SD Asian Film Fest Program Booklet 2007

The Infinite Power of Cinema | �

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� | The 8th Annual San Diego Asian Film FestivalOfficial Airline of the San Diego Asian Film Festival

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Contents

5about sdaff

6Ticket Info

7special events and panels at a glance

10festival schedule

12memberinformation

19film and program guide

74foundation and festival staff

75special thanks

78print source and film index

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If you believe in six degrees of separation, then you may agree technology has made the world a much smaller place. Countries, languages, and space no longer separate us. The once inaccessible is now accessible through the internet and media, and we learn we as humans are ultimately connected through common experiences of love, hate, despair, and happiness.That connection is what makes our film festival so precious and critical. As our world

becomes smaller, the need to understand each other, to co-exist, becomes more pressing. Through film, we emotionally connect with stories and people who open our minds to worlds we never knew existed, who remind us of life’s worst tragedies and simplest pleasures. Who make us laugh and think, giving us something to talk about long after the credits end. Most of all, I believe film inspires and creates community.

Even after eight years of doing this, our festival’s programmers are always surprised at the new crop of films offering fresh perspectives and unique storytelling. With more than 100 films in 57 unique programs, we hope you will take in as much of the cinematic feast as you can. We are especially proud to have a record number of Asian American features, from our opening night film FINISHING THE GAME directed by the amazing Justin Lin, to our closing night film, the West Coast premiere of Michael Kang’s WEST 32ND, starring John Cho, Grace Park, and newcomer Jane Kim. Both directors are SDAFF alumni. Also returning to our festival with feature films - Gene Rhee and his hilarious romantic comedy THE TROUBLE WITH ROMANCE, Korean adoptee Joy Dietrich in her feature debut TIE A YELLOW RIBBON, and documentary filmmaker Ho Sup Lee with AND

THEREAFTER II, revealing the complex life of a prostitute-turned military wife.

Other fascinating documentaries include THE GREAT HAPPINESS SPACE about male host bars in Japan; the emotionally riveting NA KAMALEI: MEN OF HULA showcasing Hawaii’s oldest male hula troupe; rock the house with AIR GUITAR NATION and the rise of Asian American “C-Diddy” ; and SENTENCED HOME, which humanizes America’s flawed immigration policy.

Our spotlight film from Sundance, DARK MATTER, will certainly spark discourse, based on the true story of the rise and fall of a gifted physics student, Gang Lu. Plus, international films including Park Chan-Wook’s I’M A CYBORG BUT THAT’S OKAY and the heartwarming HULA GIRLS from Japan are expected to draw large crowds. If you’re looking for action, try the Asian American gangster film BABY or Truc Charlie Nguyen’s masterfully choreographed THE REBEL.

For those with a short attention span, never fear - we have eight fantastic short film programs ranging from stories of love, family, and purgatory to downright low-brow humor in our comedy shorts program, “CRAZYSEXYFUNNY.” Also returning this year is our showcase of San Diego films in “Localmotion”, our fantastic animated shorts program “Animation: The Illusion of Life,” and our locally produced student documentaries, “Reel Voices.”

And if that’s not enough, we get to meet and chat with the charming GEORGE TAKEI who is receiving our lifetime achievement award for his contributions to Hollywood for 50 years (oh my!).

Whatever you choose to see, we hope that you will leave feeling more connected to the world... and to yourself.

Lee Ann Kim Executive Director

welcomesix degrees of separation...

� | The 8th Annual San Diego Asian Film Festival

ABOUT SDAFF

The San Diego Asian Film Foundation (SDAFF) is a nonprofit media arts organization dedicated to sharing the legacy of Asian Pacific Islanders through film and videos. Since 2000, we have premiered more than a thousand films, hosted hundreds of filmmakers, and touched the lives of tens of thousands of people. We pride in presenting unique, enter-taining, and culturally meaningful film programs.

WHAT WE DO• Annual film festival • Membership program with special discounts & offers• Quarterly film screenings• Student scholarships, high school documentary training, & film review workshop• Free Youth Day programming• Community programs

HOW YOU CAN HELP• Become a member• Volunteer! We always need help in marketing, fundraising & special event planning• Make a tax-deductible donation• Inquire about becoming a board of director• Buy a ticket, support our films!• Tell your friends and family about us!


WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING“A wonderful awe-inspiring experience that I still have yet to forget a year later.” – Festival Patron

“SDAFF is the most well-run & the most fun festival I’ve been to.” – James Kyson Lee, actor (NBC’s “Heroes”)

“I saw more excellent films in 3 days than most people will see in a year... one of the classiest film festivals I’ve ever been to.” – Eric Campos, FilmThreat.com

� | The 8th Annual San Diego Asian Film Festival

NON-MEMBER PRICESOpening & Closing Night Films $15 (Finishing the Game & West 32nd)General Admission $9 Festival 4-pack (while available) $30Music Showcase $7 with ticket stub, $10 withoutoffsite event, refer to info below

MEMBER PRICESOpening & Closing Night Films $9General Admission $5Festival 4-Pack (while available) $18Blowfish Music Showcase free w/ membership cardmembers must show membership card at time of purchasemembers also receive discounts on festival t-shirts

REFUND POLICYNo refunds for unused tickets, 4-packs, or all-festival passes. Exchanges are only available when a program is oversold.

SPECIAL DISCOUNTSWe offer $2 discounts for the following groups with appropriate identification:StudentsMilitarySeniorsHarrah’s Total Rewards Card HoldersViejas V-Card HoldersEastlake Card Holders

Discounts or coupons cannot be applied toward 4-packs or $7 shows.Group discounts are only available if arranged with the Foundation prior to the festival.

SOLD-OUT SCREENINGS / RUSH LINESWhen a program is sold-out, there’s a very good chance seats will be available through a “rush line” at the theatre. Rush lines take place outside the theatre 30 minutes before the show. We will offer all open seats 15 minutes before show-time on a first-come basis to those waiting in the “rush line.”

FILM FESTIVAL VENUE BLOWFISH MUSIC SHOWCASEUltraStar Mission Valley Cinemas Aubergine Nightclub7510 Hazard Center Drive 500 4th Ave.San Diego, CA 92108 San Diego, CA 92101

TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets for all shows can be purchased at the Hazard Center UltraStar Cinema box office.To guarantee seating, patrons must show up at least 15 minutes before showtime.


Opening Night PartyThu Oct 11, 9PM

Airport Lounge, 2400 India St. Join us with the cast and crew of FINISHING THE GAME as we celebrate the beginning of our 8th season. Free for members, pass holders, and FTG attendees. Sponsored by AZN Television. 21& up.

SPECIAL EVENTS & PANELS at a glance

Blowfish: Intersection of Sights and SoundsFri Oct 12, 8PM

Aubergine , 500 Fourth Ave. Our popular Friday night party, featuring live hip-hop performances, music videos, and local DJs. Plus, celebrity appearances and drink specials. $7 w/ ticket stub/$10 at door. 21& up. See page 15 for more info.

The New Media: A Web2.0 PanelSat. Oct 13, 11:30AM FREE

UltraStar Cinemas, Mission ValleyUltraStar 6 - Time Warner Industry experts and filmmakers share advice in this free panel on how to best market your film on the web, and examine the latest in technology. Moderated by Dean Lim (XDL films, “On the Lot”) who brings his expertise on digital filmmaking and marketing to the masses.

Dishing With the Stars: A Celebrity PanelSat Oct 13, 2PM

UltraStar Cinemas, Mission ValleyCandid discussion with Hollywood’s Asian American stars. See page 14 for more info.

Break Another Leg: Acting WorkshopSun Oct 14, 10:30AM

Doubletree Hotel – Sonoma RoomA multi-dimensional workshop exploring theatre training, acting, agents, auditions and headshots, by the Asian American Repertory Theatre. For more info visist: www.sdaff.org

The Trek of George Takei: An Intimate DiscussionSun Oct 14, 1PM

UltraStar Cinemas, Mission Valley A live discussion about the personal journey of actor George Takei – from Star Trek to the Howard Stern Show and NBC’s Heroes.See page 16 for more info.

Blowfish: unpluggedSat Oct 13, 12PM

Mission Valley Ultrastar Cinema Lobby While enjoying some of the best movies and short films of SDAFF, take some time out to experience the eclectic acoustic styles of some of SoCal’s most talented musicians.See page 15 for more info.

Youth DayTue Oct 16, 11AM

UltraStar Cinemas, Mission ValleyA free day of films for local high school students, showcasing short documentaries produced through SDAFF, and a collection of short films from this year’s festival. Free admission.

Bone Marrow DriveOct 12, 13 4-9PM

Outside UltraStar Cinemas, Hazard Center Help save lives by registering yourself for the national bone marrow registry! Just takes a simple cotton swab of the mouth. Meet Survivor winner, Yul Kwon, who shareshis personal story of losing his best friend to leukemia.

MAJOR GRANTS

LARGE THEATER SPONSOR

SMALL THEATER SPONSOR

SPOTLIGHT SPONSORS

SCREENING SPONSORS

PRESENTING GALA SPONSORS

TECHNOLOGY GRANT

8 | The 8th Annual San Diego Asian Film Festival

COMMUNITY SPONSORS

EDUCATION SPONSORS

bank of america

OFFICIAL AIRLINE

MULTI-MEDIA SPONSORS

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IN-KIND DONORS

chipotle infusions of tea l&l sansai japanese grill

sidney frank importing co. zion market

sd chinese women’s association gilead sciences

hom family foundation

OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER SPONSOR


�0 | The 8th Annual San Diego Asian Film Festival

OCT. 11 THURSDAY4:45pm Know Justice Know Peace Theater 6 - Time Warner

7:00pm FINISHING THE GAME Preceded by Building a Journey Theater 7 - Harrah’s 7:15pm 5 CENTIMETERS PER SECOND Preceded by Voices of Distant Star Theater 2 - Fujitsu 7:30pm A DIRTY CARNIVAL Theater 6 - Time Warner 7:45pm BOLINAO 52 Theater 1 - Eastlake 9:15pm ISABELLA Theater 2 - Fujitsu 9:45pm ANG PAMANA Theater 7 - Harrah’s

OCT. 12 FRIDAY5:15pm AND THEREAFTER II Theater 1 - Eastlake

5:30pm NEW YEAR BABY Theater 7 - Harrah’s

6:15pm Bridging the Gap Theater 6 - Time Warner

6:45pm SHANGHAI KISS Theater 2 - Fujitsu

7:00pm AIR GUITAR NATION Theater 1 - Eastlake

7:15pm Queer Delight: Sweet Buns & Sticky Rice Theater 7 - Harrah’s

8:30pm TAZZA: THE HIGH ROLLERS Theater 6 - Time Warner

9:15pm THE TROUBLE WITH ROMANCE preceded by Girls Night Out Theater 1 - Eastlake

9:30pm BABY Theater 2 - Fujitsu

9:45pm THE VICTIM Theater 7 - Harrah’s

OCT. 13 SATURDAY10:30am Break Another Leg Doubletree Sonoma Room

11:30am The New Media: Using Web Video for Making Your Voice Heard Theater 6 - Time Warner

12:00pm WHAT THE SNOW BRINGS Theater 2 - Fujitsu

12:30pm Know Justice Know Peace Theater 1 - Eastlake

1:00pm NANKING Theater 7 - Harrah’s

2:00pm Dishing with the Stars Theater 6 - Time Warner

2:30pm AMERICAN PASTIME Theater 2 - Fujitsu

3:00pm Animation: The Illusion of Life Theater 1 - Eastlake

3:15pm THE REBEL Theater 7 - Harrah’s

4:00pm NA KAMALEI: MEN OF HULA preceded by The King Boys Theater 6 - Time Warner

5:10pm DARK MATTER Theater 2 - Fujitsu

5:30pm CrazySexyFunny! Theater 1 - Eastlake

6:00pm I’M A CYBORG BUT THAT’S OK Theater 7 - Harrah’s

6:15pm Love is a Battlefield Theater 6 - Time Warner

7:30pm TRE Theater 2 - Fujitsu Preceded by Shoot My Life

7:45 PM GREAT HAPPINESS SPACE Theater 1 - Eastlake 8:30pm UNDOING Theater 6 - Time Warner 8:45pm BLACKOUT Theater 7 - Harrah’s 9:30 PM Heaven is Too Far Away Theater 1 - Eastlake

OCT. �� SUNDAY11:30am Reel Voices Theater 7 - Harrah’s

12:15pm SENTENCED HOME Theater 1 - Eastlake

12:30pm All Around the World Theater 2 - Fujitsu

1:00pm The Trek of George Takei Theater 6 - Time Warner

1:45pm OWL AND THE SPARROW Theater 7 - Harrah’s

2:30pm Dim Sum and Then Some Theater 1 - Eastlake

2:45pm TIE A YELLOW RIBBON Theater 2 - Fujitsu

3:15pm CATS OF MIRIKITANI Theater 6 - Time Warner

4:30pm HULA GIRLS Theater 7 - Harrah’s

FESTIVAL SCHEDULE OCTOBER 11 - 14, 2007

The Infinite Power of Cinema | ��

5:00pm VANAJA Theater 1 - Eastlake

5:15pm NO REGRETS Theater 2 - Fujitsu

5:30pm Local Motion Theater 6 - Time Warner

7:00pm RAINBOW SONG Theater 7 - Harrah’s

7:30pm ISABELLA Theater 1 - Eastlake

7:45pm ANG PAMANA Theater 2 - Fujitsu

8:00pm AFTER THIS OUR EXILE Theater 6 - Time Warner

OCT. �� MONDAY6:15pm CATS OF MIRIKITANI Theater 1 - Eastlake

6:30pm Dim Sum and Then Some Theater 6 - Time Warner

6:45pm YEAR OF THE FISH Theater 2 - Fujitsu

7:15pm TAZZA: THE HIGH ROLLERS Theater 7 - Harrah’s

8:00pm HULA GIRLS Theater 1 - Eastlake

8:35pm AND THEREAFTER II Theater 6 - Time Warner

8:50pm BABY Theater 2 - Fujitsu

OCT. �� TUESDAY4:15pm NA KAMALEI: MEN OF HULA preceded by The King Boys Theater 1 - Eastlake 5:30pm ALL IN THIS TEA Theater 6 - Time Warner

6:00pm THE REBEL Theater 1 - Eastlake 6:15pm 5 CENTIMETERS PER SECOND Theater 2 - Fujitsu Preceded by Voices of Distant Star

7:00pm I’M A CYBORG BUT THAT’S OK Theater 7 - Harrah’s

7:15pm CrazySexyFunny! Theater 6 - Time Warner

8:15pm AMERICAN PASTIME Theater 2 - Fujitsu

8:30pm AIR GUITAR NATION Theater 1 - Eastlake

8:45pm Love is a Battlefield Theater 6 - Time Warner

9:15 PM THE VICTIM Theater 7 - Harrah’s

OCT.�� WEDNESDAY4:45pm TIE A YELLOW RIBBON Theater 2 - Fujitsu

5:00pm OWL AND THE SPARROW Theater 7 - Harrah’s

5:15pm SENTENCED HOME Theater 6 - Time Warner

5:30pm Heaven is Too Far Away Theater 1 - Eastlake

6:45pm GREAT HAPPINESS SPACE Theater 2 - Fujitsu

7:00pm SAMOAN WEDDING Theater 6 - Time Warner

7:15pm SHANGHAI KISS Theater 7 - Harrah’s

7:30pm Animation: The Illusion of Life Theater 1 - Eastlake

8:35pm WHAT THE SNOW BRINGS Theater 2 - Fujitsu

9:15pm A DIRTY CARNIVAL Theater 6 - Time Warner

9:30pm BLACKOUT Theater 7 - Harrah’s

OCT. �8 THURSDAY5:30pm NEW YEAR BABY Theater 2 - Fujitsu

5:45pm Bridging the Gap Theater 6 - Time Warner

6:30pm AFTER THIS OUR EXILE Theater 1 - Eastlake

7:00pm WEST 32ND Theater 7 - Harrah’s

7:15pm All Around the World Theater 2 - Fujitsu

7:45pm RAINBOW SONG Theater 6 - Time Warner

FESTIVAL SCHEDULE OCTOBER 14 - 18, 2007

�� | The 8th Annual San Diego Asian Film Festival

PRODUCERS ($1000)Charlie CompuestoJoon HanGene KimChong Lee Ed LeeJerrilyn MalanaDiana Mar Jip-ChuhSteve PeaceEddie Wang Rodriguez

PATRONS ($500)Sheila Abrenica KanoyaMichael CheswickDan HomRay HomGreg ParkLee Ann Kim & Louis SongDuke TranCharles and Linda TuSarah Yang

SUPPORTERS ($250)Mark CumberlandAmber Kibble-WalkerAlbert LeeBenjamin LeeIldiko LutarJoseph OngsiapcoMiyo and Mitchell ReffWilliam SaungKenneth Wade

DONORS ($100)Elias AlmazanMiguel AvilaKeith CalistroHenry ChengLisa ChinSandra ChongErika HiramatsuMija KimEric LallanaJoe MendozaChris PaffendorfLuis RamosAbraham ShraggeMark StabbYen TuFusako Yokotobi

FRIENDS ($55)Melissa BernardinoSerge BesangerShirley ChowK. ClaveroRoman CortezJim GottliebPunvipa GriceJackie HornerRebecca JohnsonGerardo LeonEdwin LimAaron LingMatthew LongQuynh NguyenTai NguyenShirley OmoriChris RuleDidi TanadjajaDennis TashimaAlan TseDavid TytlerJohn VoJim WadeKurtis WongMatthew Wong

MEMBERS OF SDAFF

Join a community of supporters of Asian American cinema and culture. As a member, you receive discounts on film festival tickets and merchandise, invitations to members-only events, and access to sneak preview screenings of films prior to their theatrical release.

Becoming a member of the San Diego Asian Film Foundation means you are joining a community of supporters of Asian American cinema and culture. As a member, you receive discounts on film festival tickets and merchandise, invitations to members-only events, and access to sneak preview screenings of films prior to their theatrical release. Memberships are year-long, from January through January.

2007 MEMBERSHIP ROSTERFriends $55- First round invitation to sneak preview screenings- Exclusive invitation to annual membership soiree - Discounted tickets to the film festival, special screenings, & merchandise- Discounted tickets to our new quarterly film screenings- Recognition in program booklet and website

Donor $100Friend of SDAFF benefits, plus:- Complimentary SDAFF t-shirt- Two complimentary tickets to one of our new quarterly film screenings- Two complimentary opening night tickets to the annual film festival

Supporter $250Friend of SDAFF benefits, plus:- Complimentary SDAFF t-shirt- Two complimentary tickets to two of our new quarterly film screenings- Two complimentary opening night and closing night tickets to the annual film festival- Complimentary festival 4-pack ticket package

Patron $500Friend of SDAFF benefits, plus:- Complimentary SDAFF t-shirt- Two complimentary tickets to three of our new quarterly film screenings- Two complimentary all-festival passes to our annual film festival- Two complimentary seats at our annual gala awards dinner

Producer $1,000Friend of SDAFF benefits, plus:- Two complimentary SDAFF t-shirt- Two complimentary tickets to all four of our new quarterly film screenings- Two complimentary all-festival passes to our annual film festival- Four complimentary seats at our annual gala awards dinner- Verbal recognition at our film festival

Memberships are tax-deductible. SDAFF Federal Tax ID#33-1001523

If you would rather send us a check, please make them payable to “SDAFF” and send them to:

San Diego Asian Film Foundationc/o Memberships7969 Engineer Road, Suite 206San Diego, CA 92111

Thank you for supporting the SDAFF!

MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS


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JOY BISCODays of Our Lives

DISHING WITH THE STARS: a celebrity panel

ROGER FANAnnapolis, Better Luck Tomorrow

JAMES KYSON LEENBC’s Heroes

Our favorite Asian American celebs give us a dose of reality when it comes to surviving in Hollywood. It’s not all glitz and glamour, so why do they do it? From type-casting and scoring the dream role to indie projects and their MySpace pages, a no-holds bar discussion. Panel Length: 90 minutes

Sat. Oct 13, 2007 2:00pm UltraStar2 - Fujitsu

Moderated by Lee Ann Kim. Scheduled to speak:

LEONARDO NAMThe Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift,The Perfect Score

JELYNN RODRIGUEZ“The Drop” host

Ron YuanCSI, Baby

YUL KWONWinner of Survivor: Cook Islands


BLOWFISH: an intersection of sights and sounds

Come kick off SDAFF 2007 with our second annual music and video showcase. A dynamic convergence of Asian American talent, Blowfish is an exploration of the intersection of beats, rhymes and film, through live performance and projected videos. Don’t miss this party, a deadly delicious mix of Los Angeles party-rocking with San Diego flavor.

