Overview
San Jose
Spotlight on Loni Ding
Women Directors
Chinese American Films
Filipino American Films
Korean American Films
19th SFIAAFF Wraps Up

Press Release: San Jose

19th SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL ASIAN AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL CONTINUES IN SAN JOSE!

Saturday- Sunday, March 17-18, 2001
Camera 3 Cinemas
288 S 2nd St (at San Carlos), San Jose

The San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival (SFIAAFF) offers two days of programming March 17-18, 2001 at the Camera 3 Cinemas in San Jose, in partnership with Contemporary Asian Theatre Scene (CATS). The Festival, the largest event in North America dedicated to the exhibition of Asian American and Asian film, once again presents some of the best of recent cinema from the United States, Canada, the Philippines, China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, India and dozens of other points of the Asian diaspora.

The Asian American Film Festival in San Jose presents two recent feature films. From Korea, Chang Moon-Il's screwball comedy about a small-town Korean funeral parlor, HAPPY FUNERAL DIRECTOR kicks off the San Jose program on March 17 and THE DEBUT, from the United States, is an independent Filipino American romantic comedy by Gene Cajayon and closes the Festival on March 18. Showing in between will be two shorts programs: SINS AND DAUGHTERS a program of dramatic works by women filmmakers who are leaders in making Asian American narrative films; SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT reminds us of teenage filmmakers' diverse talents and that there are solutions to the awkward moments in a young person's life.

Festival goers can join local filmmaker Duane Kubo who will show film clips and slides and talk about the 30 year history of Asian American image-making in the "Why Asian American Film?" program. Kubo, one of the founders of the pioneering Visual Communications media arts group of Los Angeles, is the Dean of Intercultural/International Studies at De Anza College. His talk will cover early cinematic portrayals of Asians, Asian American films including his own and those in the Festival, as well as the demographics of Silicon Valley and building an audience for Asian American films. The presentation by Duane Kubo is free and on a first come basis.

NAATA and CATS would like to thank the following sponsors who have made this event a possibility: BayArea.com, Applied Materials, The Mercury News - The Newspaper 0f Silicon Valley, Yosh Uchida, Arts Council Silicon Valley and Camera Theatres.

The mission of NAATA is to present stories that convey the richness and diversity of the Asian Pacific American experience by producing, presenting, funding, distributing, and exhibiting films, videos and new media to the broadest audience possible. The San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival was created by NAATA in 1982 to bring Asian Pacific American stories and images to Bay Area audiences and has developed into a highly visible and critically acclaimed eight-day event, with an audience attendance of 15,000Ñincluding thousands of filmgoers, filmmakers and industry guests from around the world. The Festival presents nearly 100 documentary, narrative, and experimental works in film, video and new media, supplemented each year with specially organized filmmaker Q&A, panel discussions, seminars, receptions and cultural events.

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.

CATS is a San Jose based, non-profit organization committed to presenting Asian Pacific American theatre arts in Silicon Valley, by providing high quality, contemporary, thought provoking, educational, and innovative programming which communicates Asian Pacific American experiences to all communities. CATS is funded by the City of San Jose, Arts Commission, Arts Council Silicon Valley, California Arts Council, Community Foundation Silicon Valley, Applied Materials, generous donors, volunteers and audience members.

For more information about the Festival, please visit www.naatanet.org or call 415- 255-4299.