2017 Events

Directed by Tiffany Hsiung The Apology follows the personal journeys of three former “comfort women” who were among the 200,000 girls and young women kidnapped and forced into military sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. After decades of living in silence and shame about their past, they know that time is running out to give a first-hand account of the truth and ensure that this horrific chapter of history is not forgotten. Some 70 years after their imprisonment, the three “grandmothers”—Grandma Gil in South Korea, Grandma Cao in China, and Grandma Adela in the Philippines—face their twilight years with fading health. Whether they are seeking a formal apology from the Japanese government or summoning the courage to finally share their secret with loved ones, their resolve moves them forward to seize this last chance to set future generations on a course for reconciliation, healing, and justice. Tickets Festival Pass

This collection of FREE shorts explore the myriad experiences of Japanese Americans who lived through the incarceration of WWII and the impact of intergenerational trauma. Filmmakers expected in attendance. The Orange Story Director: Jason Matsumoto | 17 mins | USA The proud owner of a small corner grocery store must abandon everything and report to an assembly center, enroute to a more permanent incarceration site. 9066 Director: Andrew Okada | 11 mins | USA A personal look at the lasting effects of Executive Order 9066 and how to best translate the unspoken trauma of Japanese-American internment to future generations. Sansei Dream Director: Gabe Veenendaal | 7 mins | USA After his mother suddenly passes away, a young third generation Japanese American farmer uncovers the truth about her dark past through a subconscious dream state. Cliff, Superfan! Director: Diane Quon | 27 mins | USA 68-year-old Clifford Hayashi is a legendary superfan of all Stanford sports teams. Although most know who Cliff is, the man himself remains a mystery. Rivaling his love for Stanford sports is Cliff’s passion for writing about the Japanese concentration camp where his mother was imprisoned during World War II. Tickets Festival Pass

Mutang is a stay-at-home dad in the suburbs of Montreal, but in Malaysia he was an indigenous activist who voiced resistance for the peoples of Sarawak. When he returns home for the first time since his exile in 1992, Mutang’s remote forest village is not as he remembers it. Contrary to the will of their elders, Mutang’s younger cousins who once stood with him at the blockades are now welcoming timber companies into their tribal lands. With the very existence of their community hanging in the balance and despite the threat of a lingering arrest warrant, Mutang can’t resist taking up his old cause. This film provides an unflinching look at the effects of capitalism on the fabric of traditional communities around the world through the personal story of Mutang’s search for belonging in a place where home and heritage are slipping away. Filmmaker Ashley Duong expected in attendance for post-film Q&A. Tickets Festival Pass

This compelling documentary narrated in part by George Takei brings history into the present, retelling the difficult story of Japanese American incarceration and following contemporary activists as they speak out against the Muslim registry and travel ban. And Then They Came for Us is a cautionary and inspiring tale for these dark times. Film preceded by: One-Two-One-Seven Brett Kodama - 14 mins This short documentary tells the story of a woman whose parents committed suicide in a Japanese American Concentration Camp. Tickets Festival Pass

Directed by Ann Marie Fleming Rosie Ming, a young Canadian poet of mixed Chinese and Persian ancestry, is invited to perform at a poetry festival in Shiraz, Iran. Once in Iran Rosie finds herself confronting memories of her past, the Iranian father she assumed had abandoned her, and the nature of poetry itself. An unwitting journey of forgiveness, reconciliation, and understanding – this animated feature is an attempt by its Asian Canadian filmmakers to build bridges between cultural and generational divides. Executive Produced by Sandra Oh (GREY’S ANATOMY), this ambitious animated film features original poetry by a host of prominent artists. Tickets Festival Pass