Fri. Oct 12, 2007 10pm (Doors open at 8pm)21+ Only$10 at the door$7 w/ Festival ticket stub

AUBERGINE Night Clubdowntown San Diego 500 4th and Island San Diego, CA 92101 619-232-8100aubergineon4th.com

Co-Presented By:Onami

FAR*EAST MOVEMENTRepresenting the Fresh Coast with their party rocking new school sound. fareastmovement.com

THE UPSTARTSBreathing a refreshing sound back into the minds and souls of Classic Hip-Hop.Myspace.com/TheUpStarts

TIMZAmerican born rapper of Chaldean/Iraqi descent, mixes explosive, Middle Eastern beats.Timzonline.com

DJ VU DO / DJ ASTHETICSpinning fresh beats throughout the night.

FEATURED PERFORMERS:

Terry Matsuoka Big Phony Joanie Mendenhall

Dave’s Son Jason Turtle Lindsey Yung

FEATURED MUSIC VIDEOSAin’t No Sunshine - Tatum JonesIraq - TIMZBack Home - Blue ScholarsChampion - Native Gun???? - The UpstartsPost 9/11 Blues - MC Riz??? - Far East MovementTRT: 300 minutes

BLOWFISH UNPLUGGEDSat Oct 13, 12PM FREEUltrastar Cinema Lobby experience the eclectic acoustic styles of some of SoCal’s most talented musicians.

Co-Presented By:OnamiFuture Rockstars of America Futurerockstarsofamerica.com

THE TREK OF GEORGE TAKEI: an intimate discussion

Takei as Mr. Sulu Speaking at Human Rights Campaign tour Takei with Masi Oka in Heroes Takei at Sirius Radio’s Howard Stern Show

Moderated by Lee Ann Kim

With millions of fans around the world, George Takei is arguably Asian America’s most famous living icon. Best known for his distinctive voice and portrayal of Mr. Sulu (or Lt. Hikaru Sulu for you Trekkies) on the acclaimed television and film series Star Trek, George has more than 30 feature films and hundreds of television guest-starring roles to his credit.

His acting career dates back to the 1950s when there were virtually a handful of minorities in Hollywood. His motion picture debut was in “Ice Palace” starring Richard Burton in 1959. Seven years later, as a member of the original Star Trek cast, George challenged convention by becoming one of the first Asian American actors to speak without a foreign accent and without the burden of stereotypes in his role as Sulu. Originally helmsman of the starship USS Enterprise, Sulu was promoted to captain of the USS Excelsior.

In addition to his role in Star Trek which spanned more than 40 years, George has appeared in a wide variety of shows including Will & Grace, Malcolm in the Middle, Murder She Wrote, Twilight Zone, Miami Vice, Hawaii Five-O, My Three Sons, and many others.

Even today, George continues his remarkable career as a recurring character on the popular NBC show, Heroes, playing Kaito Nakamura, the father of time-traveler Hiro Nakamura (Masi Oka). You can also catch him from time-to-time as a semi-regular on Howard Stern’s Sirius Satellite Radio show, where he has garnered praise from loyal Stern fans for his sense of humor, honesty, and his booming laugh.

George’s notoriety has also given him the platform to share his experiences of spending most of his childhood in American internment camps during World War II. He is an outspoken community activist and a member of the Human Rights Campaign, having traveled the country to speak on civil rights for gay, lesbian, and transgender Americans.

For his five decades in Hollywood and his invaluable contributions to society, the San Diego Asian Film Foundation is honoring George Takei with a lifetime achievement award, and we will host an intimate discussion with him on his career, his life, and legacy.

Sun. Oct 14, 2007 1:00pm UltraStar 6 - Time Warner



THE TREK OF GEORGE TAKEI: an intimate discussion


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Film & Program Guide

Opening Night FilmFINISHING THE GAME


DIRECTOR: Justin LinWRITERS: Josh Diamond, Justin LinPRODUCERS: Julie Asato, Sal Gatdula, Justin LinCAST: Roger Fan, Sung Kang, Dustin Nguyen, McCaleb Burnett, MC Hammer, Leonardo Nam, James Franco

*Mature content*Director, cast & crew scheduled to attend

Preceded ByBUILDING A JOURNEYDirector: Anson Ho | 14 min. | Video | 2007 An exciting look behind the scenes with Justin Lin and the crew of FINISHING THE GAME, its journey to Sundance, and reflections on Asian American cinema.

Thu. Oct 11, 2007 7:00pmUltraStar 7 - Harrah’s Theatre

Sponsored by:

In 1973, Bruce Lee died suddenly at the age of 32, leaving behind footage intended for his dream project “The Game of Death.” Not one to miss an opportunity for profit, Hollywood executives cast stand-ins to double as Lee in a rewritten script which took advantage of 12 minutes of Lee’s real footage, including his now immortal fight with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in his iconic yellow-and-black jumpsuit.

Following his groundbreaking indie hit “Better Luck Tomorrow” (Opening Night, SDAFF ’02) as well as studio ventures “Annapolis” and “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift,” director Justin Lin returns to his roots with FINISHING THE GAME, a rollicking comedy spoof about the search for Bruce Lee’s stand-in. Documentarians capture the absurd, hilarious and sometimes disturbingly true-to-life (but decidedly fictional) audition process as a motley assortment of candidates vie for the role.

FINISHING THE GAME turns out to be less about Bruce Lee than it is a lampoon of Hollywood in the 1970s, poking fun at the behind-the-scenes farces and the racism—both blatant and subtle—ingrained in the industry. Lin reunites many of his cast from “Better Luck Tomorrow” (Sung Kang, Roger Fan) and populates the film with cameos by friends gained along the way, such as Leonardo Nam and Brian Tee (from “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift”), Dustin Nguyen (21 Jump Street), James Franco and even MC Hammer.

—Taro Goto, (SFIAAFF)

Join the cast and crew of FINISHING THE GAME at: Airport Lounge (2400 India St.)

Thu. Oct 11, 9pm - 1am21 AND UP ONLY

OPENING NIGHT PARTY


Bruce Lee passed out of the living world into legend 34 years ago, but for Asian Americans living in the P.B.L. (Post-Bruce Lee), we revere the man for his unique stature as one of the small pantheon of folk heroes to our name. Yet there’s also a level of angst and resent-ment at how his mythic status has defined how the world sees us, especially those of us who are males. That ambivalence is a powerful theme of Justin Lin’s FINISHING THE GAME, a dark mockumentary purporting to tell what happened when Hollywood decided to try to complete Lee’s final, unfinished work, “Game of Death,” using a double to replace its deceased superstar. FINISHING THE GAME, due out in October from IFC films, is an homage—and a loving one. But it’s also a critique—not so much of Lee the man, but of the Rube Goldberg apparatus that his life and death set in motion.

In one of “Game of Death’s” most mind-boggling scenes, Bruce Lee’s stand-in looks at his reflection in the mirror, and—in a low-tech at-tempt at preserving the illusion that he’s Lee—the filmmakers cut to a cardboard cutout of his face pasted onto the mirror’s surface. From a metaphorical standpoint, every time any Asian American guy looks into a mirror, we see that cardboard cutout of Bruce Lee’s face, star-ing back out at us. No one since Bruce has been Bruce, though many people have tried. The gap he left in the pop continuum remains empty; the hole he left in Asian American culture remains unfilled. But perhaps the reason for that absence is because the wrong goal is be-ing targeted. We don’t need Bruce Lee, or, as some wags have dubbed him, “Kung Fu Jesus,” to come again and rapture us out of Hollywood purgatory. We need to address the same problems he faced, and to face them as he might have, in our wishful dreams. As Lee himself famously said in “Enter the Dragon,” “It is like a finger pointing a way to the moon: Don’t concentrate on the finger or you will miss all that heavenly glory.”

Bruce is the superstar, the myth, the martial-arts messiah whose image is seared into everything we do—he’s the finger. So what’s the way to_the moon? Justin Lin and his crew, his ever-expanding “fam-ily” of performers and creators, think they’ve found the way. They speak of the journey they’re on, and the films they’ve done together. FINISHING THE GAME unites cast and crewmembers from each of Lin’s previous films, underscoring the idea that each work is just a chapter in a larger story. They talk about carving out a new way of making, distributing, marketing, and merchandising Asian American films._ For example, by mobilizing grassroots, “Better Luck Tomor-row,” scored an average box office per screen on its first weekend of $30,000—the highest per screen average for Paramount Classics and MTV Films ever. “It was the first time Hollywood had really hard data, that Asian Americans exist and want to see Asian American prod-uct—and that whites, blacks, and Latinos are willing to cross over to see it,” says Lin. So for FINISHING THE GAME, the boys—and Julie Asato, who produced both films—are back on the road, meeting people, connecting with real filmgoers, extending the family.

That sense of hope, of empowerment, of never giving in to over-whelming odds—that’s the fighting spirit that Lee hoped he’d inspire in his people. That’s the heavenly glory. Bruce is gone, but always with us. Other fighters have stepped into the fray. And the game—the game goes on.

Whither the DragonBy Jeff Yang

Closing Night FilmWEST 32ND

West Coast Premiere

Director Michael Kang returns to the SDAFF with his latest feature, WEST 32ND, a thriller set in New York’s Koreatown, starring an impressive cast of Korean American and international stars. This feature marks the first American production of CJ Entertainment, Korea’s largest entertainment company.

After hustling his way onto a pro-bono homicide case, an ambitious young lawyer, John Kim (John Cho), infiltrates the gritty Korean underworld of New York, searching for clues. The murder suspect is a teenager charged with gunning down the manager of a Korean “room salon” club. The boy’s sister, Lila Lee (Grace Park) is sure of his innocence and will sacrifice anything to save him.

Thu. Oct 18, 2007 7:00pmUltraStar 7 - Harrah’s Theatre

John feels connected to Lila and is determined to help. Though he is Korean American, John barely knows how to speak Korean and finds himself a foreigner in K-town’s exciting nightlife. He befriends Mike Juhn, a well-dressed, ruthless gangster newly in charge of the Korean club where the murder took place. Before he knows it, John is neck-deep in the gang-related politics of Koreatown, and his dangerous search for answers often gets lost in translation. Having premiered at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival to sold-out audiences, Kang and his co-writer, Edmund Lee, expose the darker side of Koreatown with twists and turns that leave the audience wondering who to trust.

DIRECTOR: Michael KangPRODUCERS: Teddy Zee, Ted KimWRITERS: Michael Kang,Edmund LeeCAST: John Cho, Chil Kong, Grace Park, Jane Kim, Jun Kim

*Mature content*Director and cast scheduled to attend

Grace Park of WEST 32ND


ongrats on the incredible success of your second feature! It’s such a departure from THE MOTEL (awarded Best Dramatic Narrative Feature, SDAFF ‘05). What made you decide to focus your next feature on New York’s Koreatown?

Having grown up in New England in a mostly non-Asian setting, moving to New York was a huge change for me. At the heart of that, I was always fascinated by my relationship to the Korean enclave of Flushing and the strip of Korean businesses on 32nd Street. The story of West 32nd was a way for me to explore the connections between 1.5 and 2nd generation Korean Americans. Is K-Town’s underworld as thrilling and scandalous as you make it out to be? There are lines blurred, but the heart of the film is based in facts. My co-writer Edmund Lee was a reporter at The Village Voice when I first met him, and he had been working for a year already on an expose on Korean criminal culture. The case involved in the film is also very common and actually had been inspired by a real murder of a room salon manager a friend who worked in the non-profit sector had told me about. Obvi-ously, there is artistic license taken in the delivery of these events, but it is the essence of truth. How cool was it to work with such a talented cast (which included both huge Korean and Korean American stars)? Any diva stories? I have been blessed with the talent I have gotten to work with. I had never worked with John Cho or Grace Park prior to this film and there was a fear that with either or both of them that I would run into bad Hollywood behavior. But I think that as with all Asian American actors out there that have been fortunate enough to get consistent work, they are very grounded in the fact that the types of roles I write are not the typical roles they get to play – namely, characters that are very close to their own experiences. You had sold-out screenings at Tribecca Film Fest, where WEST 32ND premiered. What was that like to premiere in your home town where the film was shot? It was gratifying to be able to show the film to the city to which it was a love letter. The support we got there was amazing. We had to turn away hundreds of people at every screening. That was unheard of. You can meet filmmaker Michael Kang, his cast, and crew at our closing night screening of WEST 32ND, Thursday, October 18.

c

Former SDAFF winner, director Michael Kang, returns to San Diego for closing night with his crossover thriller film, WEST 32nd, exposing the dark side of New York’s Koreatown.

By Lee Ann Kim

Screening Sponsors

John Cho in WEST 32ND

Director Michael Kang

Jane Kim in WEST 32ND

Spotlight FilmDARK MATTER

Sat. Oct 13, 2007 5:10pm UltraStar2 - Fujitsu USA | 90 min. | 35mm | 2006DIRECTOR: Shi-Zheng ChenWRITER: Billy ShebarPRODUCERS: Janet Yang, Andrea Miller, Jeff T. MillerEXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Linda Sophie Chiu, Kirk D’AmicoCAST: Ye Liu, Meryl Streep, Aidan Quinn

*Mature content*Producers scheduled to attend

New York-based Chinese opera director Chen Shi-zheng makes his first feature film debut with DARK MATTER, which follows a Chinese science student pursuing a PhD. He is studying the origins of the universe. The Mid-Western Valley State University cosmology student, Liu Xing, dreams of winning the Nobel Prize by attempting to unravel the secrets of dark matter, that mysterious substance that governs the universe. Liu finds a remarkable amount of freedom in the United States and initially finds it exciting, but as time passes he finds himself struggling as an alien in a new environment. He develops a connection with a generous socialite played by Meryl Streep

who helps him in his transition into American society. Liu becomes protégé to head of the cosmology department Jacob Reiser, played by Aidan Quinn, who threatens to thwart Liu’s aspirations with campus politics when it becomes clear that Liu’s developing theories oppose Reiser’s models. Eventually Liu gets pushed to the margins of academia and society after he goes behind Reiser’s back to publish his discoveries. Alone and unsupported, Liu finally explodes with vengeful hostility in a final and chilling act of violence.

DARK MATTER is based on the true story of a disgruntled physics student from China

who killed six people at the Iowa University of Iowa in 1991. It is a remarkable surprise that any filmmaker would even approach the subject of a tragic campus shooting from the gunman’s point of view, but even more surprising that it is executed so well, with a certain elegance and sense of honesty. Add to that an outstanding performance by newcomer Ye Liu, DARK MATTER proves to be as mesmerizing a film as the universe itself.

Co-presented by:Cal State San Marcos Asian Pacific Islander Faculty Staff Association

irector Chen Shi-Zheng’s DARK MATTER plunges the expansive and progressive world of academia into darkened corners — the film is loosely based on the true

story of Gang Lu, a brilliant young physicist from China whose talents met a tragic end at an American university in 1991. The film, recipient of the Alfred P. Sloan Prize at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and Shi-Zheng’s first feature-length piece, centers on Liu Xing (Liu Ye), a budding scientist who arrives at Valley State University as a part of a cosmology research team.

“We researched [Gang Lu], but after some time, the characters in our film took on lives of their own that departed from the original characters and became more consuming,” producer Janet Yang said. “There was also a great deal of research done about Chinese students at universities across the country in general, and science students in particular.”

The film courts an undercurrent of gloomy themes, many of which recently drew public ire. Xing faces a bevy of obstacles throughout the film, and finds himself lost in a web of cultural and campus politics. Xing cannot escape his glaring weakness:

he is a foreign student in a foreign land. As such, Xing finds himself embroiled in confusion that forces him from his coveted standing within the academic arena. Soon, the violently obsessed and unbalanced Xing dives back into the chance to reclaim his reputation.

The similarities between the film, the subject it is based on (in which Lu shot and killed five colleagues then committed suicide) and this year’s shootings at Virginia Tech sparked protests to the film’s U.S. release. However, the events at Virginia Tech, in which students were indiscriminately murdered, differ vastly from DARK MATTER’s themes, an intensely dark tour of one star’s fall into desperation and, eventually, murder.

“We had long wrapped production when VA Tech occurred,” Yang said. “We had already screened the film at Sundance in January, and won the Alfred P. Sloan Award. Ironically, the only criticism of note that we received about the film was that the ending to some seemed kind of implausible. After VA Tech, nobody made that accusation.” Because the film’s producers “could not comfortably distribute and promote our film so close to [Virginia Tech’s] aftermath,” Yang said, the film is now slated for a spring 2008 release.

- By Charles Nguyen

D



FEATURES

5 CENTIMETERS PER SECOND

Preceded By

VOICES OF A DISTANT STAR

Director: Makoto Shinkai, Steven Foster | 30 min. |

Video | 2003

When the alien Tarsians attack, Mikako volunteers to be a pilot to protect mankind. Separated from his girlfirend, the two remain in contact by sending text messages, but each battle takes Mikako further from Earth and messages take longer to arrive. Will their love stand the test of time and distance?

Achingly beautiful, 5 CENTIMETERS PER SECOND, breaks new ground in anime in both artistry and storytelling. Named for the speed at which cherry blossom petals fall, 5 CENTIMETERS PER SECOND consists of three segments and follows a boy named Takaki through his life, first as a middle school student, through high school, and as an adult working as a computer programmer. Delicate, powerful, and heartrending, each segment explores the complex nature of human beings, giving viewers a familiar and real world perspective of the struggles we face against time, space, people, and love. Masterfully crafted with every second counting, this is a film that will certainly stay with you for days.

“Not a typical anime”by Kent Ngo

CENTIMETERS PER SECOND is not typical Anime. There are no talking animals. There are no inanimate objects

with faces. There are no intense, overtly violent scenes. There is only an animated love story as real as can be. Written and directed by Makoto Shinkai, 5 CENTIMETERS PER SECOND spans three sequential, short-story episodes, each a different time period in the life of Takaki Tono.

The first episode is situated when Takaki is about to enter junior high. After his very close friend Akari Shinohara moves away, they try to remain in contact with each other through letters and phone calls. But when Takaki learns that his family is moving farther away, he hitches on a train to see Akari one last time. The story is told through Takaki’s narration, with poetic details of his emotions and thoughts.

Such is also true for Kanae Sumita, who is introduced in the next segment as a friend in Takaki’s older teen years. She is a classmate of Takaki in his new school after moving from his home in the last episode. Claiming it was “love at first sight” when she first meets Takaki,

she narrates her story with the innocence of youth. The withering pain of love that cannot be is a bittersweet theme that purports these growing stories of young adults.

The animation throughout the film is stunning, with every scene taking place in an actual location in Japan. Makoto brings the audience into this familiar realm of life, with the spark of young love and the glisten of beautiful imagery; it is only a shame that these short stories are just that--too short.

Co-presented by:

Japan Society of San Diego and Tijuana

�Thu. Oct 11, 2007 7:15pm

UltraStar2 - Fujitsu

Tue. Oct 16, 2007 6:15pm

UltraStar2 - Fujitsu

Japanese w/ English subtitles| 60 min. | Video |

Color | 2007

DIRECTOR: Makoto Shinkai Japan


One of the leading filmmakers of the Hong Kong new wave during the early ’80s, Patrick Tam returns after a 15-year absence with a film that is visually (and emotionally) arresting. Set in 1990s Malaysia, Tam’s family drama dissects the troubled relationship between a loser father (Hong Kong superstar Aaron Kwok) with a gambling problem and his son who desperately looks up to him. Deserted by their wife and mother, the men drift across the thin line that divides survival from collapse. Fleeing from loan sharks, the father encourages his son to rob houses, a scheme with predictably disastrous results. In contrast, the mother is now remarried and living a comfortable middle-class life. A few years later, the grown-up son returns to his home and, for better or worse, comes to terms with his loss of innocence.

Hong Kong | Cantonese w/ English

Subtitles | 139 min. | 35mm | 2006

DIRECTOR: Patrick Tam

WRITERS: Patrick Tam, Kai-Leong Tian

PRODUCER: Chiu Li-kuang

CAST: Aaron Kwok, Charlie Yeung,

Gouw Ian Iskander

FEATURES

A battle of naked ambition played out on the national and, ultimately, world stage, AIR GUITAR NATION chronicles the birth of the U.S. Air Guitar Championships. Legions of aspiring rock stars live out their dreams on a quest to become the world champion in a strange world where musical ability plays second fiddle to virtual virtuosity (think “American Idol” meets a Star Trek convention). Two aspiring rock legends strum and strut their way towards glory and the coveted national title. C. Diddy (David Jung), a Korean American samurai warrior clad in a Hello Kitty breast plate and red kimono, emerges as an early favorite. But his arch nemesis, Björn Türoque (Dan Crane), is not far behind. While C. Diddy threatens to unleash his self-professed “Asian Fury’’ on his competitors, Björn vows to take Diddy down.

