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.

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.

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