Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival

Drama

Image of red carpet

May We Have the Envelope Please?

On November 20, we celebrated a wildly successful 9th annual Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival with much fanfare, food, and a strong sense of community. We are thrilled to announce the award winners from PAAFF16. Thank you to all who participated and supported our festival, and CONGRATULATIONS to our winners!   Best Narrative Feature – The Tiger Hunter Dir. Lena Khan: The Tiger Hunter is a funny yet poignant reflection on the experiences of many first generation South Asian immigrants in the United States.   Best Documentary Feature – Tyrus Dir. Pamela Tom: Tyrus tells the unlikely story of 105-year old Chinese American artist Tyrus Wong, whose unique style combined Chinese calligraphic and landscape influences with contemporary Western art to define the stylistic look of Disney”s Bambi.   Best Narrative Short – I Won’t Miss You Dir. Bernard Badion: 17-year-old Janey’s best friend Tim begins to appear in her bedroom at night after dying in a car crash and their awkward undeclared feelings begin to surface.   Best Documentary Short – Noodle Deli Dir. David Liu: From China to Los Angeles, an immigrant chef continues one of the world’s fabled culinary traditions — the art of making noodles.   Audience Choice Narrative – The Last Smile Dir. Shankey Srinivasan: Inspired by true events, this film chronicles the struggles of a bereaved father searching for answers to explain the untimely demise of his adult son.   Audience Choice Documentary – Mele Murals Dir. Tadashi Nakamura: Mele Murals is a compelling feature documentary about a young generation of Native Hawaiians who are reclaiming their indigenous culture through the transformative power of graffiti art.   Vijay Mohan Social Change Award – Dear Thalia Dir. Rex Moribe: Dear Thalia offers a firsthand look into the lives of a family living on the streets of Kakaako, Oahu.   Rising Star Award – Danny Pudi: Perhaps best known for his role as Abed Nadir on the NBC/Yahoo! comedy series Community, PAAFF honored Danny Pudi for his leading man-making performance in this year’s Best Narrative Feature, The Tiger Hunter.  

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Reappropriate: PAAFF 2015 Opens Next Week with “Seoul Searching”

Reappropriate did a write up on our festival! Seoul Searching is getting a lot of attention.   This year’s Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival (@paaff)– now in its 8th year —  will once again highlight the work of Asian and Asian American filmmakers over a jam-packed week and a half of events. It will include 23 feature-length and 30 short films, including 5 East Coast premieres and 14 Philadelphia premieres. The festival runs from November 12 to November 22, and opens with “Seoul Searching“.

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Broad Street Review: The east coast’s biggest Asian-American film festival opens in Philly

Nice shout out from Broad Street Review! Films and fun are featured during the 8th annualPhiladelphia Asian American Film Festival (PAAFF). The event, running November 12 through 22, includes more than 60 films on a variety of topics from 17 countries, discussions with filmmakers, and programs focusing on food, music, and culture. PAAFF is the largest Asian-American film festival on the East Coast and focuses on exploring Asian identity via a contemporary lens.

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Tour de Film Event: Bicycle-centric Films & Photography

Join SPOKE magazine and cineSPEAK for an evening of Bicycle-centric Film, Photography, and Community Engagement TICKETS: Friday, April 10 **ADVANCE: $8 **AT DOOR: Youth 18 and Under: FREE* Students: $8 w/Photo ID General Adult: $10 CASH BAR (suggested donation)::: 21+ for beer/wine; Boylan’s craft soda and seltzer also available *Youth 18 and Under: receive a complimentary Boylan’s craft soda or seltzer cineSPEAK and SPOKE Magazine are partnering to present an evening of foreign language film programming. We will be screening two unique stories, “Wadjda” and “Jitensha,” from around the world, both centered on bicycles. “Jitensha” was directed by PAAFF’14 alumni Dean Yamada. Prior to the viewing there will be beer, music, and photography because we know how you bright young things like to party. Please join us at The Glass Factory (1517 N. Bailey St, 19121) in Brewerytown on Friday April 10 at 6:30pm for this great event! Click here for more info. SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:6:30-8pm: Pop-Up Gallery + Community Gathering of Bicycling Advocacy Organizations and Small Businesses8-10pm: Film Screening: “Jitensha” (21 min) + “Wadjda” (98 min)*films shown on DVD and Blu-ray ABOUT THE FILMS:WadjdaSaudi Arabia. 2013. Director: Haifaa al Mansour**This film is the first female directed full-length feature film to come out of Saudi Arabia. It was nominated for Best Foreign Film at the 2014 BAFTA Awards and was Saudi Arabia’s official submission for the 2014 Academy Awards Best Foreign Film category.SYNOPSIS: Wadjda is a 10-year-old girl living in a suburb of Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Although she lives in a conservative world, Wadjda is fun-loving, entrepreneurial and always pushing the boundaries of what she can get away with. After a fight with her friend Abdullah, a neighborhood boy she shouldn’t be playing with, Wadjda sees a beautiful green bicycle for sale. She wants the bicycle desperately so that she can beat Abdullah in a race. But Wadjda’s mother won’t allow it, fearing repercussions from a society that sees bicycles as dangerous to a girl’s virtue. So Wadjda decides to try and raise the money herself. WATCH THE TRAILER Jitensha (The Bicycle) Japan. 2009. Director: Dean YamadaSYNOPSIS: Jitensha is a story about a young man struggling to find meaning in life. Alone and without work, the young man’s bicycle begins to disappear, piece by piece. He receives a letter from the thief that sends him on a journey to resurrect and reassemble his beloved possession. WATCH THE TRAILER   ABOUT THE ARTIST*: Raphael Xavier is a Philadelphia-based multifaceted artist whose work ranges from breakdancing to music producing. We will be showcasing his documentary short film, “No Bicycle Parking”. Photographed over a 15 year period, Xavier collected hundreds of abandoned and stripped bikes to create a silent tableau of loss and mourning from cities around the world. His project was featured in Bike Magazine 2003, the Sweeney Art Gallery’s Re-Cycle-Bike Culture exhibit in 2010, The Painted Bride Art Center in 2013 and several major online publications. *The artist will be in attendance and will be selling copies of his book. 

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