Full of triumph and hilarity, patriotic spirit and competition, AIR GUITAR NATION won the coveted Best Audience Award at the SXSW Film Festival and is quickly spawning a cult following in both the film and the artform.

USA | 82 min. | 35mm | 2006

DIRECTOR: Alexandra Lipsitz

PRODUCERS: Dan Cutforth, Jane Lipsitz,

Anna Barber

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Cedric

Devitt, Kriston Rucker

Sun. Oct 14, 2007 8:00pmUltraStar 6 - Time Warner Thu. Oct 18, 2007 6:30pmUltraStar1 - Eastlake

*Mature content

Fri. Oct 12, 2007 7:00pmUltraStar1 - Eastlake Tue. Oct 16, 2007 8:30pmUltraStar1 - Eastlake

AFTER THIS OUR EXILE

AIR GUITAR NATION

*Mature Content*C-Diddy scheduled to attend

Co-presented by:

SingMa Club, Chinese Consolidated

Benevolent Association

Co-presented by:

San Diego Dragon Boat Team,

SDSU Asian Pacific Student Alliance


Sun. Oct 14, 2007 12:30pm UltraStar2 - Fujitsu Thu. Oct 18, 2007 7:15pm UltraStar2 - Fujitsu

Director: John Arlotto | 20 min. | Video | 2007 After losing his family to starvation, a North Korean man risks his life to rebel against the government by vandalizing their propaganda billboards.

From North Korea to Australia, this short film program will take you around the world in 90 min-utes. Fasten your seat belts! TRT: 91 min.

deface

SHORTS

the golden voice

the last chipDirector: Heng Tang | 22 min. | Video | 2006 Madam Fang, a former cabaret singer, Mrs. Nguyen, a struggling yum-cha waitress and Sister Ah Lan, a religious factory worker, form a sisterhood. They seek financial freedom at a casino to lift them from their banal lives.

ALL AROUND THE WORLD

Director: Greg Cahill | 25 min. | Video | 2006 Ros Sereysothea was Cambodia’s most beloved female rock singer until revolution turned the country upside down.

*Mature Content*Cast and crew scheduled to attend

chiyoDirector: Masanori Baba | 24 min. | Video | 2000In the summer of 1945, little Chiyo has been loooking forward to this year’s O-Bon, a Buddhist festival during which the dead are supposed to visit the living. Chiyo longs to see her father, who died in the war the year before.

Co-presented by:

Japan Society of San Diego and Tijuana


Tea importer David Lee Hoffman travels throughout China in search of handcrafted premium teas. Directors Les Blank and Gina Leibrecht follow this adventurer as he discovers exquisite teas and attempts to overcome bureaucratic obstacles to buying tea directly from farmers. Hoffman is most interested in teas that have been handpicked and carefully dried and heated to create the fragrance, color, and taste unique to each tea-maker. As he admires a cup of tea, he describes the care that went into picking each tea bud, then mourns the tea-makers who may not be around much longer. China’s emphasis on factory-produced tea treated with chemical fertilizers is endangering the small farmer who has produced organic tea for generations.

The documentary also reveals every step of the tea-making process, from the picking of the buds to their slow heating over a wok. Tea experts discuss the history and tradition of tea drinking and its health benefits. After seeing this film, you’ll never drink a cup of tea the same way again.

—Chuleenan Svetvilas (SFIFF)

China & USA I 70 min. | Video | Color

| 2006

DIRECTOR: Gina Leibrecht

PRODUCERS: Les Blank, Gina Leibrecht

CAST: David Lee Hoffman, Gaetano

Kazuo Maida, James Norwood Pratt, Song

Diefeng, Winnie W. Yu

FEATURES

Set during World War II, the Nomuras are a Japanese American family from Los Angeles forced to relocate to a remote internment camp in Utah soon after the Pearl Harbor attack. Lyle Nomura (Aaron Yoo, “Disturbia”) is a promising young pitcher who loses his baseball scholarship as a result of the internment. Lyle soon butts heads with Billy Burrell (Gary Cole, “Office Space”), a career minor league catcher who also happens to be one of the military guards in charge of policing the camp. Tensions mount when Lyle begins to date Burrell’s daughter (Sarah Drew). Lyle and Burrell eventually have their confrontation when one day, Lyle’s father proposes a game between the local town baseball team, captained by Burrell, and a team consisting of the Japanese American internees.

Beautifully shot and acted, AMERICAN PASTIME gives an accurate depiction of life in the Topaz Internment Camp. Director Desmond Nakano (“White Man’s Burden”) deftly blends sports elements with historical accuracy. AMERICAN PASTIME is a triumphant achievement, providing proper focus to a dark chapter in American history by telling the inspirational tale of how sports can sometimes be more than just a game.

USA | English & Japanese w/ English

Subtitles | 102 min. | Video | 2006

DIRECTOR: Desmond Nakano

WRITERS: Desmond Nakano,

Tony Kayden

PRODUCERS: Kerry Yo Nakagawa,

Barry Rosenbush, Tom Gorai

CAST: Aaron Yoo, Gary Cole,

Leonardo Nam, Sarah Drew,

Masatoshi Nakamura, Judy Ongg,

Kriston Rucker

Tue. Oct 16, 2007 5:30pmUltraStar 6 - Time Warner

Sat. Oct 13, 2007 2:30pmUltraStar2 - Fujitsu Tue. Oct 16, 2007 8:15pmUltraStar2 - Fujitsu

ALL IN THIS TEA

AMERICAN PASTIME

*Complimentary tea reception by Infusions of Tea following program.

*Cast & crew scheduled to attend

Co-presented by:

Infusions of Tea, Chinese Consolidated

Benevolent Association

Co-presented by:

Japan Society of San Diego and Tijuana,

Japanese American Historical Society of

San Diego, Japanese American Citizens

League of San Diego


Award-winning filmmaker Hosup Lee made his mark during SDAFF ’05, winning the Best Documentary Award with “And Thereafter.” This year, he returns with the second in his trilogy of documentaries on Korean military brides, AND THEREAFTER II. The film follows Ajuma, one of thousands of Korean women who married American servicemen and immigrated to the United States with hopes for a better life. Widowed, she leads an isolated existence in southern New Jersey. A former prostitute, Ajuma is alienated from both Korean and American society, and spends most of her free time on gambling trips to Atlantic City. At first, Ajuma is unwilling to recollect her past and the conflicts between the director and subject begin to undermine the project, but eventually she begins to open up to the filmmaker, almost to the other extreme. The fascinating but foul-mouthed Ajuma unflinchingly recounts her past and speaks with scathing honesty on men and aging. AND THEREAFTER II is riveting and thoughtful filmmaking, with a surprising twist at the end and even a glimmer of hope you don’t see coming.

USA | Korean w/ English Subtitles | 56

min. | Video | Color | 2006

DIRECTOR: Hosup Lee

WRITER: Hosup Lee

PRODUCERS: Hosup Lee, Hyun-ock Im

FEATURES

Director Romeo Candido’s supernatural thriller ANG PAMANA: THE INHERITANCE is a spectacle of atmospheric chills that takes its inspiration from age-old Filipino folklore. In his second feature, Candido has crafted a marvelously fun picture that is sure to please fans of the horror genre.

Siblings Johnny and Anna travel back to the Philippines for their grandmother’s funeral. Their inheritance? Her opulent country estate. With their sexy socialite cousin Vanessa leading the way, the three take a trip to their new property and meet Tommy, the estate’s mentally challenged resident, and one who may have psychic abilities. When Vanessa invites some local boys to the estate for some excitement, their day of adventure turns into a waking nightmare when one of the boys suffers a mysterious death. Soon the cousins discover that their grandmother’s tales of spirits and monsters hiding in the forest are more than just urban legend; in order to save his family, Johnny must recall not only Grandmother’s stories, but their lessons as well.

—Christopher Au (SFIAAFF)

Canada & Phillippines | Tagalog w/ English

Subtitles | 87 min. | 35mm | 2006

DIRECTOR: Romeo Candido

WRITERS: Romeo Candido,

Carmen De Jesus

PRODUCER: Caroline Mangosing

CAST: Darrel Gamotin, Nadine Villasin,

Phoemela Baranda, Nicoo Lorenzo

Garcia

Fri. Oct 12, 2007 5:15pmUltraStar1 - Eastlake Mon. Oct 15, 2007 8:35pmUltraStar 6 - Time Warner

Thu. Oct 11, 2007 9:45pmUltraStar 7 - Harrah’s Sun. Oct 14, 2007 7:45pmUltraStar2 - Fujitsu

*Mature Content

AND THEREAFTER II

ANG PAMANA: THE INHERITANCE

*Mature content

Co-presented by:

Filipino American Chamber of

Commerce of San Diego, Philippine

American Business Improvement and

Development, Mabuhay Alliance,

SDSU Andres Bonifacio Samahan,

CSUSM Kamalayan Alliance


ANIMATION SPOTLIGHT INTERVIEW:UNDER THE HONEY CHESTNUT TREE

Hyun-min Lee is an animator from Seoul, South Korea. She came to the United States in 2000, and has earned a degree in painting from Wesleyan University and a Masters degree in animation from the California Institute of the Arts. She enjoys working in all areas of animation, but her work mainly focuses on traditional hand drawn techniques. She cites the early Disney films as an influence on her work, and has spent time training with animators Eric Goldberg and Bert Klein. Hyun-min currently resides in the Greater Los Angeles area and continues to work on various animation projects.

By Sam Chen

What inspired the story of UNDER THE HONEY CHESTNUT TREE?

The person who has been the biggest inspiration in my life is my mother, and since she passed away a few years ago I was left with countless memories of the times I spent with her. I thought animation was the best medium to pay tribute to those memories, for me and for my family, so as soon as I properly learned how to animate I had to make a film about all the things that I missed about her.

Your style is so reminiscent of classic Disney animation. What is your favorite Disney animated film, and which one(s) have you learned the most from?

One of my favorites is “Robin Hood” because I used to watch it as a kid. I also really like “Cinderella”, “The Three Caballeros,” and “Aladdin” and a lot of the old Disney shorts that would run Sunday mornings. We’d record them and I’d watch them over and over. I’ve learned a lot from those bits of classic animation that make you completely forget the fact that they were hand-drawn by someone. I’d like to be able to create such memorable characters for people someday.

What would be your ultimate dream job in animation?

My dream would be to ultimately be a lead animator that a director could depend on to do a character right. The classic Disney animators would be given a character and the director knew they could just do it—they had total confidence in their work and ability. I would be very happy if I could reach a point where people would have that sort of confidence in me, and I hope the work I produce can be a big part of making the film an enjoyable experience for the audience.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

I like to watch a lot of films, but I also enjoy watching people around me like my family and friends and seeing their daily emotions and reactions. No person, life, or day is exactly the same as the other and the fact that animation can capture everything from the most subtle responses to the most outrageous pieces of imagination is what inspires me to continue working.

Word has it that you are the first Asian woman to work in Disney’s hand-drawn department as a 2D apprentice animator. Tell us more about this position and what it means to you.

I am starting as an animation apprentice in October, which is an animator-in-training. I am very excited and honored to be chosen for this position. I have been told that I might be the first female Asian hand drawn traditional animator in the department at Disney, but there have been Asian female animators in the


Sat. Oct 13, 2007 3:00pm UltraStar1 - EastlakeWed. Oct 17, 2007 7:30pm UltraStar1 - Eastlake

Director: James Jaculina | 2 min. | Video | 2007 Bruce Lee is resurrected in this “balls to the wall” tribute set in a retro-psychedelic ‘70s-esque world. medium: Traditional

How do you coax life out of thin air? Find out in this program dedicated entirely to the Magical Art of Animation. TRT: 89 min.

BADASS MOFOS

SHORTS

Director: David Chai | 8 min. | Video | 2006 What happens if your wildest dreams of acquring every woman on Earth were to come true?medium: Traditional & Digital

COLE NEEDS WOMEN

ANIMATION: THE ILLUSION OF LIFE

Director: Dave Quion | 3 min. | Video | 2005 Mild mannered Johnny was sitting in his boring cubicle when his computer short-circuited, gave him magical super powers and transformed him into...the Bastard.medium: Traditional

THE BASTARDDirector: Sookyoung Choi | 3 min. | Video | 2007 A surreal and horrific world of attacking eyeballs and extraterrestrial fast-food workers.medium: Computer Animation

THE SPACE BURGER

Director: Gary Liew | 4 min. | Video | 2007 Video game hero fights a cyber centurion in an action-packed duel for their lives.medium: Computer Animation; Maya

CYCLONE ARMOR GUARDIAN Director: Kun-i Chang | 5 min. |

Video | 2006 A man who sees himself as a graffiti on the wall in this eye-popping visual feast.medium: Motion Graphics, Live Action, Computer Animation; Maya & After Effects

FISSIONDirector: Mirai Mizue | 5 min. | Video | 2007 In a jazzy musical microcosm, a cell divides and becomes a part of a larger growing world.medium: Traditional & Motion Graphics; Director

LOST UTOPIADirector: Joe Takayama | 3 min. | Video | 2006 Algorithmic animation based on the “peristaltic” movement of earthworms in this dazzling display of shapes and forms.medium: Computer Animation

ANNELIDA

*Mature content / *Cast and crew scheduled to attend

Co-presented by San Diego Asian Professionals,Platt College


Director: Jian Lee | 4 min. | Video | 2007 A lonely man and woman living in glass bottles find each other with a little help from a helping hand.medium: StopMotion; After Effects

BOTTLEDDirector: Andrew Huang | 3 min. | Video | 2007 A tale of macabre absurdity, this stopmotion meets live-action piece plunges an unwitting office worker into a cycle of ghoulish nightmares during his nightshift.medium: StopMotion, Live Action, Computer Animation; Maya & After Effects

THE GLOAMINGDirector: Dongkeun Lee |4 min. | Video | 2007 Based on an old Korean folktale, a faceless female ghost stalks and steals the face of an unlucky soul.medium: Claymation

EGG GHOSTDirector: Zhang Gong | 5 min. | Video | 2005 A macabre metaphoric tale of the power struggles that have defined and defiled world history.medium: Traditional

BLACK PIG WHITE PIG

Director: Will Kim | 5 min. | Video | 2007 A watercolor journey into the life, love, and death of a male and female peacock.medium: Traditional; After Effects

NAKED BRANCHES

Director: Ma Fengqing | 12 min. | Video | 2004 A claymation tour de force about the perils of setting the wrong examples, and a curious son who’s ready to live them.medium: Claymation

FATHER AND SON

Director: Qin Xiaosong | 6 min. | Video | 2004 A drunken old man dreams about a fantastical journey with the Fairy Peach and cherry blossoms.medium: Computer Animation

A DRUNKEN OLD MAN’S ADVENTURE

Director: PARK Jung-kyu | 8 min. | Video | 2006 A hapless woman overcomes her hardships and begins a new and better life with the help of a Guardian Angel.medium: Traditional; Rotoscope

REUNION

Director: Hyun-min Lee | 3 min. | 35mm | 2007 An exquisitely hand-animated story about a mother and daughter creating memories under a chestnut tree.medium: Traditional

UNDER THE HONEY CHESTNUT TREE Director: Gaelle Denis | 6 min. |

35mm | 2004 When Tomoko arrives in London, she has no idea that soon she will discover a mysterious secret hidden beneath the city.medium: Live Action, Computer Animation

CITY PARADISE


USA | 100 min. | Video | Color | 2006

DIRECTOR: Juwan Chung

WRITER: Felix Chan & Juwan Chung

PRODUCER: Jason Serrato

CAST: Tzi Ma, Ron Yuan, David Hyunh,

Feodor Chin, Kenny Choi, Linn Ko,

Kenzo Lee, Peter Cho, Christina Stacey

Dubbed by some critics as the Asian American “Boyz n the Hood,” Juwan Chung’s second feature film BABY is undeniably a slice of urban ganglife type of film. The title character, Baby, is a motherless 11-year-old boy who is taken under the wing of the gangsters next door in East Los Angeles during the 1990s. One dark evening ends with Baby shooting a rival gang member, landing him seven years in juvenile hall. The adult Baby, played by newcomer David Huynh, re-enters society but has no real opportunities to change his life. The only father figure he really has is the gang ringleader Benny (Fedor Chin). The hardened and disillusioned Baby attempts to pick up the pieces of the adolescence he never had in the underbelly of Monterey Park and Alhambra. Can Baby walk the straight and narrow path, or will he join his gang family once again? Huynh’s portrayal of Baby is one of the most memorable performances in the film festival, one that conveys both ferocity and yet loneliness and vulnerability. It is rare to see a film about Asian American gang culture, even rarer to see it executed with stylized direction and a supreme cast.

FEATURES

Ato Bautista’s savvy second feature film reinvigorates the Filipino thriller. Gil (Robin Padilla) suffers frequent blackouts due to his heavy drinking. His inability to control his alcoholism drives his wife away, leaving Gil to take care of his son, Nino (John Michael Reyes). In despair, Gil promises to quit drinking and reunify the family. But one night, Gil experiences another blackout. This time, he is left with a mysterious bloody rear bumper on his tattered Mercedes. In the calamitous aftermath his life spirals into hysteria as he struggles to uncover the real story hidden by his fragmented viewpoint, one where the lines between real and unreal are blurred.

Bautista plays with rapid imagery through deftly edited sequences to parallel Gil’s scattered mind. Delivering a powerful, nuanced performance, Padilla captures one man’s desperate attempt to regain a normal, sober life for his beloved family. Bautista’s keen ability to switch between reality and illusion establishes BLACKOUT as a standout film in the thriller genre.

—Viet-Ly Nguyen

Philippines | Tagalog w/ English Subtitles |

85 min. | 35mm | Color | 2006

DIRECTOR: Renato Bautista

WRITER: Shugo Praico

PRODUCER: Tony Gloria

CAST: Robin Padilla, Iza Calzado,

John Michael Reyes, Ella Guevarra

Fri. Oct 12, 2007 9:30pmUltraStar2 - Fujitsu Mon. Oct 15, 2007 8:50pmUltraStar2 - Fujitsu

Sat. Oct 13, 2007 8:45pmUltraStar 7 - Harrah’s Wed. Oct 17, 2007 9:30pmUltraStar 7 - Harrah’s

BABY

BLACKOUT

*Mature Content*Director and crew scheduled to attend

Co-presented by:

UCR - Asian Pacific Student Programs

Office, UCSD Multi-Asian Student

Association

Co-presented by:

Filipino American Chamber of

Commerce of San Diego,

House of the Philippines, Filipino Press,

Mabuhay Alliance, USD Filipino Ugnayan

Student Organization


Vietnam & USA | English, Tagalog &

Vietnamese w/ English Subtitles I 60 min.

| Video | 2007

DIRECTOR: Duc Nguyen

WRITER: Duc Nguyen

PRODUCER: Duc Nguyen

CAST: Tung Trinh, William E. Cloonan,

Lam Phan, Carlos Caagusan

FEATURES

Thu. Oct 11, 2007 7:45pmUltraStar1 - Eastlake

BOLINAO 52

In 1988, 110 people boarded a boat to flee persecution in their homeland of Vietnam. Unfortunately, the boat immediately ran into a storm and the engine failed a day into the journey, stranding the boat at sea. Nineteen days later, a U.S. Navy warship, the U.S.S. Dubuque discovered the boat. However, instead of rescuing the refugees, the U.S. warship continued on. Starving and lacking drinking water, the boat people eventually resorted to cannibalism in order to survive. After drifting at sea for 37 days, the boat was saved by Filipino fisherman from the village of Bolinao. Out of the 110 passengers, only 52 people survived and BOLINAO 52 is the gripping account of this ill-fated journey.

BOLINAO 52 documents the account of one survivor of this tragic incident, Tung Trinh, as she journeys back to Philippines to confront her demons and gain a sense of closure. Along the way, she also meets face-to-face with a man who was a sailor on the U.S.S. Dubuque and we learn more about how a U.S. Navy ship could have possibly left starving refugees to die at sea. Vietnamese American director Duc Nguyen, himself a surviving boat person, skillfully presents the tale of a woman coming to grips with an unspeakably horrific time in her life, while simultaneously preserving the story of an avoidable tragedy.

Co-presented by:

Vietnamese American Youth Alliance,

SDSU Vietnamese Student Association,

Filipino American Chamber of Commerce

of San Diego, Philippine American Youth

Organization, CSUSM Vietnamese

American Student Association

KYOCERASalutesAsianCinema

Bring onthe popcornand enjoythe show!

