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Press Release: Filipino American FilmsBounty of Filipino American Films and Movies from The Philippines at 19th San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival A bounty of films by Filipino Americans and movies from the Philippines will be presented at the 19th annual San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival (SFIAAFF), running March 8-15 at the AMC Kabuki 8 Theatres in San Francisco, Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley and March 17-18 at the Camera 3 Cinemas in San Jose. The Festival kicks off March 8 at the AMC Kabuki 8 Theatres in San Francisco with Rod Pulido's feature film directorial debut, THE FLIP SIDE, a lighthearted and slightly skewed comic stew of cultural identity, sibling rivalry and Filipino American family dysfunction starring Verwin Gatpandan, Abe Pagtama (NO WAY OUT), and Ester Pulido (DIARY OF A GANGSTA SUCKA). Summer is here and Darius Delacruz (Verwin Gatpandan) is on a mission. This year he is going to get his family to embrace its Filipino culture. Sporting a tribal loincloth, he spends his days encouraging his kin to speak Tagalog. His family, of course, has other plans. Davis (Jose Saenz), Darius' fast-talking brother, is deep into hip hop and trying to perfect his dunkshotÉ too bad he comes in way under the ten-foot NBA basketball rim. Darius' scheming sister, Marivic (Ronalee Par), is totally into her looks and sneaking out to spend time with her beau. All the while, Lolo, Darius' war-vet grandpa, dreams of hitting it big in the lottery and heading back to the Philippines. A gala reception, with the filmmaker in attendance, will follow the screening. On March 15, the Festival winds down in San Francisco with Gene Cajayon's Filipino American romantic family drama THE DEBUT, starring the Basco Brothers (Dante, Darion, Dion and Derek) as well as legendary Filipino film actors Eddie Garcia, Gina Alajar and Tirso Cruz lll. Confusion runs high and tensions are unleashed when Los Angeles high school senior Ben Mercado (Dante Basco/HOOK, FAKIN' DA FUNK (1999 SFIAAFF)) follows his dream of becoming an animator and enrolls in art school. His immigrant father has other plans for him. He wants Ben to become a doctor and have a better life than his own. All the while, Ben is hot for two women, one of them his sister Rose's best friend. Sparks fly, a brow-beating patriarch raves, and love is in the air when everyone attends Rose's eighteenth birthday. A gala reception, with the filmmaker in attendance, will follow the screening. Additionally Festival goers can enjoy a number of short films by Filipino Americans including Mark Arbitrario's tales of a player HOW ABOUT 'CEBU, in the "Blue Love" shorts program; Michella Rivera-Gravage's intimate road trip RAINING ASH and Jean Joson's surprising REUNION, seen in the "Grrrls, Uninterrupted" shorts program; Pablo Tapay Batista's elegiac THE STARS WE ARE, seen in the "Homo Knock Knock" shorts program; Kevin Sun's adulterous SECRETIONS AND LIES, seen in the "Urge To Purge" shorts program; and Jessica Hagedorn's animated THE PINK PALACE, in the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" short program. A number of films from the Philippines are also included in the SFIAAFF. Featured are acclaimed television director Rory B. Quintos' (THE DOLZURA CORTEZ STORY/SFIAAFF 1995) ANAK, a melodramatic tale of woman (Vilma Santos) who tries to return to her family in Manila after years of working in Hong Kong; Carlos Siguion-Reyna's DOG FOOD, a hearty tale of the friendship that develops between an aging butcher and a canine-loving teen in an urban slum; Raymond Red's Cannes Festival award winning short ANINO, a dramatic look at a photographer who notices the growing gap between rich and poor, precedes DOG FOOD. Catch a glimpse of the burgeoning Bay Area Filipino American music scene at DIRECTIONS IN SOUND: NOTES FROM THE ASIAN AMERICAN UNDERGROUND. DIRECTIONS, a hugely popular offering at last year's Festival, returns with two nights of rarely-seen Asian American music videos and captivating live musical performances, including local Filipino popsters Skyflakes. Last year's Festival was host to more than 100 filmmakers, industry, and special guests from Korea, Philippines, Thailand, Hong Kong and around the globe. With more than 25 programs selling out, over 15,000 filmgoers attended the 18th annual San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival. The San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival is produced and presented by NAATA (National Asian American Telecommunications Association). Founded in 1980, NAATA's mission is to present stories that convey the richness and diversity of the Asian Pacific American experience. NAATA does this by funding, producing, distributing, and exhibiting films, videos, and new media to the broadest audience possible. The 2001 SFIAAFF's Premier Sponsors include Chevron, California State Automobile Association, Wells Fargo Bank, AsianAvenue.com, and the Commodore Hotel. Executive Sponsors include BayArea.com. Media Sponsors include KRON TV, Bay TV, KQED TV, KTSF TV, San Francisco Bay Guardian, The Mercury News, Asian Week, and YOLK Magazine.
For more information about NAATA, please visit
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