2017 Events

Directed by Robert Florey Anna May Wong stars as the daughter of a wealthy Chinese American merchant whose father is found dead after refusing to do business with a human trafficking operation. To uncover the truth about her father’s death, Wong goes undercover in a Central American nightclub where she begins to unravel a much larger conspiracy. Korean American actor Philip Ahn plays a strong supporting role as Kim Lee, a US government agent trying to crack the human trafficking case and love interest to Wong. Born in Los Angeles as the son of influential Korean Independence activist Ahn Chang-ho, Ahn is the first Korean American to achieve mainstream recognition in Hollywood, working well into the 1970s. Tickets Festival Pass

Directed by Ewald André Dupont Actress Anna May Wong stars as a young Chinese woman working in the kitchen at a London dance club. Given the chance to become the club’s main act, she finds herself embroiled in a plot of betrayal, forbidden love, and murder. Born in Los Angeles, Wong had only acted in a few supporting roles before landing her big break in this British silent film. Although she continued acting in Hollywood films throughout the 1930s-1940s, Wong was unable to secure roles of an equal caliber due to the prevalent racism of that era. Despite her somewhat tragic career, Wong is remembered as the first Chinese American leading lady. Tickets Festival Pass

Directed by Shinpei Takeda Veteran filmmaker and visual artist Shinpei Takeda (Hiroshima Nagasaki Download) returns with this punk musical documentary. Follow two American musicians, two Mexican artists, and one Japanese filmmaker from experimental Punkformance unit Ghost Magnet Roach Motel as they struggle with addiction and an existential crisis on the US-Mexico border. With a soundtrack to match their madness, this film offers a compelling look at the somewhat blurred line between chemical dependency, mental illness, and creativity. Tickets Festival Pass

Directed by Te Arepa Kahi Poi E is titled after Patea Maori Club’s iconic 1984 song, which gave hope and a renewed spirit to a suffering community during New Zealand’s economic recession. This film recounts the unexpected roller coaster ride on which bandleader Dalvanius Prime and the group found themselves as their song climbed the charts and topped off as the number one hit single for four weeks straight. The song “Poi E” remains relevant today, having reentered the Top 10 in New Zealand in 2009 and 2010. The rich history of this song and its roots in indigenous Maori culture are uncovered through archival footage and interviews with Prime, surviving Patea Maori Club members, and other notable figures in New Zealand media. Tickets Festival Pass

Directed by Michael Faulkner Shodekeh, a beatboxer and vocal percussionist from Baltimore, has spent his life mastering new sounds and fostering unlikely musical collaborations. After a chance meeting with traditional Tuvan throat singers Alash Ensemble, Shodekeh embarks on a journey to the Republic of Tuva as a guest musician chosen to participate in the International Xoomei (throat singing) festival. A sensory experience of music and landscape, this film takes the viewer on a journey through the vastness of Central Asia and the sounds that emerge as musical cultures combine. Tickets Festival Pass

This shorts program explores the Four Pillars of Hip Hop and the various Asian American communities that have immersed themselves in them. Short film subjects include the Filipino turntablist scene in 1980s San Francisco, the integration of traditional Chinese theater technique into breakdance routines by Mark Wong of Hip Hop Fundamentals, and a graffiti artist navigating the sometimes violent street art world. The fourth pillar of emceeing will be incorporated through a special live performance by acclaimed Korean American rap duo Year of the Ox. Year of the Ox According to the Zodiac, the Ox is attributed with traits of strength and familial loyalty. Nevertheless, they can be stubborn with their ideals and quick to snap at anybody who might violate tradition. Hailing from Virginia, Lyricks and JL exemplify these characteristics. They are artists who regularly speak on the struggles of the Everyman yet are quick to welcome any challengers, treating them like the bonus stage in Street Fighter. It’s a breath of fresh air in an era when rappers spit freestyles off their phones and mumble from the bottom of styrofoam cups. In 2016, the tag team released “Seven Rings,” garnering millions of views while definitively answering the question, “Can Asians rap?” TAG Director: Patrick Green, Steve Tirona | 6 mins | USA A colorful day in the secret life of a graffiti artist looking to make a mark. The Street Pearls Mixtape Director: Aidan Un | 15 mins | USA Street Pearls is a site-specific performance that was presented at Pearl Street Block Party in October 2015, directed and performed by b-boy crew Hip Hop Fundamentals. Filmmaker Aidan Un captures their dynamic use of b-boy culture to explore themes of identity, individuality, and ancestry. Flip the Record Director: Marie Jamora | 15 mins | USA This film takes us into the beat of an aspiring Filipino American DJ crew in 1984 San Francisco. Vanessa, sick of the the constraints and boring piano lessons in her conservative household, starts teaching herself how to scratch on her older brother’s turntables. Watch as she discovers her talents and place in the local music scene of the era. Tickets Festival Pass