North American Headquarters8611 Balboa AvenueSan Diego, CA 92123

Tel: (858) 576-2600www.kyocera.com KYOCERA is pleased to serve as a corporate sponsor of the 8th Annual San Diego Asian Film Festival.


Fri. Oct 12, 2007 6:15pm UltraStar 6 - Time WarnerThu. Oct 18, 2007 5:45pm UltraStar 6 - Time Warner

Director: Louis R. Sweeney |13 min. | Video | 2007 After eloping in Las Vegas, Sean and his Filipino girlfriend try to hide their marriage from her parents.

The gap between generations can sometimes become as wide as a canyon. This beautiful collection of short films explores what happens when family members try to break down the barriers that separate them. TRT: 85 min. *Mature content

POTLUCK

SHORTS

Director: Jennifer Tippins | 6 min. | Video | 2007 A mother and her daughter dream of spending the day together when the reality of life as a single, working parent keep them apart.medium: Traditional Animation

BAI RI MENG

Director: Jae-ho Chang | 10 min. | Video | 2006 On this final journey, a mother and son contemplate their last remaining moments together.

Director: Shyam Balse | 21 min. | Video | 2006 Govinda, a California doctor, is forced to return to his motherland in India when his estranged father falls ill. When Govinda tries to administer treatment, his father has other plans that send both of them on a journey into their pasts.

MONSOONTHE LAST VACATION

BRIDGING THE GAP

Director: PJ Raval |15 min. |Video | 2006 When director Joseph Chu puts out a casting call for a film based on his own family, he never expects his own father to audition for the lead role.

LEAD ROLE: FATHER

Director: Debbie Formoso | 20 min. | Video | 2006 Set against the turbulent backdrop of a country on the edge of rebellion, this film is the story of one woman’s struggle to preserve her own sense of self as her husband’s political power escalates.

NAGPAPANGGAP

*Cast and crew scheduled to attend

Co-presented by:

Cal State San Marcos Cross-Cultural

Center,

UCSD Cross-Cultural Center


USA | 74 min. | 35mm | 2006

DIRECTOR: Linda Hattendorf

PRODUCERS: Masa Yoshikawa,

Linda Hattendorf

FEATURES

Sun. Oct 14, 2007 3:15pmUltraStar 6 - Time Warner Mon. Oct 15, 2007 6:15pmUltraStar1 - Eastlake

CATS OF MIRIKITANI

*Director scheduled to attend

Co-presented by:

Japan Society of San Diego and

Tijuana, Japanese American

Historical Society of San Diego,

Buddhist Temple of San Diego,

Japanese American Citizens League

of San Diego, City College World

Cultures Program

2539 Windward WayChula Vista, CA 91914www.RegalaStudio.com

619.216.7220

New York film editor Linda Hattendorf first noticed Jimmy Mirikitani freezing cold in the streets of Manhattan’s Soho, sleeping in front of a grocery store. Later, she returned to buy one of his drawings in exchange for taking a photograph of him. Thus began a friendship between the Ohio-born New Yorker and the 80-year-old, homeless Japanese American man. Hattendorf documents their strange relationship and eventually his life in a very personal, shoe-string budget documentary. Both subject and director’s lives take a turn following 9/11, when Hattendorf invites the homeless artist to sleep in her home since the Manhattan air becomes unbreathable.

Stories of Mirikitani’s life begin to unravel as he essentially becomes Hattendorf’s roommate. Mirikitani was held in the Tule Lake Japanese internment camp for three and a half years of his young life during WWII where he was coerced to renounce his citizenship even though he was born in Sacramento, CA. Most of his family had perished when the bomb fell on Hiroshima. These events leave Mirikitani with some bitterness and little faith in his country.

2006 Audience Award Tribeca Film Festival


Sat. Oct 13, 2007 5:30pm UltraStar1 - EastlakeTue. Oct 16, 2007 7:15pm UltraStar 6 - Time Warner

Warning: You must be willing to laugh out loud to watch this group of comical shorts. TRT: 78 min.

SHORTS

CRAZYSEXYFUNNY!

Director: Chris Tsou | 6 min. | Video | 2006 E! True Zoo Story: The Rise and Fall of Tai Shan the Panda

PANDAMANIADirector: Craig Rosenthal | 9 min. | Video | 2006 A newbie robber holding up his first convenience store is met with strange surprise.

THE TRAINEEDirector: Louis R. Sweeney |13 min. | Video | 2007 After eloping in Las Vegas, Sean and his Filipino girlfriend try to hide their marriage from her parents.

POTLUCKDirector: Howard Duy Vu | 6 min. | Video | 2006 Political correctness flies out the window as a group of diverse co-workers have it out in the break room.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

Director: Dylan O’neil | 5 min. | Video | 2007 Darth Vader’s light saber falls out of the sky, plunking a young man on the head, and wreaking havoc in the modern world.

EPISODE VII

Director: Miqi Huang | 2 min. | Video | 2006 The mundane life of a human being is explored through the eyes of a bear.

AN UNBEARABLE DAY

Director: Joshua Kameyer | 13 min. | Video | 2007 Randy is a whiz at math, but when probability fails him, he has to risk the odds if he wants a shot at true love.

CHANCES ARE

Director: Roman Cortez | 14 min. | Video | 2007 The life and times of those crazy sign spinners on the street.

SIGNERZ

Director: David Chai | 8 min. | Video | 2006 What happens if your wildest dreams of acquring every woman on Earth were to come true?medium: Traditional & Digital

COLE NEEDS WOMEN

*Mature content / *Cast and crew scheduled to attend

Co-presented by:

Asian Accountants of San Diego


Sun. Oct 14, 2007 2:30pm UltraStar1 - EastlakeMon. Oct 15, 2007 6:30pm UltraStar 6 - Time Warner

Ai Ya! We’ve got all your Chinese flavor, a few portions of humor, intrigue, and family drama. TRT: 90 minutes

SHORTS

DIM SUM AND THEN SOME

Director: Michelle Hung | 8 min. | 35mm | 2006 Two young sisters will do anything to skip violin practice.

CHINESE DUMPLINGSDirector: Allen Ho | 5 min. |Video | 2007 An Asian American student attempts to shatter the silence formed by language barriers with his parents.

SILENCEDirector: Kathy Huang | 25 min. | Video | 2006 Competing in one of America’s oldest ethnic beauty pageants, a high school student from Seattle wrestles with issues of identity.

MISS CHINATOWN, U.S.A.Director: Kevin Lau | 18 min. | Video | 2007 On New Year’s Eve, a mysterious stranger holds a restaurant owner and his family hostage, exacting a long-sought vengeance.

YEAR OF THE DOG

Director: Chris Tsou | 6 min. | Video | 2006 E! True Zoo Story: The Rise and Fall of Tai Shan the Panda.

PANDAMANIADirector: MiQi Huang | 10 min. | Video | 2006 The pain of a teenage girl’s secret abortion is seen through the eyes of an inadvertant observer – her eight-year-old sister.

GUA ZI

Director: Franklin Peterson |18 min. | Video | 2007 A decade after her German mother passes away, Sandra’s Chinese father decides to get a mail order bride.

MY FATHER’SCHINESE WIFE

Co-presented by:

Chinese School of San Diego,

San Diego Chinese Women’s

Association

S. Korea | Korean w/ English Subtitles|

141 min. | 35mm | 2006

DIRECTOR: Yu Ha

WRITER: Yu Ha

CAST: Jo In-seong, Cheon Ho-jin, Nam-

gung Min, Lee Bo-young, Yun Je-moon, Jin

Gu, Park Hyo-joon, Heo Yi-jae

FEATURES

At Osaka’s Cafe Rakkyo, a nightclub where young male hosts provide alcohol and companionship to their wealthy female clientele, charismatic Issei is by far the top earner. The handsome well-dressed hosts, in an unusual twist on the Japanese Geisha tradition, use their charm, humor and knowledge of the female psyche to induce women to spend exorbitant sums of money on expensive alcohol.

Director Jake Clennell takes us on an entertaining but thoroughly unjudgmental journey into this fascinating underworld, from the apparently smitten young women who love being put on a pedestal by the dashing hosts to the hosts themselves, who rationalize that they are providing needed services. However, things are not like they first seem at Cafe Rakkyo, and the film provides shocking twists and turns along the way, culiminating with a mind-blowing revelation that may cause you to question everything you have seen. More than a documentary about Japanese host clubs, THE GREAT HAPPINESS SPACE provides insights into the love/hate relationship between the genders that has existed since dawn of time.

Japan | Japanese w/ English subtitles | 76

min. | Video | 2006

DIRECTOR & PRODUCER: Jake Clennell

Thu. Oct 11, 2007 7:30pmUltraStar 6 - Time Warner Wed. Oct 17, 2007 9:15pmUltraStar 6 - Time Warner

*Mature content

Sat. Oct 13, 2007 7:45pmUltraStar2 - Fujitsu Wed. Oct 17, 2007 6:45pmUltraStar2 - Fujitsu

A DIRTY CARNIVAL

THE GREAT HAPPINESS SPACE: TALE OF AN OSAKA LOVE THIEF

Byung-doo (Jo In-seong) is a cocky, low-level gangster. While he’s respected among his peers, a series of bad breaks has prevented him from rising in the criminal ranks. That changes when a wealthy industrialist approaches Byung-doo’s mob family about killing a public prosecutor. Byung-doo seizes the opportunity and does the deed, laying the bloody groundwork for his advancement.

Between criminal assignments, Byung-doo reconnects with two people from his past: Min-ho (Nam-gung Min), an old friend and aspiring filmmaker; and Hyeon–ju, an old flame. When things sour with the girl, Byung-doo pours out his heart, as well as the details of his hoodlum life, to Min-ho. Byung-doo gets the shock of his criminal life when he sees his dark secrets revealed during the premiere of Min-ho’s movie. His bosses aren’t amused either, as Byung-doo quickly learns his brutal advancement has come with a price.

Combining primal, impressive fight sequences and a ruthlessly enjoyable plotline, A DIRTY CARNIVAL is part gangster classic and part relationship drama. Above all, it proves that criminals may rise and fall, but they usually end up more than a little dirty.

*Mature Content


Co-presented by:


Cal State San Marcos Japanese Club

Screening Sponsors:

Co-presented by:

Korean American Association


Sat. Oct 13, 2007 9:30pm UltraStar1 - EastlakeWed. Oct 17, 2007 5:30pm UltraStar1 - Eastlake

*Mature Content

A collection of short films that deal with what happens during the afterlife when you don’t end up in heaven or hell. TRT: 86 min.

SHORTS

HEAVEN IS TOO FAR AWAY

Director: Dongkeun Lee | 4 min. | Video | 2007 Based on an old Korean folktale, a faceless female ghost stalks and steals the face of an unlucky soul.

EGG GHOSTDirector: Paul Yacono | 23 min. | Video | 2007 A surreal mystery fable based on an ancient Japanese story about a traditional Japanese tattoo artist, who discovers that he is both dead and alive at the same time.

MUDirector: Chihwen Lo | 3 min. | Video | 2006 A group of people tries to fly away to look for their satisfying world where hopes and spectacular rainbows exist.

TRUTH OR RAINBOWSDirector: Jennie Na | 22 min. | Video | 2007 Sometimes the most meaningful moments in life are hidden within times we’d rather forget...

THIS SOLACE ETERNAL

Director: Nathan Adolfson | 16 min. | Video | 2007 Walter is a man lost in a sea of confusion, headaches and strange visions of fish.

BETA

Director: Jang Cheol-soo | 17 min. | 35mm | 2006 A couple tries to share a nice dinner together in the afterlife. Unfortunately, their earthly bickering continues.

ESCALATOR TO HEAVEN (“CHUN-KOK-EUI ESCA-LATOR”)


Tue. Oct 16, 2007 12:45pm UltraStar 7 - Harrah’s

As part of our first-ever Youth Day, we’re offering a free sampling of short films for local students. Join us as we whip up some animation, stir in a couple of documentaries, add a dash of experimental film and top this program with a pinch of music videos. TRT: 64 min.

SHORTS

HIGH SCHOOL MATINEE

Director: Michelle Hung | 8 min. | 35mm | 2006 Two young sisters will do anything to skip violin practice.

CHINESE DUMPLINGSDirector: Mina T. Son | 5 min. | Video | 2007 Vu has struggled with compulsive binge eating and gastric bypass surgery. Now that he has shed the excess weight, he still yearns to gain acceptance from his ethnic community.

PAST THE FOODDirector: Jerry Chan | 5 min. | Video | 2007 An experimental short film that remixes the frenzied sights and sounds of the Los Angeles landscape to uncover the rhythm and melody of the city.

DJ:LADirector: Alex C. Munoz |14 min. | Video | 2007 A short documentary about a Cambodian youth who makes a life-changing decision to quit a Cambodian gang and is initiated into the possibility of hope for a better future.

LIL SKRAPPY BOY

Director: Kun-i Chang | 5 min. | Video | 2006 A man who sees himself as a graffiti on the wall in this eye-popping visual feast.

FISSIONDirector: Tadashi Nakamura |22 min. | Video | 2006 The inspiring story of how an abandoned WWII concentration camp for Japanese Americans has been transformed into a symbol of retrospection and solidarity for people of all ages, races and nationalities in our post 9/11 world.

PILGRIMAGE

Director: Karen Lin | 5 min. | Video | 2000 Combining the style of in-camera performance and the spoken word poetry of acclaimed artist Kelly Tsai, this film captures the powerful words of her anti-war poem against a backdrop of charged NYC images.

BYSTANDING: THE BEGINNING OF AN AMERICAN LIFETIME

Screening Sponsors:


Japan | Japanese w/ English Subtitles |

108 min. | 35mm | 2006

DIRECTOR: Lee Sang-il

WRITERS: Lee Sang-il, Daisuke Habara

PRODUCER: Hitomi Ishihara

CAST: Yasuko Matsuyuki,

Etsushi Toyokawa, Yu Aoi, Shizuyo

Yamazaki

FEATURES

Young-goon (Lim Su-jeong, “Tale of Two Sisters” SDAFF ‘04) is girl who thinks that she is a cyborg who must avenge her grandmother. She his admitted to psychiatric ward, where she meets Il-soon (Korean pop star Rain), a handsome young man who thinks that he can steal people’s souls. Young-goon refuses to eat food because she believes that as a cyborg, she needs only electrical charges from a transistor radio to survive. Young-goon and Il-soon become drawn into a romantic relationship. As Young-goon’s physical condition continues to deteriorate, Il-soon enlists the help his fellow patients to save her life.

Not since “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” has a film so engrossingly taken viewers deep into the minds of the mentally ill, without an ounce of condescendence. Director Park Chan-wook (“Oldboy”) affirms his place among the world’s greatest filmmakers by straying far from his typically violent films to create a world that is at the same time breathtaking in its visual brilliance and humorously quirky. Rain, Time Magazine’s most influential person of 2007, is spectacular in his feature film debut and his co-star Lim Su-jeong demonstrates why she is one of the top young actresses in Asia.

S. Korea | Korean w/ English Subtitles |

105 min. | 35mm | 2006

DIRECTOR: Park Chan-wook

WRITERS: Park Chan-wook,

Jeong Seo-gyeong

CAST: Lim Su-jeong, Rain (Bi)

Sun. Oct 14, 2007 4:30pmUltraStar 7 - Harrah’s Mon. Oct 15, 2007 8:00pmUltraStar1 - Eastlake

Sat. Oct 13, 2007 6:00pmUltraStar 7 - Harrah’s Tue. Oct 16, 2007 7:00pmUltraStar 7 - Harrah’s

*Mature content

HULA GIRLS

I’M A CYBORG BUT THAT’S OK

Iwaki is a remote mining town in northern Japan that would be right at home in America’s rust belt, and with its coal mine closing, its future looks grim. In a desperate attempt to save the local economy the town elders decide to cash in on the Polynesian craze that’s sweeping the world (the movie is set in 1965), so they announce they’re building a Hawaiian theme park--complete with a hula dancing troupe. The only problem: no one in Iwaki knows how to dance the hula. Also, no one in Iwaki has ever been to Hawaii. Actually, no one in Iwaki has ever really left the city limits. Once they import an alcoholic hula teacher from Tokyo who’s on the run from bad debts, things get worse as the respectable local women refuse to participate in “indecent” hula dancing and the only people who sign up for the classes are a handful of misfits.

Korean-Japanese director Lee Sang-Il (“Scrap Heaven”) rewrites the conventions of the “team of underdog” genre (see: “The Full Monty”). It’s not hard to see why this flick, based on a true story, rocked the Japanese box office and swept the Japanese Academy Awards. HULA GIRLS reminds its audience that there’s nothing to be ashamed of if you come out of a movie feeling good and wanting to put on a lei and a tapa and swing your hips to a hula mele.

Co-presented by:


Japanese American Citizens League of San

Diego

Screening Sponsors:

Co-presented by:

www.kidsland.tv


On the eve of Macau’s handover to China, police officer Shing is having the worst time of his life. Suspended for suspected corruption, he tries to find solace with an elfin creature by the name of Yan, whom he just picks up. As he tries to smooth-talk her into bed, she suddenly snaps back with the biggest turn-off imaginable: that she is the daughter he never knew existed! While Shing desperately tries to hold himself together, his bachelor life inevitably falls apart as Yan insists on living under his roof. Together the two of them start roaming through exotic Macau, tracking down Yan’s missing puppy and striving to acquaint with each other. No sooner has Shing grown into his new role as a father than he finds his hands full. When Yan is not fighting with his girlfriend Kate, she is being bothered by her dorky classmate Fai.

China | Cantonese w/ English Subtitles |

91 min. | 35mm | 2005

DIRECTOR: Ho-Cheung Pang

WRITER: Ho-Cheung Pang

PRODUCER: John Chong

CAST: Chapman To Isabella Leong

FEATURES

Thu. Oct 11, 2007 9:15pmUltraStar1 - Eastlake Sun. Oct 14, 2007 7:30pmUltraStar 6 - Time Warner *Mature content

ISABELLA

Experience Hitachiwww.hitachi.us/digitalmedia

Proud Sponsor of the 2007 San Diego Asian Film Festival


Thu. Oct 11, 2007 4:45pm UltraStar1 - EastlakeSat. Oct 13, 2007 12:30pm UltraStar1 - Eastlake

No matter what our differences, we all seek the same thing - the right to life. TRT: 95 minutes *Mature content

SHORTS

KNOW JUSTICE, KNOW PEACE

ILLEGALDirector: Ling Liu | 26 min. | Video | 2006 “Officer Tsukamoto” examines the 1970 unsolved murder of one of the first Asian American police officers in the country--a crime that captured the racial and political complexity of a turbulent American era.

OFFICER TSUKAMOTODirector: Ron Najor | 3 min. |Video | 2006 A true rallying cry during these difficult political times.

IRAQ - TIMZDirector: Rain Breaw | 16 min. | Video | 2007 A family of Cambodian Khmer Rouge survivors finds hope when they reach out to a young illegal immigrant.

UNDERPASS

Director: Tam Tran | 5 min. | Video | 2007 Follow Stephanie, an undocumented student at UCLA, as she attempts to regain what she’s lost.

LOST AND FOUNDDirector: Tadashi Nakamura |22 min. | Video | 2006 The inspiring story of how an abandoned WWII concentration camp for Japanese Americans has been transformed into a symbol of retrospection and solidarity for people of all ages, races and nationalities in our post 9/11 world.

PILGRIMAGE

Director: Andrew Oh | 22 min. | Video | 2006 Daniel and Jessica are a happily married couple on the verge of realizing the American dream. But when they hire Carlos, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, irreversible events are set in motion that jeopardize all that they have worked so hard to achieve.

Co-presented by:

American Civil Liberties Union,

Thomas Jefferson School of Law

Asian Pacific American Law Student

Association, City of San Diego

Public Library

*Mature content / *Cast & crew scheduled to attend


Sun. Oct 14, 2007 5:30pm UltraStar2 - Fujitsu

From the sandy shores of San Diego, a collection of short films made in or about America’s Finest City. TRT: 82 minutes

SHORTS

LOCALMOTION

Director: Cheryl Kanekar | 21 min. | Video | 2007 Three perspectives on the war on terror: a suicidal Afghani, an American patriot, and a young woman who notices something strange at a carnival.

ALGORITHMSDirector: Rain Breaw | 16 min. | Video | 2007 A family of Cambodian Khmer Rouge survivors finds hope when they reach out to a young illegal immigrant.

UNDERPASSDirectors: Karl Gindelberger, Joseph Dicara | 15 min. | Video | 2007 One night, one moment, three friends make a choice that can change their lives forever or destroy them.

