in North America, DramaFever, to present DigiFest, the first ever virtual on-demand exhibition of the best independent movies and documentaries produced by Asian Americans. Curated by the San Diego Asian Film Festival, one of the largest Asian film festivals in North America, DigiFest has the ambitious goal of creating a new distribution channel and cultivating broader audiences for high-quality indie films from emerging Asian American artists.

“When it comes to increasing awareness and appreciation for indie films, access is the key. We are elated to partner with DramaFever to bring our film festival programming into the homes (and phones) of millions. We hope to change the landscape for filmmakers and artists who continue to be underrepresented in Hollywood,” says SDAFF executive director Lee Ann Kim.

“We are thrilled to work with SDAFF in bringing the best of Asian American indie films and documentaries to our audience. It is an excellent opportunity for all of us to experience the growing talent in filmmaking within the Asian American community and help develop the audience these artists deserve,” adds Suk Park, co-founder of DramaFever.

DigiFest will offer up to 25 feature-length narratives and documentaries. The virtual film festival will launch September 1, 2011 and run through December 31, 2011 (coinciding and running alongside the 12th San Diego Asian Film Festival, October 20-28, 2011). During this time, viewers will have the opportunity to watch films online for free, engage in online conversations with filmmakers, and vote for their favorite film. The top three winners will receive a cash prize and be featured on the DramaFever homepage.

Source: SDAFF

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Free Tix Giveaway to ‘No Rest for the Wicked’

Posted on 26th April 2011 in film

Henry J. Kim’s film, NO REST FOR THE WICKED, will premiere on May 6 here in San Francisco at the Roxie.

NO REST is a dreamy tale of crime and romance and a peek into the lives of two lovers on the run, Kat (Korean American Kathy Gardiner) and Isaac (Burmese American Fred Szkoda). As they try to navigate through a dangerous world, they must also come to terms with what it means to have a relationship with each other.

“Sounds like Bonnie & Clyde,” wrote channelAPA.com.

I’m giving away two tickets to the 9:30 p.m. showing on May 6:
http://foundasian.org/norestmovie/

Enter by Noon this Thursday, April 28.

Movie site = http://www.therestlesswicked.com

There will be special giveaways for attendees, as well as some sweet PRIZE raffles for several lucky movie-goers, and not to mention exclusive merchandise and swag.

Then, join the EMPTY KINGDOM family at the OFFICIAL AFTER PARTY for the premiere at RECESS SF!

443 Broadway
San Francisco, CA 94133

All movie-goers will have free admittance to the after party upon presenting their movie ticket! Come party with us in our exclusive VIP area with the cast and crew!

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Film ‘Formosa Betrayed’ Opens Tonight

Posted on 26th February 2010 in film

“A very inspirational movie, Formosa Betrayed, opens tonight,” wrote Raymond Hsu to me in an email.

Asian American political activist and actor Will Tiao combined his experiences and produced a controversial feature film as a Hollywood outsider and is now achieving national theatrical release. http://www.formosathemovie.com

He used the political model to raise grassroots money, then convinced a few Hollywood players to buy in to his message, accepting less than their usual salary. This is a political action thriller starring James Van Der Beek of (Dawson’s Creek) investigating Taiwanese mafia. It won best picture at the San Diego Film Festival, and was the featured film in Sunday’s NY Times. I’m pretty amazed at what he achieved with only 6 million dollars or so.

In the SF area it is opening at Westfield Mall, Berkeley, Cupertino, and Union City.

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‘Ninoy Aquino and the Rise of People Power’ Film to Screen at SFIAAFF

Posted on 6th February 2010 in film, history

The 2010 San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival presents NINOY AQUINO AND THE RISE OF PEOPLE POWER, a film by Tom Coffman, one of Hawai’i's leading filmmakers.

The film will show at Sundance Kabuki Cinemas on Saturday, March 13, at 4:30 p.m. and at VIZ Cinema, 1746 Post St., on Wednesday, March 17, at 7 p.m. Order your tickets online and join our Facebook event.

