ED NOTE: I'll be there to Photograph the event.
Camera Cinemas |: "Festivals
S.F. International Asian-American Film Festival 2010
The acclaimed San Francisco Asian-American Film Festival screens March 19-21 at Camera 12 Cinema in downtown San Jose. The premiere showcase for Asian American and Asian Films in North America, the festival will present more than 100 films and videos in March at venues in San Francisco and Berkeley, as well as San Jose. The festival schedule at Camera 12 is as follows:
FRIDAY, MARCH 19
7:00pm -- Au Revoir Taipei, dir. Arvin Chen (USA), 80 mins.
A lovesick boy and a passive-aggressive bookstore clerk navigate Taipei’s night-markets, seedy alleyways and karaoke bars in search of love and more in this campy, colorful adventure-caper-comedy.
SATURDAY, MARCH 20
12 noon -- Dear Doctor, dir. Miwa Nishikawa (Japan), 135 mins.
A rural village doctor vanishes one day without a word, leaving the townsfolk to sort through his past, and their town’s, in this poignant drama from one of Japan’s most acclaimed female directors.
1:30pm -- Voices, special live event, 60 mins. (plus Q&A)
Presented by Asian Americans For Community Involvement (AACI), this documentary follows the stories -- the successes, hardships, and hopes -- of three Asian American immigrants in Silicon Valley. Followed by a presentation by AACI.
2:45pm -- 3rd I South Asian International Shorts 2009, video shorts, 81 mins. (plus Q&A)
A richly layered compilation of dark yet hopeful South Asian short films from India, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.
3:00pm -- Aoki, dir. Mike Cheng and Ben Wang (USA), 95 mins. (plus Q&A)
This eye-opening documentary highlights the life of Bay Area Japanese American activist Richard Aoki (1938–2009), a founding member of the Black Panther Party.
4:45pm -- The People I've Slept With, dir. Quentin Lee (USA), 90 mins. (plus Q&A)
Angela Yang knows what she wants -- sex! -- and doesn’t care who provides it: Asian, Caucasian, Latino or Black, male or female. When she discovers she’s pregnant, though, it’s time to find the daddy.
5:30pm -- A Village Called Versailles, dir. S. Leo Chiang (USA), 68 mins. (plus Q&A)
A moving portrait of a marginalized population that found its voice in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, this documentary depicts how New Orleans’ Vietnamese community united and battled for their democratic rights.
7:15pm -- Make Yourself At Home, dir. Soopum Sohn (USA), 93 mins.
An immigrant bride from Korea is brought into a cold Korean American home, one dominated by her frightful mother-in-law, in this deliciously terrifying horror film about remembering your roots -- or dismembering something else.
7:45pm -- Like You Know It All, dir. Hong Sang-soo (South Korea), 127 mins.
An arthouse director (“famous in East Asia�) blunders his way through a series of uncomfortable encounters, most involving women, alcohol, and his own petty insecurities.
9:15pm -- Prince of Tears, dir. Yonfan (Taiwan/Hong Kong/China), 120 mins. (plus Q&A)
Two young sisters come of age during Taiwan’s brutal anti-communist crackdowns of the ‘50s. This examination of how living under terror can turn even the most hopeful dreams into nightmares was Hong Kong’s entry to the Academy Awards.
SUNDAY, MARCH 21
12 noon -- Wandering, Wondering, video shorts, 91 mins (plus Q&A).
This set of films floats through the city like seeds from dandelions. On a bus, on a bike, these tales of love hide in alleys, hotel rooms, or in the anonymity of large groups.
2:00pm -- Talentime, dir. Yasmin Ahmad (Malaysia), 110 mins.
Three high school students sing, strum, and sign their way into each other’s hearts while gearing up for a school-wide talent competition.
2:15pm -- State of Aloha, dir. Anne Misawa (USA), 77 mins (plus Q&A).
This insightful documentary explores the explosive controversies surrounding Hawaiian statehood: sovereignty, imperialism, politics, racial hierarchies, and environmental sustainability.
4:30pm -- Cooking With Stella, dir. Dillip Mehta (Canada), 103 mins.
Two Canadian diplomats in New Delhi discover their cook is skimming off more than just the milk in this deliciously wry battle between the servants and the served, co-scripted by FIRE’s Deepa Mehta.
4:45pm -- Fog, dir. Kit Hui (USA/Hong Kong), 89 mins. (plus Q&A)
A young man grappling with amnesia wanders the streets of Hong Kong, looking for clues to his past, all while the city busily prepares for the tenth anniversary of its reunification with China.
6:45pm -- In The Matter of Cha Jung Hee, dir. Deann Borshay Liem and Ramsay Liem (USA), 75 mins. (plus Q&A)
In 1966, an American couple adopted a Korean girl named “Cha Jung Hee,� and renamed her Deann. There was just one important discrepancy -- she was not Cha Jung Hee. A remarkable journey through an individual’s past and a nation’s scarred history. Preceded by Memory of Forgotten War.
7:00pm -- The Forbidden Door, dir. Joko Anwar (Indonesia), 110 mins.
A successful but mysterious Jakarta sculptor finds his days becoming nightmares, thanks to his involvement in a voyeuristic reality show, in this Indonesian horror film.
9:00pm -- The Message, dir. Chen Kuo-fu and Gao Qunshu (China), 115 mins.
In Japanese-occupied Nanjing, “the Phantom� is leaking Japanese secrets to the resistance. Five suspects are rounded up: will they destroy one another -- and the resistance -- to save themselves?"