THE NIGHT BOYS

Director: Martin R. Johnson | 23 min. | Video | 2007 A young Vietnamese American girl struggles to balance her two cultures while a life changing decision will inevitably leave her torn.

JADED LOVEDirector: Brian D. Kim | 7 min. | Video | 2007 A young Einstein dreams of a visually surreal world in which time flows in reverse.

EINSTEIN’S DREAM

Co-presented by:

San Diego Filmmakers



Sat. Oct 13, 2007 6:15pm UltraStar 6 - Time WarnerTue. Oct 16, 2007 8:45pm UltraStar 6 - Time Warner

This entertaining short film program examines the difficulties single people today face when seeking love. We are young! TRT: 79 minutes.

SHORTS

LOVE IS A BATTLEFIELD

Director: Rehana Mirza | 5 min. | Video | 2006 Two young Indian Americans meet to begin a beautiful relationship, but all is not what it seems.

MODERN DAY ARRANGED MARRIAGE Director: Joe Doughrity | 15 min.

| Video | 2007 An Asian man infatuated with hip hop meets a black woman with a passion for cooking. Can they put aside racial differences to give love a chance?

AKIRA’S HIP HOP SHOPDirector: Thom Harp | 21 min. | Video | 2007 When Arthur, a writer at a fortune cookie factory, accidentally sends a love letter to his ex-girlfriend into the printing press, every cookie at every restaurant reveals a piece of his broken heart.

FORTUNE HUNTERSDirector: Karen Lin | 3 min. | Video | 2007 Won’t you be the best of me or will you be just another memory?

IRONY - SERIOUSLY

Director: Charles Yi | 22 min. | Video | 2007 A young man tells his best friend about an amazing girl he met. In the course of his story, we learn about both his current and past relationships. Each individual discovers their own meaning of how past boyfriends/girlfriends affect future relationships.

TRAFFIC IN THE SKYDirector: Jung-a, Lee | 13 min. | 35mm | 2006 A love triangle between three Korean high school students leads to a surprise ending--at least for one of them.

IT’S OVER



136 - MIDIVAL PUNDITZDirector: Ajay Naidu | 6 min. | Video | 2007 MIDIval PunditZ has created a unique and expansive artistic vision that marries the soulful elegance of South Asia’s extraordinarily rich traditional and classical music heritage with the exuberance and limitless potential of modern Western electronic music.

MASH IT UP - KXLDirector: Steve Mallorca | 4 min. | Video | 2007A new breed of soundclash, KXL brings you to the meeting place of dance hall ragga, electro beat and rock. Pulsing beats, punchy guitars, lo-fi sitars, dhol, tablas, and dub vibrations mash it up and swirl in and out at you.

CHAMPION - NATIVE GUNSDirector: Patricio Ginelsa | 5 min. | Video | 2007 Los Angele’s Native Guns give us a tour of the poor conditions of their neighborhood while empowering the youth through media.

FADEOUT - +/-Director: Chris Deaner | 5 min. | Video | 2007 Take the time you will see, everybody knows what’s been going on.

FLY LIKE A FOX - EEDirector: Sharon Dang | 2 min. | Video | 2007 Layered illustrative graphics combined with resurfaced super 8 film makes for interesting eye candy...

IRONY - SERIOUSLYDirector: Karen Lin | 3 min. | Video | 2007 Won’t you be the best of me or will you be just another memory?

MUMTAZ - BOMBAY DUB ORCHESTRADirector: Huw Jenkins | 4 min. | Video | 2006 Welcome to a world of cinematic lushness where the music will stroke your senses and enamour the soul, with its uniquely brilliant crossover of orchestral arrangements, modern, lush beats and synthesizers.

REACHING HIGH - COBRA CON & HINOMARUDirector: James Oda | | 3 min. | Video | 2006 Cobra Con and Hinomaru struttin’ their stuff.

AIN’T NO SUNSHINE - TATUM JONESDirector: Rocky Jo | 3 min. | Video | 2007 A brokenhearted B-Boy dances his sorrows away...

IN THE GOOD - VISIONARIESDirectors: Keykool, Ong, Sambajon | 4 min. | Video | 2007 Here are the roots of L.A.’s quintessential multicultural hip hop group, the Visionaries.

BIG PICTURE - FREQUENCY 5Director: Brian Wee | 3 min. | Video | 2006 An organized, compulsive office clerk learns to see the big picture.

THE AVON LADY - CARNIVORES BY NATUREDirector: The Lonely Island | 3 min. | Video | 2007 Two goofballs kidnap an Avon Lady who also happens to be a cloned dinosaur. Starring Kal Penn

Remember the days when MTV played music videos nonstop? We’re bringing that back--Asian style. *FREE program in the theater lobby.TRT: 102 min.

SHORTS

MVP: MUSIC VIDEO PROGRAM

TATUM JONES

COBRA CON & HINOMARU

SERIOUSLY

+/-

KXL

MIDIVAL PUNDITZ


THE PROCESS - MY AMERICAN HEARTDirector: Shane Drake | 3 min. | Video | 2005 After a breakup, don’t get depressed, get angry!

POST 9/11 BLUES? - MC RIZDirector: Between the Eyes UK | 3 min. | Video | 2007 MTV banned this video for being too “political” and “controversial.”

HANDS UP - ESTAIRY FEATURING EQUIPTODirector: Evan Leong | 5 min. | Video | 2007 Bay Area hip hop at its finest.

DRAGON TIGER PANACEA - NEW PANTSDirector: Liu Runlai | 4 min. | Video | 2007 New wave, Beijing style!

MARTYR NYEBERA - KAMIKAZEDirector: Avid Liongoren | 5 min. | Video | 2007 Do not scorn your lover or you will pay the price!

SMILE - FAR*EAST MOVEMENT FEAT. KEN OAKDirector: Todd Angkasuwan | 5 min. | Video | 2007 Man’s most shining moment cannot be measured without knowing his darkest hour.

IRAQ - TIMZDirector: Ron Najor | 3 min. | Video | 2006 A true rallying cry during these difficult political times.

FIXING THE RADIO - CIUDADDirector: Quark Henares | 4 min. | Video | 2007 Happy nonsensical bubblegum.

HANA NO SUKA DANCE - ORESKA BANDDirector: Sony Music Japan I 2 min. | Video | 2007Don’t worry be happy!

THURSDAY - ASOBI SEKSUDirectors: So Yung Kim, Bradley Rust Gray | 4 min. | Video | 2007 Psychedlic trance pop straight out of Brooklyn.

DUET - MIMI’S AMI Director: Kaori Kasai | 2 min. | Video | 2004 Cutting edge indie pop from Vancouver, British Columbia.

BYSTANDING: THE BEGINNING OF AN AMERICAN LIFETIMEDirector: Karen Lin | 5 min. | Video | 2007 Combining the style of in-camera performance and the spoken word poetry of acclaimed artist Kelly Tsai, “Bystanding” captures the powerful words of her anti-war poem against a backdrop of charged NYC images.

INSPIRATION - LOLA FAIR & BABY JDirector: Reign Shaw, Geoff Reisner, Wesley C. | 4 min. | Video | 2007 Tribute to fallen soldiers in Iraq.

FLOOR KIDS - KID KOALADirector: Jonathan Ng | 1 min. | Video | 2007What happens when a B-boy dance-off goes awry?

SHORTS

LOLA FAIR & BABY J

MIMI’S AMI

TIMZ

MY AMERICAN HEART

FREQUENCY 5

VISIONARIES


FEATURES

NA KAMALEI: THE MEN OF HULA

USA | 57 min. | Video | 2006

DIRECTOR: Lisette Kaualena Flanary

WRITER: Lisette Kaualena Flanary

PRODUCER: Lisette Kaualena Flanary

CAST: Robert Uluwehi Cazimero,

Halau Na Kamalei

Sat. Oct 13, 2007 4pm UltraStar6 - Time Warner

Tue. Oct 16, 2007 4:15pm UltraStar1 - Eastlake

Mention hula, and most people think of beautiful, long-haired women in grass skirts and plumerias, swaying their hips to the beat of drums and ukuleles. While hula has evolved into a form of entertainment, its roots are much more sacred. Masters of hula often treat it as a religion, a way of life. NA KAMALEI: THE MEN OF HULA unveils part of the rich history of legendary master hula teacher, Robert Cazimero, and Hawaii’s oldest all-male hula group as they prepare to compete in the world’s largest hula festival. Cazimero’s sincere passion and fiery personality push his team of “hula brothers” to the point of exhaustion, yet their loyalty to the Halau is unwavering. Candid

interviews with several of the male dancers, some who have been with the group since it began in 1975, reveal the men faced deeply rooted cultural and gender stereotypes. Shame and questions of masculinity, however, are not allowed in the Halau Na Kamalei, whose powerful chants and rigorous performances are nothing but manly. Extensive footage of the Halau Na Kamalei’s journey to the Merrie Monarch Festival captures many touching moments of laughter, brotherhood, and Hawaiian pride. It also provides fascinating insight into the historical significance of one of Hawaii’s most well-known, yet misunderstood traditions.

A

Co-presented by: Hui o Hawaii of San Diego, Ahahui Kiwila Hawaii o San Diego, Tula Productions, Jonathan Tarr Foundation

Q & A w/ Director Lisette Kaualena Flanary

By Lee Ann Kim

significant part of the film’s success was the access given to you by the dancers and their hula teacher, Robert Cazimero. He is one demanding teacher! Where you

taken aback by his style? No, I wasn’t taken aback by Robert’s style. On the contrary, I liked that he was such a strong personality and also extremely honest and real. Hula can be demanding, and I think that really comes across in the film as we see the men prepare for the competition. I do think that there is a different style of teaching involved when it comes to teaching men, and really, it made me thankful that I am a girl! Kidding, but really, while Robert is a demanding teacher, the students know that he loves them and cares for them deeply and that he only wanted them to do better. All of them wanted very much to make him happy and proud. And they certainly did. As a female filmmaker, did it take long for you to gain the trust of these men? I’m sure it helped that you’re a professional hula dancer, yourself, no? Being a hula dancer myself definitely influences my work. At first, I wondered if it made a difference that I was a woman making a film about men who danced hula, but I cannot express enough how wonderful all of these guys in this school are. There is such a strong feeling of being ‘ohana, or family, that permeates so much of hula and the Hawaiian community in general so I felt very, very welcomed. Anything surprising about the audience’s reaction about NA KAMALEI: THE MEN OF HULA? Do men respond differently than women? I think that both men and women have both really responded to seeing men express their emotions so freely and openly. A lot of women have told me that they wished their partners danced hula because it might help them be more open with their feelings! I don’t think that men have responded differently than women to this film, but I have had a lot of guys tell me that the hula was a lot tougher than they thought it was. I was completely engrossed in the Halau’s journey to the competition. I’m such a sucker for men showing their emotions. What was the most emotional part for you? There were many emotional moments for me in making this film. Following the halau to the volcano when they made their offerings of their lei to the goddess Pele I think was the most exciting and emotional for me. Because it’s a sacred ritual, Robert had initially told me that he did not want me to film that, and I understood why (as a hula dancer) but was extremely disappointed (as a filmmaker). After having spent such a long time following the men leading up to competition, Robert really understood what I was trying to do with the film and that my intentions were pono, or good. When he told me that he had decided to let me film, I was super excited. And truly, it’s some of the most beautiful footage I’ve ever shot.

Preceded by THE KING BOYSDirector: Christopher Clark15 min. | 35mm | 2006 A boy turns to wrestling to give his life new purpose.


USA I 91 min. | Video | Color | 2006

DIRECTOR: Bill Guttentag,

Dan Sturman

SCREENPLAY: Bill Guttentag,

Dan Sturman, & Elisabeth Bentley

PRODUCERS: Ted Leonsis, Bill Guttentag,

Michael Jacobs

CAST: Woody Harrelson, Mariel

Hemingway, Jürgen Prochnow, Hugo

Armstrong, Rosalind Chao, Stephen Dorff

FEATURES

Winner of numerous audience and jury awards, NEW YEAR BABY is a mesmerizing account of director Socheata Poeuv’s journey to uncover her family’s long-hidden past in Cambodia. During the Christmas holiday, a shocking secret is revealed during a familiy meeting: her older siblings are not her full siblings--her sisters were taken in after her aunt’s death in the Killing Fields. Filled with questions, Socheata heads to Cambodia with her parents. She must balance her journalistic background against a respect for her parents, as the family struggles to open old, but still-raw wounds. This intimate documentary explores the painful separation and death of family members under the Khmer Rouge.

Resistant to divulging too much, Socheata’s parents eventually share their story as they revisit places of their past: from the labor camp where her parents met, to the unmarked grave of her aunt, and the trail her father took four times to lead his family to safety in Thailand. Refusing to allow a nation’s tragedy to be erased, NEW YEAR BABY gives a voice to one family’s pain and heroism, providing a challenge to the old Khmer Rouge principle, “If you preserve secrecy, half the battle is won.”

Cambodia & USA | English & Khmer w/

English Subtitles I 74 min. | Video | 2006

DIRECTOR: Socheata Poeuv

WRITER: Charles Vogl

PRODUCER: Charles Vogl & Jason Bolling

Sat. Oct 13, 2007 1:00pmUltraStar 7 - Harrah’s

Fri. Oct 12, 2007 5:30pmUltraStar 7 - Harrah’s Thu. Oct 18, 2007 5:30pmUltraStar 2 - Fujitsu

Co-presented by:

City of San Diego Public Library

NANKING

NEW YEAR BABY

A powerful, emotional and relevant reminder of the heartbreaking toll war takes on the innocent, NANKING tells the story of the Japanese invasion of Nanking, China, in the early days of World War II. As part of a campaign to conquer all of China, the Japanese subjected Nanking – then China’s capital – to months of aerial bombardment. When the city fell, the Japanese army unleashed murder and rape on a horrifying scale. In the midst of the rampage, a small group of Westerners banded together to establish a Safety Zone where over 200,000 Chinese found refuge. Unarmed, these missionaries, university professors, doctors and businessmen bore witness to the events, while risking their own lives to protect civilians from slaughter.

The story is told through deeply moving interviews with Chinese survivors, chilling archival footage and photos of the events, and testimonies of former Japanese soldiers. At the heart of NANKING is a filmed stage reading of the Westerners’ letters and diaries, featuring Woody Harrelson, Mariel Hemingway and Jurgen Prochnow. Through its interweave of archival images, testimonies of survivors, and readings of first hand accounts, the film puts the viewer on the streets of Nanking and brings the forgotten past to startling life.

Co-presented by:

Association for Preserving Historical

Accuracy of Foreign Invasions in China,

Chinese Service Center of San Diego,

San Diego Chinese Historical Museum,

San Diego-Yantai Friendship Society, US-

China Peoples Friendship Association


Upon turning 18, handsome Su-min (Lee Young Hoon) leaves his countryside orphanage and moves to Seoul with big dreams. But his hopes of becoming an artist quickly give way to a scramble for survival. After losing his job at a factory, he ends up in the world of prostitution, turning tricks at an all-male brothel. Already close to hitting rock bottom, Su Min’s life gets more chaotic with the appearance of Jae Min (Lee Han), a man whose advances he’s already spurned once. Jae Min (Lee Han), a closeted wealthy executive, begins a relentless pursuit of Su Min that’s met with an equally adamant refusal. The icy wall eventually melts, as the two fall into a passionate relationship. But when the realities of family and society surface, will love be enough?

NO REGRETS is the debut feature from Leesong Hee Il, Korea’s first openly gay filmmaker. Leesong has long been a familiar name in the festival circuit, having directed the acclaimed short films “Sugar Hill,” “Good Romance,” and “La Traviata.” Bold and haunting, NO REGRETS represents a breakthrough for both Korean queer cinema and independent filmmaking. Opening in only a handful of Korean theaters, the film managed to attract critical reviews, along with 40,000 moviegoers, setting a new box office record for an indie film.

S. Korea | Korean w/ English subtitles |

104 min. | 35mm | 2006

DIRECTOR: Leesong Hee-il

WRITER: Leesong Hee-il

CAST: Lee Young-hun, Lee Han, Jo Hyun-

cheol, Kim Dong-wook, Jeong Seung-gil,

Lee Seung-won, Hwang Chun-ha,

Kim Jeong-hwa

FEATURES

Tired of her uncle’s constant verbal abuse, a young orphan girl named Thuy (Han Thi Pham) decides to run away from her rural home to discover the streets of Saigon. On her own, the spunky and precocious 10-year-old girl joins other children laboring as street vendors selling postcards and flowers. One day Thuy meets a complex woman she takes a liking to named Lan (Cat Ly), a flight attendant involved in an affair with a married man. Soon after, Thuy also meets Hai (The Lu Le), a zoo employee who is mending a broken heart after being jilted by his fiancée. Anyone can see where this is going from a mile away, as Thuy strives to forge a romance between the two lonely adults and form a makeshift family. But this is no ordinary matchmaking love story. This delicate debut feature from director Stephane Gauger is wrought with charm and sweetness.

Gauger excellently captures contemporary Saigon with a cutting edge look using handheld camera techniques and quick editing. The result is a feeling of full immersion into Vietnamese streetlife, where modern day Saigon is as fascinating as the main trio of characters.

Vietnam & USA | Vietnamese w/ English

subtitles | 97 min. | 35mm | 2006

DIRECTOR: Stephane Gauger

PRODUCERS: Nguyen Van Quan, Doan

Nhat Nam, Stephane Gauger

CAST: Han Thi Pham Cat Ly The Lu Le

Sun. Oct 14, 2007 5:15pmUltraStar2 - Fujitsu

Sun. Oct 14, 2007 1:45pmUltraStar 7 - Harrah’s

Wed. Oct 17, 2007 5:00pmUltraStar 7 - Harrah’s

NO REGRETS

OWL AND THE SPARROW

Preceded ByTHE KING BOYSDirector: Christopher Clark15 min. | 35mm | 2006 Clinging to the memory of his father who never returned from war, a boy turns to wrestling to give his life new purpose.

Co-presented by:

Guys Like Us, www.kidsland.tv

Co-presented by:

Giao Ly Viet Ngu at Good Shepherd

Parish, Vietnamese American Youth

Alliance

*Mature content


Oct. 12-13 4-9pm


Fri. Oct 12, 2007 7:15pm UltraStar 7 - Harrah’s

From girl drama and a mad boy crush to a transgender awakening, this menu of films boasts something for the entire Queer family. TRT: 89 min.

SHORTS

QUEER DELIGHT: SWEET BUNS AND STICKY RICE

Director: Hong Khaou | 9 min. | 35mm | 2006 Sixteen-year-old Leung longs for a secret wish he’ll have to fight for.

SUMMERDirector: Jung-a, Lee | 13 min. | 35mm | 2006 A love triangle between three Korean high school students leads to a surprise ending--at least for one of them.

IT’S OVERDirectors: Carolyn Goossen, Daffodil Altan | 14 min. | Video | 2006 A revealing look at the life of a 24-year-old, transgender college student going through hormone treatment.

MOOKEY’S STORY

Director: Kevin Choi | 13 min. | Video | 2007 A one-night stand burns with intellectual and physical passion.

DISSOLUTION OFBODIES

Director: Cathy Begien | 15 min. | Video| 2005 If you asked everyone in your family to speak openly about you for two minutes, what would they say? Cathy found out.

RELATIVE DISTANCE

Director: Jay Esguerra | 5 min. | Video | 2007 A queer Asian youth comes to terms with his sexual and religious identity with the help of a delicious dessert.

CAN YOU KEEP A SECRET Director: PJ Raval | 15 min. |

Video | 2006 When director Joseph Chu puts out a casting call for a film based on his own family, he never expects his own father to audition for the lead role.

LEAD ROLE: FATHER

Director: Rehana Mirza | 5 min. | Video | 2006 Two young Indian Americans meet to begin a beautiful relationship, but all is not what it seems.

MODERN DAY ARRANGED MARRIAGE

Co-presented by:

Asian American Journalists Association SD Chapter

Asian Pacific Islander Community AIDS Project

FilmOut San Diego

First UU Church Rainbow Outreach

Greater San Diego Business Association

Guys Like Us

Long Yang Club of SD

National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association SD Chapter

P.F.L.A.G. SD Chapter

Project STAR (Supporting Transgender Access to Resources)

SD LGBT Community Center - Women’s Resource Center

The LGBT Resource Center of SDSU

UCSD LGBT Resource Center



By Michael Chen

PJ, your film seemed very intimate and personal. How much of it was based on the relationship with your father?

I’d say it’s based more on the emotions surrounding our relationship rather than actual events. Initially I knew I wanted to make a film based on my relationship with my father though I didn’t know what it was going to be about—so I decided to make a film about that in certain ways. Halfway through writing my script I got a phone call form my father asking me to visit. That visit heavily influenced the making of the film

Has your father and the rest of your family seen the film? How did they react?