The Late Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino was the boy wonder of Philippine politics until the object of his criticism, Ferdinand Marcos, declared martial law and threw Aquino into prison. A light bulb glared in his cell around the clock. When at last his frantic wife, Cory, found him, he was so thin he was holding up his undershorts with his hand.

NINOY tells the story of Aquino’s extraordinary transformation from brilliant politician of the Philippines to courageous martyr on the world stage in the tradition of Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King.

During Aquino’s eight-year imprisonment at the hands of the Marcos regime, Aquino wrote, studied nonviolence, fasted 38 days and at one point ran for Congress from his cell, constantly inspiring the opposition. When he was taken before a military tribunal, he refused to dignify an unconstitutional proceeding by defending himself. He was condemned to death. Too renowned to execute, too powerful to simply release, Aquino was finally exiled to America for heart surgery.

Three years later, believing with Gandhi, “The willing sacrifice of the innocent is the most powerful retort to insolent tyranny that has yet been conceived by God or man,” on August 21, 1983 he returned to Manila.

In his dying moment, his bullet-ridden body fell on Philippine soil. His mother laid out his remains in the family living room. A trickle of mourners became a flood of two million people, followed by three years of massive protests that drove Marcos from the country. The Philippines became the template for the many countries that since have transitioned peacefully to electoral democracy.

The film is emotionally explosive and intellectually challenging. It was shot with two matched HD cameras in Manila, Seoul, Taipei, Honolulu, San Francisco, Boston, New York and Washington DC, by Tom Coffman, whose previous credits include “Nation Within” and “First Battle.”

Join the Facebook page at http://facebook.com/ninoyfilm.

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March 15: Center for Asian American Media’s 30th Anniversary Gala

Posted on 1st February 2010 in entertainment, events, film, fundraiser

Put this on your calendars! Join us for the Center for Asian American Media’s 30th Anniversary Gala (http://www.asianamericanmedia.org) and celebrate the organization’s 30 years of presenting the richness and diversity of Asian American stories.

Held during the heart of the SF International Asian American Film Festival, CAAM has partnered with the Asian Chefs Association to present signature dishes from some of the Bay Area’s finest chefs: Khai Duong (Ana Mandara), Lawrence Chu (Chef Chu’s), Dennis Wong (Le Soleil), Jackson Yu (Live Sushi Bar), Jeff Hubbard (Roy’s Hawaiian Fusion), Peter Chan (South Sea Seafood Village) and Hung Le (Three Seasons).

Guests will partake in a unique pan-Asian tasting event with Asian American film luminaries and community leaders.

Center for Asian American Media CAAM
30th Anniversary Gala
Monday, March 15, 2010
6:00pm – 9:00pm
Ana Mandara Restaurant
891 Beach Street (at Polk Street, Ghirardelli Square)
San Francisco, CA

Join this save-the-date FB event

Funds will go towards supporting CAAM’s ongoing vision of bringing the best new films and filmmakers to our annual film festival, serving schools and libraries with high quality documentaries, and innovating in digital media.

For more information:
Debbie Ng
CAAM Development and Communications Director
415-863-0814 x104
dng@asianamericanmedia.org

Host Committee Members (list in progress):
Dipti Ghosh & Meggy Gotuaco
Ken Ikeda & Catherine Huang
Bill Imada
David Lei & Linda Lei
Konrad Ng & Maya Soetoro-Ng
Susie Pak & Greg Pak
Ann Sung-Ruckstuhl & John Ruckstahl
Eddie Wong & Anna Whittington
Mona Lisa Yuchengco
Dien Yuen

Honorary Committee Members (list in progress):
Jeff Adachi
Mary Bitterman
Supervisor David Chiu
Representative Mike Honda
Mike Hsieh & Tom Hsieh
Keith Kamisugi
Michael Kang
Sung Kang
Spencer Nakasako & Laureen Chew
Amy Tan
Jay Xu & Jennifer Chen
Helen Zia & Lia Shigemura

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