Press Release: 21st San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival Overview

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Larsen Associates at 415.957.1205
(This is not the public information number; please do not publish it.)

21st SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL ASIAN AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL, 6-16 MARCH 2003 IN SAN FRANCISCO, BERKELEY AND SAN JOSE

Nation's Premier Showcase For Asian American Cinema Comes of Age

With more than 130 films and videos from 15 countries, the 21st San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival (SFIAAFF) comes of age with a 43-program cinematic showcase offering a compelling reflection of Asian America and the Asian diaspora. The Festival unspools March 6-16 at the AMC Kabuki 8 Theatres and the Castro Theatre in San Francisco, and the Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley and March 14-16 at the Camera 3 Cinemas in San Jose. For more information or tickets please telephone (415) 255-4299 or visit About SFIAAFF.

This year's Festival opens with a spirited family drama, from British Indian filmmaker Gurinder Chadha (BHAJI ON THE BEACH/SFIAAFF '94). In BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM, a young Indian woman in London dreams of playing professional soccer, but her Old World family strikes back. The film features the English-language debut of veteran Bollywood star Anupam Kher and was a smash hit in the U.K. and world-wide.

The Festival winds down with ROBOT STORIES, the feature-length directorial debut from Greg Pak (ALL AMATEUR ECSTASY/SFIAAFF '02). Shot on digital video and starring a stellar cast of Asian American talent, including Tamlyn Tomita, James Saito and Sab Shimono, the film presents a moving omnibus of stories exploring the intersection of technology and human relationships.

Quarterbacked by BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM, this year's Fest highlights the cinema of the Indian diaspora with eight programs that offer a glimpse of the subcontinent and its diaspora. Revival offerings include Mehboob Khan's 1957 classic MOTHER INDIA as well as Karan Johar's quintessential Bollywood blockbuster KUCH KUCH HOTA HAI.

Also on the slate are the world premieres of Indian American filmmaker Benny Mathews' comedy WHERE'S THE PARTY YAAR? and New York filmmaker Vivek Renjen Bald's look at the British music scene, MUTINY: ASIANS STORM BRITISH MUSIC. Canadian filmmaker Nisha Pahuja's delightful documentary BOLLYWOOD BOUND, Indian filmmaker Mahesh Dattani's daring, queer tale MANGO SOUFFLÉ and the "3rd I South Asian Int'l Shorts" program round out the fare. The festival will present "Bollywood and America - New Directions, New Markets," a panel discussion hosted by critic David Chute that examines the rising global popularity of Indian cinema, and includes Gurindir Chadha.

In addition to WHERE'S THE PARTY YAAR? and ROBOT STORIES, the Festival offers a strong slate of independent feature-length dramatic films from North America. Proffered this year are Eric Byler's CHARLOTTE SOMETIMES, a complex love story starring Michael Idemoto (SUNSETS/ SFIAAFF '97); Mina Shum's (DOUBLE HAPPINESS/SFIAAFF '95) LONG LIFE, HAPPINESS AND PROSPERITY, a magical realism tale of a single mom starring Sandra Oh; and the world premiere of San Jose based filmmaker Sung H. Kim's BOOK OF RULES, a provocative saga about young San Francisco urbanites. The Festival also offers the world premiere of Darryl Fong's KUNG PHOOEY!, a hilarious spoof which pokes fun at everything from David Carridine to CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON, providing witty commentary on Asian American media representation.

The SFIAAFF's largest-ever selection of documentaries boasts six world premieres and marks the return of several master filmmakers. This year's Centerpiece presentation features the world premiere of Spencer Nakasako's (AKA DON BONUS/SFIAAFF '95, KELLY LOVES TONY/SFIAAFF '98) REFUGEE, a gritty look at three young men from the Tenderloin who return to Cambodia and reunite with their long-separated families. Also featured in the Fest are Daniel Gordon's THE GAME OF THEIR LIVES, an account of the plucky North Korean 1966 World Cup soccer team; the world premiere of Emiko Omori's (RABBIT IN THE MOON/SFIAAFF '99) SKIN STORIES, an examination of tattoos and skin art; the world premiere of Lindsey Jang and Robert C. Winn's SAIGON, USA, a document of the 1999 controversy in the Little Saigon area of Westminster, CA; the world premiere of Dai Sil Kim-Gibson's (SA-I-GU/SFIAAFF '93) WET SAND, a look at LA ten years after the LA riots; Noel M. Izon's AN UNTOLD TRIUMPH, a recounting of the heroism of brave Filipino WW2 vets; the world premiere of Kyung Yu, Sapana Sakya and Don Young's SEARCHING FOR ASIAN AMERICA, a three-part series that tracks today's Asian America; the North American premiere of Carma Hinton and Geremie Barme's (THE GATE OF HEAVENLY PEACE/ SFIAAFF '97) MORNING SUN, an insightful account of the Chinese Cultural Revolution; and Tamara Katepoo's BANG THE MACHINE, a fast-paced peek at the testosterone-soaked subculture of video-gamers.