Yes, my family has seen it. They reacted well, though I honestly didn’t know what to expect. In the past I’d always been more private with them when it came to my work, so I think they were more moved by the fact that I was trying to share something personal with them.

How’s your relationship with your father today?

Great. We definitely see more eye to eye these days. I think part of it is we’ve grown together and are more willing to break from our past parent-child relationship and enter a father-son relationship on more of an equal footing. It’s more about present and future and not about the hang-ups in the past. Plus, he can’t ground me anymore.

The end of the film was a stunner. Did it at all resemble your own coming out?

No! I don’t think I could ever find a way to actually push my father; it’s the whole familial piety thing you know? It makes me uneasy just to think about it! But these are the reasons why I chose that exact ending. I wanted something really extreme and revealing just to play with those notions.

You’ve got major roots in San Diego. Do tell! And why the heck would you end up in Texas???

I originally moved to San Diego to attend UCSD for my undergraduate studies. Crazy as it sounds I was a double major in visual arts and biology. At the time my work was much more focused on photography and media installation. After graduating I hung around San Diego working odd jobs here and there (read: climbing an 80-foot tower to videotape horse racing or dressing up as an alien for an “X-files” promo spot, etc.) while continuing to explore photography. Eventually I decided to apply to graduate school and thought film would be an interesting medium to explore since I had made a couple black and white experimental narratives and really liked the process. Several friends suggested I apply to University of Texas Austin. There was something about a strong liberal independent arts community thriving in the center of the lone star state that really intrigued and inspired me. Still does.

SHORTS

QUEER DELIGHT: SPOTLIGHT INTERVIEWwith Director PJ RAVAL of LEAD ROLE: FATHER

Unraveling P.J. Raval


Tomoya (Hayato Ichihara) learns that Aoi Sato (Juri Ueno), a close friend from his college days, has died in a airplane accident just moments after he sends her a picture of an unusual rainbow from his cell phone. In the aftermath of this tragedy, Tomoya recounts his friendship with Aoi from their first meeting as members of a collegiate film club, up until the time they finally parted ways.

RAINBOW SONG, which was produced by the acclaimed Shunji Iwai (“All About Lily Chou Chou”), showcases some of Japan’s hottest young actors - Hayato Ichihara (“All About Lily Chou Chou”), Juri Ueno (“Swing Girls”), and Yu Aoi (“HULA GIRLS,” Hana and Alice), who stands out as Aoi Sato’s sight-impaired sister Kana. The subtle direction and writing provide the gifted actors with the opportunity to deliver sincere and touching performances that both young and old will find heartwarming. Not your typical love story, RAINBOW SONG will touch anyone who has ever held regrets over lost opportunities.

Japan | Japanese w/ English subtitles | 117

min. | 35mm | 2006

DIRECTOR: Naoto Kumazawa

PRODUCER: Shunji Iwai, Toshihiro Kitta

WRITER: Ami Sakurai, Miyuki Saito, San

Amino

CAST: Hayato Ichihara, Juri Ueno,Yu Aoi,

Kuranosuke Sasaki

FEATURES

Outlandishly fun, THE REBEL hits you in the gut with masterfully choreographed martial arts sequences that are raw and powerful. Throw in a little bit of adventure, romance, and some black magic and you have an exciting and entertaining story. Vietnam is under colonial French rule during the 1920s. Anti-French rebellions emerge all over the country to disrupt the foreign occupiers. In response, the colonialists have inflitrated the countrysde with Vietnamese sleeper agents to track and destroy these rebels.

The film follows the journey of Levan Cuong, a French cultured undercover elite. Although branded with a perfect track record, Cuong’s inner conscience is troubled by the sea of Vietnamese blood he had spilled to uphold a washed out French ideal. Following an assassination of a high ranking Frenchman, Cuong is assigned to seek and kill the notorious leader of the resistance. Cuong encounters Vo Thanh Thuy, a relentless revolutionary fighter and the daughter of the rebel leader. Cuong’s superior intends for him to use Thuy as a means to get to her father, but Cuong soon develops feelings for her. Thuy’s patriotism ignites conflicts between Cuong’s consciousness and his cultured faith. Will Cuong discover his inner self and find love or will he continue his mission?

Vietnam & USA | Vietnamese w/ English

subtitles | 103 min. | 35mm | 2007

DIRECTOR: Truc ‘Charlie’ Nguyen

WRITERS: Truc ‘Charlie’ Nguyen,

Johnny Nguyen

PRODUCER: Jimmy Pham

CAST: Dustin Nguyen, Johnny Nguyen,

Ngo Thanh Van, Nguyen Chanh Tin

*Cast & crew scheduled to attend

Sun. Oct 14, 2007 7:00pmUltraStar 7 - Harrah’s Thu. Oct 18, 2007 7:45pmUltraStar 6 - Time Warner

Sat. Oct 13, 2007 3:15pmUltraStar 7 - Harrah’s Tue. Oct 16, 2007 6:00pmUltraStar1 - Eastlake

RAINBOW SONG

THE REBEL

*Mature content

Co-presented by:


SDSU Japanese Student Association

Co-presented by:

Vietnamese Student Association - SDSU,

Vietnamese American Youth Alliance


Sun. Oct 14, 2007 11:30am UltraStar 7 - Harrah’sTues. Oct 16, 2007 11:00am UltraStar 7 - Harrah’s

Come experience the Reel Voices of eight, talented San Diego high school students with the world premiere of their short documentaries produced through the San Diego Asian Film Foundation. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll be proud to say you saw these films here first. TRT: 56 min.

*This is a FREE program, free tickets are available from the box office for Sunday’s show.

SHORTS

REEL VOICES

Director: Leon Cu | 5 min. | Video | 2007 Georgio lives and breathes video games, but he isn’t very good at them. Is he simply ignoring reality, or offering us all a lesson in perseverance?

JUST A GAMEDirector: Jessica Jones | 5 min. | Video | 2007 Many children of mixed race couples struggle with which side to identify with. This filmmaker explores the issue by interviewing her own multiracial family and finds out that if you know who you are, you may not have to choose.

LOOK TO BOTH SIDESDirector: Juliane Sobejana | 6 min. | Video | 2007 Most parents have great expectations for their children, but what happens when their hopes clash with their children’s own aspirations?

A PRESSURED FUTURE

Director: Ali Tanaka | 6 min. | Video | 2007 Speaking more than one language might be great when you’re traveling, but what happens when it creates a communication barrier in your everyday life?

MY WALL: WATASHI NO KABE

Director: Matt Wong | 7 min. | Video | 2007 A piano player himself, this filmmaker explores why Asian parents tend to pressure their children to learn classical instruments such as the piano and violin.

ASIAN AMERICANS AND CLASSICAL MUSIC

Director: Alice Wang | 6 min. | Video | 2000 A daughter traces her mother’s unexpected journey from rural China into the American dream.

HER JOURNEY: MY MOTHER’S STORY Director: Roland Lazarte | 10

min. | Video | 2007 A young man witnesses the power of love and family when old age finally catches up with his 91-year-old grandmother.

NANAY

Director: Adam Lee | 10 min. | Video | 2007 A church volunteer made national headlines when he was accused of child molestation and ritual satanic abuse. In today’s court system, could he have been accused solely because of his appearance?

A MODERN WITCH HUNT: THE DALE AKIKI STORY

*Sunday reception sponsored by L&L Barbeque


SHORTS

GET OUT THERE. MAKE MOVIES.

By Mike Watson

My 12th grade English teacher, John Adsit, made me write essay after essay. Sixteen weeks in the fall, and another sixteen in the spring, I wrote an essay a week.

I hate to write.

“You wanna learn to write?” he’d bark. “Then write!”

I loathed the evenings wasted, toiling on another essay—but looking back, I value not only the writer I became, but also the life lesson it taught me. Want to learn to do something? Do it. A lot.

Four months ago, I began work as an instructor for the Reel Voices Project. The eight students whose work you’ll see in this program came together in a cramped office building. It was a little awkward, as first meetings are known to be. But as the weeks wore on, insecurities were shed, opinions were formed, and the foundation of eight young filmmakers was slowly laid. Our preferences didn’t always mesh on the documentaries we watched, as they learned the basics—storytelling, pacing, cinema-tography. But discussions grew from disagreements, and piece by piece, these young filmmakers set out to tell their own stories.

It was a rollercoaster of emotions once we handed out cameras and waited for tapes to return. We know firsthand the feeling of watching something you shot turn out exactly as you envisioned it, just as well as we know the devastation of return-ing with dark video, blue video, and sometimes no video at all! And we shared those emotions with the students in a way only a teacher can. In a way, it’s more intense—because the emotions aren’t your own.

I became a teacher the day these students entered that room. I’ve not spoken in front of a high school class since I finished 12th grade. Without knowing it, these students taught me as much as I taught them. It’s an honor to have someone ask you a question about your own area of expertise. And it’s humbling—in a good way—to learn something from a student who is just learning about your passion.

Like any film you see this week, here you will also see the passion of the filmmakers in the reflection of the screen. But for this screening, I hope you’ll feel the excite-ment, the fear, the tears, and the elation that brought these beginning storytellers to this point.

And I hope that if they ask you for your opinion, you’ll give it. Their next movie may be right around the corner. As it turns out, expertise is gained by experience.

This class wants to learn to make movies.

You want to make movies? Get out there. Make movies.


Sione is getting married, but there’s just one problem. Actually, there are four problems: his brother and his three best friends. They’re all nearly 30-something men who still act like they’re 16. The four live to get drunk and chase all the wrong women. Additionally, they have a remarkable record of causing chaos at every wedding they attend, so when Sione bans them from attending his wedding, they realize something’s got to give. The town priest offers them an ultimatum: find a respectable girlfriend to take to their best mate’s wedding, or be left out. Sounds easy enough. How hard can it be finding a girl in the world’s biggest Polynesian city when you’re young, gifted and brown? Praised by Variety as a “shrewdly written, impeccably timed, and audaciously played romantic comedy,” SAMOAN WEDDING is a rare opportunity to see an all-Polynesian cast on the big screen.

New Zealand | 97 min. | 35mm | 2006

DIRECTOR: Chris Graham

WRITERS: James Griffin, Oscar Kightley

CAST: Oscar Kightley, Shimpal Lelisi,

Robbie Magasiva, Iaheto Ah Hi

FEATURES

Wed. Oct 17, 2007 7:00pmUltraStar 6 - Time Warner

SAMOAN WEDDING

Co-presented by:

Samoan Community Council of

San Diego, USD Aikane O Hawai’i

*Mature content

THE FUTURE OF SOUND IS MADE OF CHOCOLATE.

Nothing sounds sweeter than

www.LGusa.com©2007 LG Electronics Inc. LG Logo and Chocolate Logo are trademarks of LG Electronics Inc. Other logos shown are registered trademarks of their respective owners.

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CONTACT: Katie Youtsos 8-4956This advertisement prepared by BRAND BUZZ

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FEATURES

SENTENCED HOME

USA | English & Khmer w/ English subtitles | 76 min. | Video | Color | 2005

DIRECTORS: David Grabias, Nicole Newnham

WRITERS: David Grabias, Nicole Newnham

PRODUCERS: David Grabias, Nicole Newnham

Sun. Oct 14, 2007 12:15pmUltraStar1 - Eastlake

Wed. Oct 17, 2007 5:15pmUltraStar 6 - Time Warner

*Director scheduled to attend Sunday screening

Three Cambodian Americans raised in inner city Seattle pay an unbearable price for the mistakes they made as teenagers. Caught between their tragic pasts and an uncertain future, each young man confronts a legal system that offers no second chances. SENTENCED HOME puts a human face on controversial post 9/11 immigration policy that forces these men to be deported out of the United States to a country they barely know. Along with family man Loeun Lun, who fights to stay together with his wife and children from behind bars and across oceans, former gang member Kim Ho Ma, struggles to come to terms with his identity in a country he doesn’t understand.

Also introduced is an introspective Many Uch, who looks to redeem himself by taking advantage of what time he has left in the United States to give today’s Cambodian American youth something he never had—the ability to play little-league baseball. Following the deportees from the United States to Cambodia, directors David Grabias and Nicole Newnham reveal heartbreaking stories of families torn apart at the cost of an inhumane immigration policy.

Q & A with David Grabias, co-director of the eye-opening documentary, SENTENCED HOME

By Lee Ann Kim

What made you select this particular topic?

We first heard that Cambodian Americans were going to be deported back to Cambodia in the summer of 2002. At that time, the Cambodian American community had just become aware of the United States’ newly signed repatriation agreement with Cambodia, which meant that almost 1,500 Cambodian Americans would be forcibly returned. The deportees’ situation raised questions about immigration law, human rights and the cultural identity of immigrants and refugees.

Were you familiar with the Patriot Act laws

prior to this documentary?

When we heard about the story, we realized how uninformed we—and most Americans—were about the 1996 immigration law, and the devastating impact it was having on individuals and families. We had no idea what the law really meant when it was passed. It seems very unfair to us that there is no appeal process, and we hope that our film encourages people to reconsider the laws and lobby for change.

Was getting access to the subjects’ lives difficult?

Our subjects were remarkably open with us. We became close to them and their families, especially in the case of Loeun Lun. The way his deportation affected his family became the focus of his story. One of the biggest challenges was trying to get them to express real emotion—one of the only scenes where you can see how angry they are is when Loeun kicks a flowerpot after saying goodbye to his mother. The other big challenge of

the film was getting access and permission to film with our subjects while they were in the custody of the U.S. and Cambodian government immigration departments.

What is the general reaction to the film? Has any of the reaction surprised you?

We have been surprised that there has been very little negative reaction to the film. It is a controversial subject, but the power of our film’s human story and its portrayal of the emotional lives of three families has outweighed any political critiques for the most part.

You can meet director David Grabias at the screening of his film, SENTENCED HOME, on Sunday, Oct 14 at 12:15pm. Or check out his website at: www.artifactstudios.tv

Co-presented by: ACLU of SD and Imperial Counties


Liam Liu is a struggling actor who passes time by picking up beautiful, vapid girls in hip Hollywood bars. The closest thing to an emotional connection in Liam’s life is a flirtatious friendship with 16-year old Adelaide (Hayden Panettiere, NBC’s Heroes), a precocious high school girl who is actually more mature than Liam. When Liam learns he has inherited his grandmother’s home in Shanghai, China, he travels to the exotic city and discovers a profound connection to his family legacy. Liam meets a sophisticated Chinese woman there named Micki (Kelly Hu, “The Scorpion King,” “X2”) and finds himself falling into instant infatuation with her. Liam decides to move to China, leaving behind Adelaide, who is quite possibly the only girl who has ever loved him. He suddenly finds himself at a crossroads - does he choose this new exotic world full of wonders or does he go back to America and make an honest attempt to put his life in order?

Written and co-directed by David Ren, this Asian American romantic comedy features a winning performance by Ken Leung (“X-Men,” Sopranos). Hayden Panettiere and Kelly Hu both shine as Liam’s romantic interests. SHANGHAI KISS world premiered at the 2007 San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival to rave reviews.

China & USA | 102 min. | Video | 2006

DIRECTOR: Kern Konwiser & David Ren

WRITER: David Ren

PRODUCER: Kip Konwiser

CAST: Ken Leung, Hayden Panettiere,

Kelly Hu, Joel David Moore, James Hong,

Byron Mann

FEATURES

Go-ni (Cho Seung Woo, “Marathon” SDAFF ‘05) is a compulsive gambler who loses his sister’s alimony money and life savings when he gets swindled in a crooked card game. Devasted, Go-ni wanders around the country searching for the “tazza” (Korean slang for high-rolling gambler) who destroyed his life. During his journey, Go-ni runs into sage old veteran Pyoung (Baek Yoon-shik, “Save the Green Planet”), who eventually agrees to become his mentor, and Madam Jeong (Kim Hye-soo) a sultry gambling pro who has a knack for separating men from their money.

Director Choi Dong-hoon has succeeded in crafting a flashy, fast-paced thriller that evokes western films, but with a distinctively Korean flavor. The charismatic young lead Cho Seung-woo shines, as does the incomparable Baek Yoon-shik. However, Kim Hye-soo really steals the show as the classic femme fatale who is sexy and seductive, while at the same time convincingly menacing. The top-grossing Korean drama of 2006, TAZZA is truly a must-see cinematic experience.

S. Korea | Korean w/ English Subtitles |

139 min. | 35mm | 2006

DIRECTOR: Choi Dong-hoon

WRITER: Huh Young-man

PRODUCER: Sidus FNH

CAST: Cho Seung-woo, Kim Hye-soo,

Baek Yoon-shik, Yoo Hae-jin, Kim Yoon-

seok, Lee Su-gyeong, Kim Jeong-ran,

Kim Gyeong-ik

Fri. Oct 12, 2007 6:45pmUltraStar 2 - Fujitsu Wed. Oct 18, 2007 7:15pmUltraStar 7 - Harrah’s

Fri. Oct 12, 2007 8:30pmUltraStar 6 - Time Warner Mon. Oct 15, 2007 7:15pmUltraStar 7 - Harrah’s

*Mature content

SHANGHAI KISS

TAZZA: THE HIGH ROLLERS

*Mature content

*Director scheduled to attend

Co-presented by:

Chinese Consolidated Benevolent

Association, Asian Pacific Historic

Collaborative

Screening Sponsors:

Co-presented by:

Korean American Senior Association


FEATURES

TIE A YELLOW RIBBON

Q & A with actress Jane Kim, starring in two features at SDAFF

this year – TIE A YELLOW RIBBON and our closing night film, WEST ��nd.

We’re excited to showcase you in two different features this year. It’s interesting how you speak Korean in one film and English in the other. Is there a different method to acting in another language?

Acting in English and Korean definitely has its differences in that there are certain phrases and slangs that cannot be duplicated into another language and have the same impact. Acting in Korean came easier than I thought

because I was raised in a very traditional Korean household and was heavily disciplined to be fluent. Although, I don’t have the same opportunity to practice as I did growing up, it came pretty naturally. In some ways, your roles in WEST 32ND and TIE A YELLOW RIBBON are similar, in that your characters suffer a lot of pain. Can you talk about that?

When choosing a project to work on, I gravitate towards certain characters I sympathize for or conversely towards characters I just don’t understand, but want to play for its challenge.

WEST 32ND premiered at Tribeca. What was that festival’s experience like?

Tribeca was a lot of fun. Especially since the film was shot in NYC, for it to premiere in NYC was very special. However, because of the tremendous support (all five screenings were beyond sold out), a lot of family and friends stood in line for over an hour and still got turned down.

While there are a growing number of Asian American women in television and film, the numbers are still relatively small. Are you conscience of this, and do you feel a responsibility to represent the Asian American community?

Yes, however, more than that, I just always feel responsible for representing myself in a respectable way, first and foremost. The rest is too much to think about. Just making sure I make the right choices, treat others the right way and behave professionally and humbly keeps me quite busy.

Is there anything surprising you can share about yourself?

I am a black belt Taekwondo Instructor. I love working with children, especially special needs kids. It’s been the most gratifying, challenging and beautiful thing I’ve done in my life. I hope to continue my work with kids and start something to incorporate Taekwondo into the physical training (but more so, mental and emotional development) of special needs

*Cast & crew scheduled to attend*Mature content

Korean American adoptee, Jenny Mason, steams up lattes at a hip Manhattan espresso bar while dreaming of becoming a photographer. She is alone in the big city, cutting off contact with her Midwestern family at the age of 14. Having been through so much chaos in her young life, Jenny resigns herself to a state of indifference to survive. She keeps a safe emotional distance from everyone around her and finds temporary comfort in one-night stands.

When her roommate asks her to move out, Jenny’s fears of abandonment resurface. This turn of events leads her to meet her first real Asian American friend, Beatrice Shimizu (Jane Kim, WEST 32nd). As she develops a tender friendship with Bea, Jenny meets fellow artist, Simon, who helps her to explore her love for photography and her ethnic identity for the first time. Things are looking good until her adoptive brother, Joe, suddenly appears, stirring up long-suppressed feelings from her past. Returning to SDAFF with her first feature, writer-director Joy Dietrich, also a Korean adoptee, reveals the complex emotional world for young Asian American women through Jenny’s inner turmoil and strong will.