A documentary about a free-spirited chef born of a strict culture. “Kakehashi” is the vision that Chef Nobuo Fukuda’s father had for him, to bridge the gap between Japan and the rest of the world. Facing the challenges of a strict environment and emigrating to a new one, Chef Nobuo unexpectedly bridged the gap through his cuisine. In 2007, Chef Nobuo was awarded the James Beard Awards for Best Chef: Southwest. Preceded By Pool to Table Tim Cheng -  3 mins Tiny, circular “fishing floats,” attached to baited lines bob on the water like wayward mini-beach balls. Tickets Festival Pass

Directed by Saila Kariat Neal Kumar, an immigrant entrepreneur working in the high-octane technologically driven culture of Silicon Valley, seeks answers to lingering questions about his daughter’s suicide. As he journeys deeper into his daughter’s mental-health odyssey, the fractured nature of his interior life becomes apparent to himself and those around him. The Valley explores the struggle of one family to survive intact amidst a culture in which relationships and human connection are almost impossible to maintain. It also addresses the secrecy and lack of understanding that surrounds mental health issues like depression and anxiety, which are the root cause of most suicides. Tickets Festival Pass

Directed by Sahra V. Nguyen Deported follows Philadelphia-based advocacy group 1Love Movement and its sister organization 1Love Cambodia over the course of five months as they head to Phnom Penh to meet with representatives of the Cambodian government. The goal: to halt deportations and renegotiate the 2002 repatriation agreement that allows the US to deport refugees back to Cambodia. Told over the course of five chapters, this film follows the cases of several deported refugees, documenting the impact that separation has had on their lives and their families. Shedding light on the plight of Cambodian refugees caught in the school-to-prison-to-deportation pipeline, this insightful documentary underscores the historical imbalance of US-Cambodia relations. Co-presented by 1Love Movement, who will be present for a post-film discussion with director Sahra V. Nguyen. Tickets Festival Pass

Directed by Konrad Aderer The dominant narrative of the World War II incarceration of Japanese Americans has been that they behaved like a “model minority,” cooperated without protest, and proved their patriotism by enlisting in the Army. Resistance at Tule Lake, a new feature-length documentary from Third World Newsreel (Camera News Inc.) and directed by Japanese American filmmaker Konrad Aderer, overturns that myth by telling the long-suppressed story of Tule Lake Segregation Center. A compelling documentary that exposes the worst of the US government’s violations of civil liberties during WWII and the organized resistance by Japanese Americans behind bars. Director Konrad Aderer expected in attendance for post-film discussion with Tule Lake camp survivor Ed Kobayashi. Tickets Festival Pass

Directed by Ciara Lacy Exiled to a private prison deep in the Arizona desert, native Hawaiian inmates discover culture and community behind bars. In 2007, the state of Hawaii outsourced the care of roughly two thousand of its male prisoners to a private, for-profit prison on the continental US. Now deep in the desert of Arizona, exiled thousands of miles across the ocean from their island home, a group of indigenous Hawaiian inmates have discovered their calling on the inside: teaching each other their native language and dances while behind bars. The film follows several of the men as they complete their sentences and reintegrate back home in Hawaii. Out of State explores complex questions of cultural and religious identity; the disproportionate incarceration rates of native Hawaiians and other ethnic minorities in the prison system; the cycle of criminal behavior and its impact on the family; and prisoner entitlement. Tickets Festival Pass