The Festival is proud to honor extraordinary Bay Area filmmaker and sound recordist Curtis Choy. His masterpiece, the award-winning THE FALL OF THE I-HOTEL (SFIAAFF '83), is the seminal document for 1970's Asian American activism. Choy's lesser known films include WENDY-UH-WHAT'S HER NAME, a profile of Patty Hearst's cohort, and DUPONT GUY: THE SCHIZ OF GRANT AVENUE. With more than 50 films to his credit, Choy has been a sound recordist for two generations of Asian American filmmakers, including Wayne Wang (THE JOY LUCK CLUB) and Justin Lin (BETTER LUCK TOMORROW/SFIAAFF '02). An on-stage conversation between editor Walt Louie and Choy will be accompanied by clips from his films.

SFIAAFF also gathers up some of the finest in world cinema. In addition to MANGO SOUFFLÉ, this year presents Singapore filmmaker CheeK's CHICKEN RICE WAR, a charming romantic comedy; Hong Kong filmmaker Toe Yuen's MY LIFE AS MCDULL, a melancholy animated tale about a pig-boy; Filipino Marilou Diaz-Abaya's (IN THE NAVEL OF THE SEA/SFIAAFF '99) NEW MOON, a Muslim war story; the US premiere of Japanese filmmaker Nobuhiro Yamashita's NO ONE'S ARK, a portrait of youthful despair in the early 90s; and the US premiere of Indonesian Riri Riza's ELIANA, ELIANA, a yarn about a young woman's urban angst. Also slated is Chinese director Jia Zhang-Ke's Cannes selection UNKNOWN PLEASURES, a furtive gaze at young slackers; and Korean filmmaker Kim Hyunseok's YMCA BASEBALL TEAM, a screwball comedy about that country's hard-ball players. From Thailand comes Jira Maligool's MEKHONG FULL MOON PARTY, an enchanting portrait of rural life; and the US premiere of Mingmongkol Sonakul's I-SAN SPECIAL, an experimental melodrama.

As always, a great place to get a peek at tomorrow's big names or just to see something a little unusual is the Festival's shorts programs. This year's gleanings include "All In The Family," a collection of pieces about the familial bond; "Crouching Asian, Hidden Cheese," a hilarious look at stereotypes; "The Dreamlife of Asians," a selection of the surreal; "Hand Made: Mostly Home-Made Movies," a group of process-oriented works curated by Valerie Soe; "Just Another Toothpick In The Wall," films from throughout Asia including the latest from Tsai Ming-Liang; "Love! Love. Love?," a medley of odes to the heart; "Music Video Asia," an assembly of pop music pieces including Wong Kar-Wai's work for DJ Shadow; "Crossed Paths," a sampling of experimental shorts; and "This Is The Space and Place," a cluster of works about the public and the personal.

Queer films include MANGO SOUFFLÉ, a kind-of-Indian "Boys in the Band;" and the "GAM/F ISO Same" shorts program, selections from the Queer Asian diaspora including the latest from Hima B. and Stuart Gaffney.

The 21st San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival is supported in part by its Premier Sponsors: AMC Theatres, Asian Art Museum, California Arts Council, California State Automobile Association, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Grants for the Arts/SF Hotel Tax Fund, Hotel Milano, National Endowment for the Arts and NOON.

The San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, running March 6-16, 2003 at the AMC Kabuki 8 Theatres, 1881 Post Street, and the Castro Theatre, 429 Castro Street in San Francisco; and the Pacific Film Archive, 2575 Bancroft Way in Berkeley and March 14-16 at the Camera 3 Cinemas, Second and Carlos Street in San Jose. For more information, please telephone (415) 255-4299 or visit About SFIAAFF.