USA| 87 min. | Video | Color | 2007

DIRECTOR: Joy Dietrich

WRITER: Joy Dietrich

PRODUCERS: Joy Dietrich, Thomas Yong

CAST: Kim Jiang, Jane Kim, Patrick Heusinger, Ian Wen

Sun. Oct 14, 2007 2:45pmUltraStar 2 - Fujitsu

Wed. Oct 17, 2007 4:45pmUltraStar 2 - Fujitsu


One night, one hotel, four rooms, and there’s bound to be trouble. Director Gene Rhee (SDAFF ’02) taps into the voyeur in all of us with his provocative, romantic comedy. THE TROUBLE WITH ROMANCE presents a quartet of vignettes on a disparate group struggling with the challenges of love. Each story follows the inhabitants of different rooms in one hotel on the same evening. In the bathroom, a young woman (Jennifer Siebel) looking for closure has an emotional conversation with her hallucination of an ex-lover. Down the hall, a husband (David Eigenberg, Sex in the City) plans for a steamy weekend with his wife until she brings on too much spice. On another floor, a young man has his first encounter with a high-end call girl (Sheethal Sheth). The heart of the film finds SDAFF fave Roger Fan (FINISHING THE GAME) as a hilarious, bumbling boyfriend who commits the ultimate faux-pas by inviting his stoner buddies to celebrate with him and his girlfriend Stephanie (Emily Liu). With crisp pacing and solid performances by familiar faces, Rhee’s feature debut is heartbreaking in its sincerity of emotion. Rhee and his co-writers smartly complicate their initial set-ups with fresh twists and turns, each of which reveal more and more about the nature of love, and the ever-changing desires of the heart. —Adapted by Christopher Au, SFIAAFF


DIRECTOR: Gene Rhee

WRITERS: Gene Rhee, Sharri Hefner,

Mike Su

PRODUCERS: Emily Liu, Gene Rhee,

Jennifer Siebel

CAST: Kip Pardue, David Eigenberg,

Roger Fan, Sheetal Sheth, Emily Liu, Josie

Davis, Jordan Belfi, Jennifer Siebel

FEATURES

Fri. Oct 12, 2007 9:15pmUltraStar I - Eastlake

*Mature content*Cast & crew scheduled to attend

THE TROUBLE WITH ROMANCE

Co-presented by:

SD Alliance for Asian Pacific Islander

Americans

With “Charlotte Sometimes” SDAFF ‘02 and “Americanese,” award-winning filmmaker Eric Byler demonstrated a penchant for decidedly adult anti-romances full of sex, loneliness and smoldering jealousies. He continues his exploration of modern relationships with his third feature, fittingly titled TRE, focusing on friendship and infidelity. The result is arguably his darkest, most provocative film yet.

The boorish yet witty slacker Tre, recently dumped, crashes at the home of his close friends Gabe and Kakela, who get engaged shortly after Tre arrives. It soon becomes evident that Tre and Kakela have an attraction that can barely be concealed—or contained. A fourth character proves the catalyst who disrupts the stasis of the love triangle, and sets off a chain of events that forces them all to confront some hard truths.

The antithesis of usual Hollywood romances, the film pursues its hard-earned emotional truths by presenting atypical romantic leads and refusing to concoct easy resolutions. Tre is a frequently enigmatic anti-hero, and those looking for a bland love story will be rudely met with an unconventional portrait of relationships.

—Taro Goto (SFIAAFF)


DIRECTOR: Eric Byler

PRODUCER: Philippe Diaz

SOUND: stereo

CAST: Daniel Cariaga, Rose Wolter, Erik

McDowell, Alix Koromzay

Sat. Oct 13, 2007 7:30pmUltraStar2 - Fujitsu

TRE

Preceded BySHOOT MY LIFEDirector: Kimberly-Rose Wolter | 12 min. | Video | 2007 When reality isn’t good enough action must be taken.

*Mature content*Cast & crew scheduled to attend

Co-presented by:

SD Alliance for Asian Pacific Islander

Americans

Preceeded By: GIRLS NIGHT OUTDirector: Mark Arbitrario| 6 min.|Video | 2006An obsessive compulsive former badass on a quest for revenge

UNDOING

Q &A with Director Chris Chan Lee, who returns to the film

circuit with UNDOING, a film noir set in LA with an all-star cast.

By Lee Ann Kim

You have inspired many Asian Americans to pursue filmmaking, and are considered a pioneer. What has your journey been like since “Yellow,” and how did that journey evolve to the creation of UNDOING?

I traveled and directed English-language television in Singapore, and worked on documentaries and television back in the states while assembling a team of collaborators and getting UNDOING

off the ground. These experiences really exposed me to differentsensibilities as far as theme and storytelling. And living abroad made me obsess more about perspective, environment, and identity.

I really like the quiet FEEL, the mood of this film. Why did you decide to go with the film noir genre?

I love noir films. Actually noir has permeated just about every kind of film out there these days. But I am compelled by it from the sense that fundamentally noir is so much about externalizing the internal human condition. It’s a rich vocabulary accompanied by a set of rules that either need to be adopted, broken, or challenged. The unspoken exchange is a key ingredient in my mind to our Asian upbringing, and as a director I believe a modern Asian American noir drama was the perfect platform to explore this idea of internal or non-verbal communication.

You gathered quite a cast - Russell Wong, Kelly

Hu, Sung Kang, Bobby Lee, Leonardo Nam... what was it like working with them?

It was great to work with a core cast that already had a lot of experience, and brought unique perspectives to their roles. With that experience comes confidence and the ability to create choices, so that greatly benefited the film, not the mention the shooting schedule.

Your thoughts on today’s Asian American filmmakers and the state of Asian American cinema?

There is an ever growing number of voices and that diversity is beingreflected in the films. It’s an exciting time.

Chris Chan Lee is scheduled to attend the screening of UNDOING,

Co-presented by:San Diego Asian Professionals

*Cast & crew scheduled to attend*Mature content

Considered by some as a pioneer, Chris Chan Lee returns to the big screen with a talented Asian American cast, in his first feature since 1997. UNDOING takes us to the underworld of Los Angeles Koreatown, where Sam Kim (Sung Kang) returns to avenge the death of his friend Joon (Leonardo Nam), who was murdered during a botched drug deal. Sam reaches out to Don, a retired gangster who is trying to clean up his own act. Seeped in the dark, ominous overtones of neo-noir, UNDOING marks a strikingly different direction for the actor Kang, best known for playing brooding bad boys in films such as “Better Luck Tomorrow” (SDAFF ’03) and “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.” As Sam, Kang’s a harried man on the run, exuding an air of desperation and uncertainty as he tries to pull off a complicated blackmail scam designed to both resolve his friend’s old murder and make amends with his estranged lover (Kelly Hu). However, his return creates more chaos than his departure as he attracts unwanted attention from crooked cops, K-Town gangsters and a deranged hitman (played by Russell Wong). Stylish and ambitious, UNDOING marks a welcome return of Lee to the director’s chair.

—Oliver Wang, SF International Asian American Film Festival

USA | 90 min. | Video | 2006

DIRECTOR: Chris Chan Lee

WRITER: Chris Chan Lee

PRODUCERS: Karin Chien, Sung Kang

CAST: Sung Kang, Kelly Hu, Russell Wong, Leonardo Nam, Tom

Bower, Jose Zuniga, Ron Yuan

Sat. Oct 13, 2007 8:30pmUltraStar 6 - Time Warner

FEATURES



Set in rural South India, VANAJA explores the chasm that divides classes as a young girl struggles with her coming of age. Vanaja (Marmatha Bhukya) is the 14-year-old daughter of a poor, low caste fisherman, struggling with dwindling catches and mounting debt. When a sooth-sayer predicts that she will be a great dancer one day, she goes to work in the house of the local landlady, Rama Devi, (Urmila Dammannagari), in hopes of learning Kuchipudi dance while earning a keep.

Vanaja seems to be on an ascending path until Shekhar (Karan Singh), Rama Devi’s 23-year-old son, returns from the United States to run for local political elections. Sexual chemistry is ignited between the handsome Shekhar and the young Vanaja (still a minor at fifteen). The situation turns ugly when Vanaja’s superior intellect pits her against Shekhar in a public incident which ultimately humiliates him in front of his mother. Matters escalate, spiraling downwards and she is pitched into a tale of class and family from which there is only one escape.

India | Telugu w/ English Subtitles | 101

min. | 35mm | 2006

DIRECTOR: Rajnesh Domalpalli

WRITER: Rajnesh Domalpalli

PRODUCER: Latha Rajendra Kumar

Domalpalli

CAST: Mamatha Bhukya Urmila

Dammannagari Ramachandriah Marikanti

Krishnamma Gundimalla

FEATURES

Pretty, vivacious young Ting harbours hopes of becoming a popular actress, and she’s certain she just needs that lucky break. It comes along, alright, but her first serious acting job is a downright eerie one. She’s been hired by the police to stand in for murder victims in carefully staged reenactments of notorious crimes. Ting knows that what she’s doing is intended to aid the investigative process, but nonetheless, she takes great pains to offer prayers of apology to the victims she is impersonating. She’s certain they’re watching, fully aware that their deaths have become theatre for the living. She’s right. The dead are there.

The highest-profile case of her budding career falls into Ting’s lap. She is to play Min, a former Miss Thailand brutally butchered in a bathtub. It is a role she will gain a lot of attention for, and one she begins preparing for with extensive research and rehearsal. Her efforts spark her curiosity about the notorious unsolved crime, about who it was who took the life of the beauty queen. Ting is drawn deeply into Min’s life, who she was, how she moved, how she thought –- as Min’s tortured spirit begins slowly, ominously seeping into Ting’s life. But is she there to guide the girl, or are her motives malevolent?

Thailand | Thai w/ English Subtitles |

108 min. | 35mm | 2006

DIRECTOR: Monthon Arayangkoon

WRITER: Monthon Arayangkoon

PRODUCER: Jantima Lieawsirikum

CAST: Pitchanart Sakakorn Apasiri

Nitibhon Penpak Sirikul Chokchai

Charoensuk Kiradej Ketakinta

Sun. Oct 14, 2007 5:00pmUltraStar1 - Eastlake

*Mature content

Fri. Oct 12, 2007 9:45pmUltraStar 7 - Harrah’s Tue. Oct 16, 2007 9:15pmUltraStar 7 - Harrah’s

*Mature content

VANAJA

THE VICTIM

Co-presented by:

South Asian Bar Association

Co-presented by:

Asia Media Inc.


After his big city dreams are crushed, Manabu (Yusuke Iseya) returns to Hokkaido, the countryside of his childhood, with confusion, guilt, and secrets. After betting and losing the last of his money at a Banei horse race, his older brother Takeo (Koichi Sato), reluctantly allows him to re-enter his life. Through the struggles of the draft horses, the two brothers begin to understand and respect each other again.

Masterfully directed, Director Kichitaro Negishi captures the idyllic and relaxed setting of Hokkaido while subtly building emotional momentum centering around hope, acceptance, forgiveness, and redemption.

WHAT THE SNOW BRINGS was the big winner at the 2005 Tokyo Festival, taking home the Grand Prix, as well as the Director, Actor and Audience Awards.

Japan | Japanese w/ English Subtitles | 112

min. | 35mm | 2005

DIRECTOR: Kichitaro Negishi

SCREENPLAY: Masahito Kato

WRITER: Sho Narumi

PRODUCER: Masako Tanabe

CAST: Yusuke Iseya, Koichi Sato, Kyoko

Koizumi, Kazue Fukiishi

FEATURES

Enchantingly twisted, David Kaplan’s first feature is a magical marvel: a rotoscope animated fairy tale set in New York’s Chinatown. A Sundance Film Festival selection, YEAR OF THE FISH gathers an all-star cast for a modern-day Cinderella story imbued with a vibrant, rotoscope sheen.

Ye Xian (An Nguyen) is a young Chinese woman who travels to New York to make money for her sick father. Indebted to a massage parlor madam (Tsai Chin) for smuggling her into the country, Ye Xian winds up doing all the cooking and cleaning at the seedy parlor. This Cinderella story has no wicked step-sisters, but Mrs. Su, the cold-hearted madam, supplies plenty of venom – all of it directed at Ye Xian. Alone, and humiliated, Ye Xian finds solace in a tiny Koi carp, which is given to her by a mysterious hunchback (Randall Duk Kim). The curious, ever-expanding fish eventually leads her to a struggling musician (Ken Leung), who may be her Prince Charming but remains out of reach. Hope remains, however, as magic begins to happen on the day of the new year, at the Chinatown banquet that everybody is trying to get into.

USA | 96 min. | Video | 2007

DIRECTOR: David Kaplan

WRITER: David Kaplan

PRODUCER: Rocco Caruso

CAST: An Nguyen, Ken Leung, Randall

Duk, Kim Tsai Chan

Sat. Oct 13, 2007 12:00pmUltraStar 2 - Fujitsu Wed. Oct 17, 2007 8:35pmUltraStar 2 - Fujitsu

Mon. Oct 15, 2007 6:45pmUltraStar 2 - Fujitsu

*Mature content

WHAT THE SNOW BRINGS

YEAR OF THE FISH

Co-presented by:


Japanese American Historical Society of

San Diego

Co-presented by:

Asian Pacific Historic Collaborative,

San Diego Arthouse Independent Movie

Meetup Group

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Ad Name: Aluminum Print - REVISEDItem #: PSE20078785Publication: SD Asian Film Festival

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San Diego Asian Film Festival.

Cox Communicationsis proud to sponsor the

San Diego Asian Film Festival.

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Executive DirectorLee Ann Kim

Associate Foundation DirectorMye Hoang

Associate Festival DirectorGeorge Lin

Programming DirectorGene Huh

Artistic ProgrammersSam ChenMichael Chen

Educational Outreach CoordinatorJessie Wilson

Information Technology DirectorSteve Lukas

Marketing CoordinatorRanjit Dhindsa

Online Content DirectorRyan Wong

Business OperationsJoy PakinganMichelle Tubon

Community Outreach CoordinatorDuke Tran

Street Team CoordinatorDaniel Matthews

Street Team MembersRachael AndradaJoseph BalanJessica ChangOgie EusebioMark GadiaGrace LeeRita QuachMatthew Wong

Volunteer CoordinatorsEmil AyoubkanMegan Lam

Graphic Design TeamDiana MartinezVince MartinezChristopher LeeKasse Reyes

Production CoordinatorChris Paffendorf

Operations DirectorPhil Luque

Facilities CoordinatorsDorian WicksAnthony Noceda

Box Office CoordinatorHanwei Lee

Guest ServicesCatherine JaravataAshley JaravataDiana MartinezJulie KimNick Cichon

ProjectionistsJon MillerBrook FalkensteinBecky CreekmurArnold MarquezAkira ChanAndi BrandenburgChris Paffendorf

Reel Voices CoordinatorJessie Wilson

Reel Voices AssistantMike Watson

Reel Voices InternsAdam Lee Roland Lazarte Alisa Tanaka Leon Cu Jessica Jones Julianne Sobejana La LoveMatthew Wong

Festival InternsKasse ReyesAlisa TanakaRosemarie Finones

Gala DinnerSheila AbrenicaSophia LukasDiana MartinezVince MartinezLouis Song

Special Events/BlowfishDennis-Michael BroussardEsther ChoeKelly LimDaniel MatthewsTerry Matsuoka

Program Booklet EditorSophia Lukas

WritersCharles NguyenKent Ngo

Film Focus GroupStephen ChinSamuel ChungOscar Eusebio Mark GadiaChris PaffendorfRita QuachDuke TranDidi TanadjajaMatt Wong

Down Low ProjectJessie WilsonMichael ChenBrian CorpuzRoman CortezEddie KimLee Ann KimToan LamJacqui NguyenRon TuatagaloaCharlie Yi

PhotographersRodney RegalaReggie RegalaAllan Regala

Festival JuryMark ArbitraioLeeva ChungHelie LeeArnold MarquezMark Sisson

Board of DirectorsEd Lee, ChairmanLouis Song, Vice ChairmanBill Saung, TreasurerHenry ChengDan HomRay HomGene KimAlbert LeeBenjamin LeeLani LutarJerrilyn MalanaJoe MendozaSteve PeaceAlan TseYen TuEddie Wang RodriguezSarah Yang

Honorary BoardLily Cheng, SDSUJim Doh, QualcommFritz Friedman, Sony PicturesJay Kim, ParamountJanet Yang, Manifest Films

Public RelationsAndy HoangJacqui Nguyen

Legal RepresentationMintz Levin

CPA ServicesRoger Gordon, C.P.A

FOUNDATION & FESTIVAL STAFF


AAJA San Diego

ABA San Diego

Brad Altman

Dennis Amith

Jason Barker, TWC

Amy Berry, Cox Communications

Anita Bye, Sycuan

C-Diddy

Rosalynn Carmen, Asia Media

John Castillo, Anheuser Busch

Jessica Chang, Cox 4

Don Chareunsy, U-T

Carl Choi, Catch Music Group

Timothy Colby, Otay Ranch

Han Chen, Kyocera

Julia Cheng, Prudential

Lilly Cheng, SDSU

Stephen Chin, Sharp HP

Diana Chuh

Leeva Chung, USD

Tammy Chung, KCCLA

Nick Cichon

Peter Cirino, SD AART

Brian Claussen, Swank Pictures

Leah Corradino, W Hotel

Benjamin Cote, DivX

Pascal Courtin, Sidney Frank Importing Co.

Anita Crandall, Nordstrom

J.R. Cumberland

DJ Aesthetic

DJ Vu Do

Alicia Douglas, Airport Lounge

Audrey Ednalino

David Magdael

Julie DeMelo, Niwa PR

Ron Eng and Emilie Yanagai, Infusions of Tea

Roger Fan, superstar

Far*East Movement

Abe Ferrer, Visual Communictions

Rosemarie Finones

Debbie Gonazlez, Union Bank

Roger Gordon, CPA

Taro Goto

Joshua Green, Emerging Pictures

Wendy Grice

Verna Griffin-Tabor, CCSSD

Moses Hwang, Zion Market

Guys Like Us

David Hernandez, Warner Home Video

Tom & Loretta Hom

Homegrown Blends

Cadence Hsiao

Aya Ibarra, Japan Society of San Diego and Tijuana

Phil Ige

Bill Iwaisako, PCH Litho

Gina Kang, Indiestory, Inc.

Neil Kendricks, MCA-SD

Ted Kim, CJ Films

Yul Kwon

Cindy Law, Talent Fuse

Kay Ledger

Chong Lee, Qualcomm

Daniel Lee, Hitachi

Kimber Lee, Mo’olelo

Wyman Lee, DC APA Film Festival

Dean Lim

Justin Lin

Miguel Llora, SDSU

Anna Sophie Loewenburg, Sufei

Robin Lowe

David Magdael

Solly Manalo, L&L Hawaiian Barbeque

Dylan Marchetti, Think Film

Jason Marsh, Newport Beach Film Festival

Janine Mason, Fieldstone Foundation

Brian Matthews

Marnie McGranahan, Chipotle

Bridget McDonald, SD AART

Rita Meno, Landmark Theatres

Mike Moon, L&L Hawaiian Barbeque

Hope Murray, TWC

Brian Nas, Subway Cinema

Joseph Naval

Grace Niwa, Niwa PR

Louie Nguyen, AART

Len Novarro, Asian Media

Jacqui Nguyen,

Thu “David” Nguyen, Pho Cali

Ben Ortega, SanSai

Bill Ostrem, Eastlake Co.