Live Performance Blasian Narratives is a multi-media “Docu-Theatre” project that explores the intersectional identities of mixed-race Black & Asian individuals through an integrated live performance and film screening. The project began as a collaboration between Morehouse and Spelman College students documenting peoples of mixed Afro-Asian heritage, colloquially known as “Blasians.” Illustrating the complex relationships between two historically polarized communities of color, this grassroots project aims to develop identity awareness and build solidarity. Film subjects will be present to perform live excerpts in conversation with the film. Tickets Festival Pass  

Directed by Angie Wang Based on the life of filmmaker Angie Wang, this film dramatizes the true story of a Chinese American chemistry student who became the largest supplier of ecstasy on the West Coast in the early 1980s. After losing her scholarship to a prestigious college in San Francisco, Angie continues manufacturing and selling the party drug to make ends meet. Angie hides her dangerous secrets from everyone in her life, but when the consequences of her double life come to a head, she finds herself tumbling out of control. Starring Annie Q (HBO’s The Leftovers) and Francesca Eastwood (of ABC’s Heroes Reborn), writer/director Angie Wang is expected in attendance for a post-film Q&A. Preceded By Monday Dinh Thai - 19 mins Kwan is a small-time hustler who provides contraband to whomever needs it. Tickets Festival Pass

This FREE shorts program explores the concept of sexual commerce and body commodification. Subjects include prostitution and emotional transactions related to sex. Filmmakers expected in attendance. MATURE CONTENT, VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED. Cake Director: Anne Hu | 9 mins | USA A bisexual woman tries to explore her sexuality with her husband Thomas by surprise ordering a seemingly human female sex robot. But the sex robot is not the cure-all she had hoped for. I am JUPITER Director: Matthew Victor Pastor | 15 mins | Australia, Philippines Jupiter is a visual narrative about the silence of my people in post-colonial Philippines. It’s a tense thriller without any spoken dialogue showing the harsh realities currently present in the motherland. Hierarchy of Needs Director: Ryan Michael Connolly | 5 mins | USA A gay Filipino American named Jonathan is in a financial dilemma; but his troubles run much deeper than his pocketbook. Dear Mother Director: Matthew Kaundart | 4 mins | USA A Korean adoptee named Kayla Tange lives in LA, where she works as an exotic dancer and performance artist. After plans to meet her birthmother fell through, Kayla created this visual letter in the hopes it will bring her some sort of peace. Please Hold Director: Jerell Rosales | 15 mins | USA When a condom breaks during a random hook-up with a stranger, Danny gets an HIV test and an unexpected new friend. Tickets Festival Pass

Directed by Megumi Sasaki After a documentary film denouncing Japan’s longstanding whale and dolphin hunting practices called The Cove wins an Academy Award in 2010, the sleepy fishing town of Taiji suddenly awakens to find itself in the global spotlight. Almost overnight, Taiji transforms into the go-to battleground for international anti-whaling activists. The camera delves into the lives of local whalers, global activists, and an American journalist in the “whale and dolphin killing town” and suggests that not everything is as black and white as it might seem. Filmmaker Megumi Sasaki is expected to be in attendance for a post-film Q&A. Tickets Festival Pass

Directed by Zixuan Deng Immigrants in France. Through their specific experiences, the film gives an intimate look at the rise of a new generation of French Chinese who identify with two cultures, speak two languages, and demand acceptance within contemporary French society. Filmed in French and Chinese with English subtitles, this film reveals the resilience of the Chinese community in Paris, but also underscores the universal complications and shared immigration histories across the Chinese diaspora. Filmmaker Zixuan Deng expected in attendance for post-film Q&A. Tickets Festival Pass

Directed by Francois Yang After his brother suddenly dies, dies, Alex, a thirty-something man of French Chinese descent, returns to Paris in search of an explanation. Torn between two cultures and caught in a love triangle with women who represent both sides of his heritage, Alex must come to terms with his family’s past as he tries to uncover the truth behind his brother’s death. Produced by the same team who brought us PAAFF15 film alumni Mooncake, this feature film is a landmark achievement for the Francophone Asian diasporic community, and highly relatable to the Asian American experience. Tickets Festival Pass