Mike Palmer, Stone Brewing

Anthony Pang

Karen Penhale, Carl Samrock Public Relations

Alyx Park, YAEntertainment

Eric Pierson, USD

Cindy Yumiko Pollack

Chris Principio, Landmark

Elise Prosser, SD AART

Joe Richter, UltraStar

Ron Roberts, Supervisor

Damon Rubio, UltraStar

Lek Samatiyadeekul

Shirley Sanz, AT&T

Wally Schlotter

Alvin Shamon, VIG Productions

Pam Slater-Price, Supervisor

Jack Song

Hyung J. Song

Kyung Song

Samuel Song

Weston Song

Jon Soo

Seema Sueko, Mo’olelo

TIMZ

Su Jung Tong

Greg Toya, CSUSM

Ham Tran

Nguyen Tran

Linda Tu, Alliance

Josh and Marlo Tucker

Felix Tuyay, SW College

The Upstarts

Janet Yang

Kelly Yang, Southwest Airlines

Martin Wong, Giant Robot

Simon Wong Engineering

Robert Yae

Chi-Hui Yang, SFIAAFF

Phil Yu, AngryAsianMan

Su-Mei Yu, Saffron

Timothy Yuen, Burkette & Wong

Teddy Zee

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136 - MIDIval PunditZDir: Ajay NaiduEric FriedenburgSix Degrees [email protected]

5cm per SecondDir: Makoto ShinkaiJackie GravesADV Films5750 Bintliff Dr. Suite 210Houston, TX [email protected]

After This Our Exile Dir: Patrick TamVision Film Workshop, LTDSurson Commercial Bldg., 2nd FloorKowloon, Hong [email protected]

Ain’t No Sunshine - Tatum Jones Dir: Rocky JoRocky Jo954 S. Barrington Ave #4Los Angeles, CA [email protected]

Air Guitar Nation Dir: Alexandra LipsitzKen EisenShadow [email protected]

Akira’s Hip Hop Shop Dir: Joe DoughrityJoseph H ShimDaydreamer Pictures3093 Eagle Pointe DriveFullerton, CA [email protected]

Algorithms Dir: Cheryl KanekarCheryl Kanekar3493 Reynard Way, Unit CSan Diego, CA [email protected]

All in This Tea Dir: Gina LeibrechtLes Blank10341 San Pablo AvenueEl Cerrito CA 94530Fax: [email protected]

American Pastime Dir: Desmond NakanoKerry Yo NakagawaNisei Baseball Research [email protected]

An Unbearable Day Dir: Miqi HuangMiqi Huang1640 Barry Ave. #7Los Angeles, CA [email protected]

And Thereafter II Dir: Hosup LeeHosup Lee456 9th Street #2Palisades Park, NJ [email protected]

Ang Pamana: The InheritanceDir: Romeo CandidoHub Media Group9th Floor, Ayala-Life FGU BldgMadrigal Park [email protected]

AnnelidaDir: Joe TakayamaJoe Takayama293-6 FukumaruMiyawaka-shi, Fukuoka [email protected]

Asian Americans and Classical MusicDir: Matt WongSan Diego Asian Film Foundation7969 Engineer Road, Suite 206San Diego CA [email protected]

The Avon Lady - Carnivores by NatureDir: The Lonely [email protected]

Baby Dir: Juwan ChungJuwan ChungAffiliated Entertainment8033 Sunset Blvd. #1063Los Angeles, CA [email protected]

Badass MofosDir: James JaculinaJames Jaculina3610 W. Chandler Blvd. Apt CBurbank, CA [email protected]

Bai Ri MengDir: Jennifer TippinsJennifer Tippins433 16th Street #3RBrooklyn, New York [email protected]

The BastardDir: Dave QuionDave Quion25399 The Old Road, Unit 9303Stevenson Ranch, CA [email protected]

BetaDir: Nathan AdolfsonNathan Adolfson3435 Wilshire Blvd., Suite #2210Los Angeles, CA [email protected]

Big Picture - Frequency 5Dir: Brian WeeBrian WeeConstruction LLC2045 N. Lincoln StBurbank, CA [email protected]

Black Pig White Pig Dir: Zhang GongZhang Gong

ZGSH StudioAcademy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua UniversityBeijing, Beijing [email protected]

Blackout Dir: Renato BautistaTito VelascoUnitel Pictures International1196 Pablo Ocampo Sr. Ext.Makati, Philippines [email protected]

Bolinao 52Dir: Duc NguyenDuc Nguyen3230 Beard Rd.Napa, CA [email protected]

BottledDir: Jian LeeJian LeeCal Arts24700 Mcbean Pkwy HH-09Valencia, CA [email protected]

Building A JourneyDir: Anson HoAnson Ho6036 Springvale DriveLA, CA [email protected]

Bystanding: The Beginning of An American Lifetime Dir: Karen LinKaren Chien2 East Broadway, 4th FloorNew York, NY [email protected]

Can You Keep a Secret Dir: Jay EsguerraJay Esguerra1959 S. Shenandoah St. Apt. 1Los Angeles, CA [email protected]

PRINT SOURCE AND FILM INDEX


Cats of Mirikitani Dir: Linda HattendorfLinda Hattendorf or HarukoLucid DreamingPO Box 1392New York, NY [email protected]

Champion - Native GunsDir: Patricio GinelsaAJ CalomayXylophone Films11841 Tennessee AveLos Angeles, CA [email protected]

Chances AreDir: Joshua KameyerJoshua Kameyer1111 17th Street #FSanta Monica, CA [email protected]

Chinese DumplingsDir: Michelle HungMichelle Hung16000 W. Sunset Blvd. #102Pacific Palisades, CA [email protected]

ChiyoDir: Masanori BabaMasanori BabaLotus God Productions10401 Wyton DriveLos Angeles, CA [email protected]

City Paradise Dir: Gaelle DenisKim Strobl33-34 Rathbone PlaceLondon, London W1T [email protected]

Cole Needs WomenDir: David ChaiDavid Chai1260 Salvatore DriveSan Jose, CA [email protected]

Cyclone Armor Guardian Dir: Gary Liew

Gary Liew20 Suffolk RoadMelbourne, Dandenong North VIC [email protected]

Dark MatterDir: Shi-Zheng ChenAmerican Sterling Productions2525 Main Street #210Santa Monica, CA [email protected]

Daughter of the GardenDir: Jeff (Giai) WongVancouver Film School200-198 West Hastings St.Vancouver, [email protected]

Deface Dir: John ArlottoJohn ArlottoPainting Pictures1229 North Flores Street #3West Hollywood, CA [email protected]

A Dirty Carnival Dir: Yu HaHai-young YunCJ Entertainment America1801 Century Park East, Suite 520Los Angeles, CA [email protected]

Dissolution of BodiesDir: Kevin ChoiMaura KingFrameline145 9th Street, Suite 300San Francisco, CA [email protected]

DJ:LA Dir: Jerry ChanLeslie ItoVisual Communications120 Judge John Aiso StreetLos Angeles, CA 90012213-687-4848

[email protected]

Dragon Tiger Panacea - New Pants Dir: Liu RunlaiB417 Sky & Sea Business Plaza107 Dongsi Bei DaJie, DongchengBeijing, China 100007

A Drunken Old Man’s AdventureDir: Qin XiaosongZhang HaoChina International Animation and Digital Arts Festival (CICDAF) Office 1110No. 10, Chao Yang Men Bei Da JieAO YANG MEN BEI DA JIEBeijingChina 1000200086.10.59881872,[email protected], [email protected]

Duet - Mimi’s Ami Dir: Sleepless Kaori720 West 19th AvenueVancouver BC V5Z [email protected]

Egg Ghost Dir: Dongkeun LeeDongkeun Lee41-43 39 Pl #1mSunnyside, NY [email protected]

Einstein’s Dream Dir: Brian D. KimBrian D. Kim620 State St. #321San Diego, CA [email protected]

Episode VIIDir: Dylan O’NeilJohn FukudaMunky Bidness920 Silver Lake Blvd. #1Los Angeles, CA [email protected]

Equal OpportunityDir: Howard Duy VuCamille Mana

Escalator to Heaven Dir: Jang Cheol-sooIndiestory, Inc.4 Fl. Baek-Ak Bldg. 135-4 Tong-in-dong, Jongroh-guSeoul [email protected]

Fadeout - +/- Dir: Chris DeanerChris Deaner116 Nevins StreetBrooklyn, NY 11217

Father and SonDir: Ma FengqingZhang HaoChina International Animation and Digital Arts Festival (CICDAF) Office 1110No. 10, Chao Yang Men Bei Da JieBeijingChina 1000200086.10.59881872, [email protected], [email protected]

Finishing the Game Dir: Justin LinJulie AsatoTrailing Johnson Productions2658 Griffith Park Blvd. #214Los Angeles, CA [email protected]

Fission Dir: Kun-i ChangKun-i Chang111-38 76 Dr. #2BForest Hills, NY [email protected]

Fixing the Radio – Ciudad Dir: Quark [email protected]


Floor Kids - Kid KoalaDir: Jonathan NgEnvision Management & ProductionPO Box 834Montreal, Quebec H2X [email protected]

Fly Like a Fox – Ee Dir: Sharon DangSharon Dang4948 Quincy StreetSan Diego, CA [email protected]

Fortune Hunters Dir: Thom HarpMike Standish6738 35th Pl SSeattle, WA [email protected]

Girls Night OutDir: Mark ArbitrarioMark Arbitrario5403 W. 8th Street #201Los Angeles, CA [email protected]

The Gloaming Dir: Andrew HuangAndrew Huang29135 Indian Valley RdRancho Palos Verdes, CA [email protected]

The Golden VoiceDir: Greg CahillGreg CahillRising Falcon Cinema3721 Midvale Ave #18Los Angeles, CA [email protected]

The Great Happiness Space: Tale of An Osaka Love Thief Dir: Jake ClennellJake ClennellThe Film Sales Company151 Lafayette Street, Fifth FloorNew York, NY [email protected]

Gua Zi Dir: Miqi HuangMiqi Huang1640 Barry Ave. #7Los Angeles, CA [email protected]

Hana No Suka Dance - Oreska Band Sony Music [email protected]

Hands Up - Estairy featuring Equipto Dir: Evolution JacksonEvan Leong6036 Springvale DrLos Angeles, CA [email protected]

Her Journey: My Mother’s Story Dir: Alice WangSan Diego Asian Film Foundation7969 Engineer Road, Suite 206San Diego CA [email protected]

Hula Girls Dir: Lee Sang-ilViz [email protected]

I’m a Cyborg But That’s OK Dir: Park ChanwookCJ Entertainment America1801 Century Park East, Suite 520Los Angeles, CA [email protected]

Illegal Dir: Andrew OhAndrew Oh13312 Red Plum St.Cerritos, CA [email protected]

In The Good – Visionaries Dir: Keykool, Ong, SambajonJulius Sambajon Jr.2036 Ridgeview Ave.Los Angeles, CA 90041

[email protected]

Inspiration - Lola Fair & Baby JDir: Reign Shaw, Geoff Reisner, Wesley CYoung-hu KimXPERIMENTAL [email protected]

Iraq – TIMZ Dir: Ron NajorAlvin ShamonV.I.G. Productions & Artist Management/The [email protected]

Irony – Seriously Dir: Karen LinGloria LeeChaos Theory Music2912 Colorado AvenueSuite 204Santa Monica, CA [email protected]

Isabella Dir: Ho-Cheung PangTai Seng Entertainment170 South Spruce Avenue, Suite 200South San Francisco, CA [email protected]

It’s Over Hyun-jin ParkThe Korean National Univ. of Arts School of Film, TV & Multimedia L382-ho, San #1-5, Seokgwan-2-dong, Seongbuk-guSeoul, Seoul [email protected]

Jaded Love Dir: Martin R. JohnsonMartin R. JohnsonPO Box 87369San Diego, CA [email protected]

Just A Game Dir: Leon CuSan Diego Asian Film Foundation

7969 Engineer Rd., Suite 206San Diego, CA [email protected]

The King Boys Dir: Christopher ClarkTory WhanauThe New Zealand Film CommissionLevel 3119 Ghuznee StreetWellington, Wellington [email protected]

The Last Chip Dir: Heng TangHeng TangPlus Films330 Clarke StNorthcoteMelbourne, Victoria, Australia [email protected]

The Last Vacation Dir: Jae-ho ChangJae-ho Chang1628 2nd Ave #3bNew York, NY 10028646 [email protected]

Lead Role: Father Dir: PJ RavalPJ RavalPO Box 684643Austin, TX [email protected]

Lil Skrappy Boy Dir: Alex C. MunozAlex C. MunozNeo Ethno Films8320 Lincoln Blvd. #202Los Angeles, CA [email protected]

Look To Both Sides Dir: Jessica JonesSan Diego Asian Film Foundation7969 Engineer Rd., Suite 206San Diego, CA 92111


The Infinite Power of Cinema | 8�

[email protected]

Lost and Found Dir: Tam TranLeslie ItoVisual Communications120 Judge John Aiso StreetLos Angeles, CA 90012213.687.4848 [email protected]

Lost Utopia Dir: Mirai MizueMirai Mizue9-4-402, somechi-2Chofu-shi, Tokyo [email protected]

Martyr Nyebera – Kamikaze Dir: Avid [email protected]

Mash it Up – KXL Dir: Steve MallorcaSteve [email protected]

Miss Chinatown, U.S.A. Dir: Kathy HuangKathy Huang1571 Waldran AvenueLos Angeles, CA [email protected]

Modern Day Arranged Marriage Dir: Rehana MirzaRohi Mirza PandyaDesipina & Company520 8th AveSuite 318New York, NY [email protected]

A Modern Witch Hunt: The Dale Akiki Story Dir: Adam LeeSan Diego Asian Film Foundation7969 Engineer Rd., Suite 206San Diego, CA [email protected]

Monsoon Dir: Shyam Balse Shyam BalseTempered Entertainment835 N. Fuller Ave., Apt 13Los Angeles, CA [email protected]

Mookey’s Story Dir: Carolyn GoossenCarolyn Goossen275 Ninth Street, #3San Francisco, California [email protected]

MuDir: Paul YaconoLeslie Brockett1330 N. Crescent Hts #10Los Angeles, CA [email protected]

Mumtaz - Bombay Dub Orchestra Dir: Huw JenkinsEric FriedenburgSix Degrees [email protected]

My Father’s Chinese Wife Dir: Franklin PetersonFranklin Peterson1229 Princeton St., Apt. 5Los Angeles, CA [email protected]

My Wall: Watashi No Kabe Dir: Ali TanakaSan Diego Asian Film Foundation7969 Engineer Rd., Suite 206San Diego, CA [email protected]

Na Kamalei: The Men of Hula Dir: Lisette Kaualena FlanaryLisette FlanaryLehua Films490 13th StreetTop FloorBrooklyn, NY 11215212.475.7696

[email protected]

Nagpapanggap Dir: Debbie FormosoDebbie Formoso8066 St. Clair Ave.North Hollywood, CA [email protected]

Naked Branches Dir: Will KimWill Kim1827 Ramona Ave.South Pasadena, CA 91030213 [email protected]

Nanay Dir: Roland LazarteSan Diego Asian Film Foundation7969 Engineer Rd., Suite 206San Diego, CA [email protected]

NankingDir: Bill [email protected]

New Year Baby Dir: Socheata PoeuvSara Newens47-42 Vernon Blvd. #3lLong Island City, NY [email protected]

The Night Boys Dir: Karl Gindelberger And Joseph DicaraKarl Gindelberger6652 Plaza Ridge RdSan Diego, CA [email protected]

No Regrets Dir: Leesong Hee-ilLindsay MarsakHere! [email protected]

Officer Tsukamoto Dir: Ling Liu

Ling Liu666 Kingswood WayLos Altos, CA [email protected]

Oh Mommy (Me Oi!)Dir: Jenni Trang LeLeslie ItoVisual Communications120 Judge John Aiso StreetLos Angeles, CA [email protected]

Owl and the Sparrow Dir: Stephane GaugerStephane GaugerAnnam Pictures143 S. Occidental Blvd. #DLos Angeles, Ca [email protected]

PandamaniaDir: Chris TsouChris Tsou2005 Columbia PikeApt. 2235Arlington, VA [email protected]

Past the Food Dir: Mina T. SonLeslie ItoVisual Communications120 Judge John Aiso StreetLos Angeles, CA [email protected]

Pilgrimage Dir: Tadashi NakamuraTadashi NakamuraCenter for EthnoCommunications11051 Westwood Blvd.Culver City, CA [email protected]

Post 9/11 Blues - MC Riz Dir: Between the Eyes UKhttp://www.myspace.com/rizmc

8� | The 8th Annual San Diego Asian Film Festival

Potluck Dir: Louis R. SweeneyLouis Sweeney13044 Pacific Promenade #419Playa Vista, CA [email protected]

A Pressured Future Dir: Juliane SobejanaSan Diego Asian Film Foundation7969 Engineer Rd., Suite 206San Diego, CA [email protected]

The Process - My American Heart Dir: Shane DrakeJesse [email protected]

Rainbow Song Dir: Naoto KumazawaFortissimo FilmsVeemarkt 77-791019 Da AmsterdamThe [email protected]

Reaching High - Cobra Con & Hinomaru Dir: James OdaJames Oda16706 Ermanita AveTorrance, CA [email protected]

The Rebel Dir: Truc ‘Charlie’ NguyenJimmy PhamChanh Phuong Films & Cinema Pictures15402 Notre Dame StWestminster, CA [email protected]

Relative Distance Dir: Cathy BegienCathy Begien50 Laguna Street #605San Francisco, CA [email protected]

ReunionDir: PARK Jung-kyuGina KangIndiestory Inc.4 Fl., Baek-ak Bldg.135-4 Tong-in dong, Jong-roh guSeoul, Korea [email protected]

Samoan Wedding (Sionne’s Wedding)Dir: Chris GrahamMagnolia [email protected]

Sentenced Home Dir: David Grabias, Nicole NewnhamDavid GrabiasSentenced Home Productions4302 1/2 Melrose Avenue, Suite BLos Angeles, CA [email protected]

Shanghai Kiss Dir: Kern Konwiser & David RenKern KonwiserArclight Films9229 W. Sunset Blvd.Los Angeles, CA [email protected]

Shoot My Life Dir: Kimberly-Rose WolterKimberly-Rose WolterHapa/Hindu Productions10767 Valley Spring LaneN. Hollywood, CA [email protected]

Signerz Dir: Roman CortezRoman CortezRomanfilms & Daydreamer Pictures1530 Manhattan Beach Blvd. #BManhattan Beach, CA [email protected]

Silence Dir: Allen HoAllen Ho

306 Barber CtMilpitas, CA [email protected]

Smile - Far*East Movement feat. Ken Oak Dir: Todd AngkasuwanTNT Digital Media14551 West Marcus DriveSurprise AZ [email protected]

The Space Burger Dir: Sookyoung ChoiSookyoung Choi66-22, Fleet St,Apt 5JForest Hills, NY 11375 [email protected]

Summer Dir: Hong KhaouHong KhaouUnit 11 Panther House38 Mount PleasantLondon, LONDON WC1X [email protected]

Tazza: The High Rollers Dir: Choi Dong-hoonHai-young YunCJ Entertainment America1801 Century Park East, Suite 520Los Angeles, CA [email protected]

This Solace EternalDir: Jennie NaJennie Na1820 12th Street #5Santa Monica, CA [email protected]

Thursday - Asobi Seksu Dir: So Yung Kim, Bradley Rust Gray231 Mt. Rest RoadNew Paltz NY [email protected]

Tie A Yellow Ribbon Dir: Joy Dietrich

Joy DietrichJed Films59 Newel StreetBrooklyn, NY [email protected]

Traffic in the Sky Dir: Charles YiCharles YiAcross The Street Films3111 S. Canfield Ave #3Los Angeles, California [email protected]

The Trainee Dir: Craig RosenthalCraig Rosenthal88 Waving CatsBlk 44 Monks Hill Road#06-48Singapore [email protected]

Tre Dir: Eric BylerKimberly-Rose WolterCinema Libre Studio8328 De Soto Ave.Canoga Park, CA [email protected]

The Trouble With Romance Dir: Gene RheeGene Rhee5801 Kiyot Way, #2Playa Vista, CA 90094310 [email protected]

Truth or RainbowsDir: Chihwen LoChihwen Lo24700 McBean Pkwy Id-03Valencia, CA [email protected]

Under the Honey Chestnut Tree Dir: Hyun-min LeeJennifer C. KleinPicnic Pictures1635 Irving Ave.



Glendale, CA [email protected]

Underpass Dir: Rain BreawRain BreawUniversity of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts Student Film318 S. Kingsley Dr. #310Los Angeles, CA [email protected]

Undoing Dir: Chris Chan LeeKarin Chien2 East Broadway, 4th FloorNew York, NY 10038(212) [email protected]

Vanaja Dir: Rajnesh DomalpalliEmerging Pictures245 W 55th St, 4th floorNew York, NY [email protected]

The Victim Dir: Monthon ArayangkoonGolden Network Asia Ltd.Unit 2003Futura Plaza111-113 How Ming St.,Kwun Tong, Hong [email protected]

Voices of a Distant Star Dir: Makoto Shinkai, Steven FosterADV Films5750 Bintliff Dr. Suite 210Houston, TX [email protected]

West 32nd Dir: Michael KangHai-young YunCJ Entertainment America1801 Century Park East, Suite 520Los Angeles, CA [email protected]

What the Snow Brings Dir: Kichitaro NegishiEleven Arts2932 Wilshire BlvdSanta Monica, CA [email protected]

Year of the Dog Dir: Kevin LauKevin LauPhalum Films2722 Ceilhunt Ave.Los Angeles, CA 90064(310) [email protected]

Year of the FishDir: David KaplanJason Orans59 Franklin St #210New York, NY [email protected]


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8TH ANNUAL FILM FESTIVAL

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A Big Round of Applause For

Pam Slater-Price Ron Roberts

for your continuous and invaluable support of arts, culture, and diversity in our region.

Our Patrons, Members And Filmmakers Thank You!


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SD Asian Film Fest Program Booklet 2007

Documents

Transcript of SD Asian Film Fest Program Booklet 2007