This series of FREE shorts explores variations on the theme of metamorphosis: transitions between life and dead, emotional growth, and physical transformation. Filmmakers are expected to be in attendance. Mwah Director: Sara Soheili | 12 mins | Iran While five pregnant women sit in their doctor’s waiting room, their unborn babies carry on conversations about life inside their mommy’s belly and futures outside the womb. The Servant Director: Farnoosh Abedi | 9 mins | Iran A bug becomes a servant, but how long will he stand his master’s abuse? Tidal Waves Director: Kristina Wong | 9 mins | Canada Tidal Waves is a short film about a young dancer’s struggle with scoliosis. After undergoing a surgery to correct her spine, Riley – a once triumphant and passionate dancer must now come to terms with the fact that she can no longer dance. After her mother enrolls her in water therapy, Riley begins to find a new path. A Time to Bleed Director: Shaun Vivaris | 5 mins | USA A young man hallucinates an existential debate with a former school teacher as he bleeds out in his bathtub. Confucius Plaza Director: Patrick Chen | 5 mins | USA Within this building of 762 apartments there’s a story in each of them. In this story, a young couple enjoy a morning together in bed that will change their lives forever. Tiger God Director: Ying Pan | 7 mins | Taiwan Master Tiger, the god who protected children in Chinese traditional religion, rises to the occasion when a young boy needs his help. Im/Perfection Director: Andrew Hida | 12 mins | USA Im/Perfection is about one man’s pursuit of perfection in his creation of hand drawn architectural renderings in Hawaii. In a digital world, Hitoshi Hida is one of the last holdouts who meticulously practices his craft at the drafting table. Lady Eva Director: Dean Hamer, Joe Wilson | 11 mins | Tonga, USA A brave young transgender woman sets off on a journey to become her true self in the conservative Pacific Island Kingdom of Tonga – competing in the Miss Galaxy beauty pageant. Tickets Festival Pass

Directed by Vivienne Schiffer RELOCATION ARKANSAS explores the effect of the Japanese American incarceration experience in Arkansas during WWII on the generation that was born after the camps closed, the unlikely tale of those Japanese Americans who remained behind, and the even more unlikely tale of how a small-town Arkansas mayor of Italian descent became a legend in the Japanese American community. But with its themes of the complexity and hypocrisy of race relations in America, journeys toward forgiveness and healing, and cross community understanding, the film transcends regional and cultural constraints unlike any other film on the incarceration experience. Documentary subjects Paul and Alice Takemoto expected in attendance for post-film Q&A. Tickets Festival Pass

This program of FREE shorts revolve around the Asian American family. Subjects include elder wisdom and conflicting values between generations. Filmmakers expected in attendance. Home is Where the Sunsets Director: Kayla Tong | 8 mins | USA Alison’s life in LA turns upside down when her family comes to visit from Hong Kong for the very first time. Stuffed into her cramped apartment, Alison finds beauty and heartache in the smallest of moments. Akashi Director: Mayumi Yoshida | 10 mins | Canada, Japan Grappling with a one-sided relationship, Kana’s returns home to Japan to pay her respects to her deceased grandmother. As she recalls advice from their most intimate conversation, Kana’s own relationship problems come into focus. The Bird Who Could Fly Director: Raphael Sbarge | 19 mins | USA A young Korean-American man struggles with his journey in the face of an overbearing mother and two brothers whose lives have gone awry. Mother’s Touch Director: Jane Yeon | 5 mins | USA An elderly woman goes to the sea for what will be her last pearl dive. As she submerges, she is reminded of precious times she spent with her late mother. Time for Tea Director: Bob Yang | 22 mins | Brazil A retired Chinese general gets an unusual visit from his grandson. Tickets Festival Pass

Directed by Jennifer Reeder An emotionally repressed Pakistani American woman named Zaynab lives with her recently widowed mother Parveen, a devout Muslim who spends her days watching TV dramas and trying to find her daughter a husband. Zaynab begins a lesbian romance with free-spirited Mexican American Alma, and confrontation with her mother seems inevitable. Zaynab copes by becoming a Lucha-style wrestler. A funny yet poignant film that addresses the universal conflict between family expectations and personal fulfillment through a wholly unique Muslim Mexican take on the romantic comedy genre. Preceded By: Lion Dance Tim Pattinson, Zheng Kang - 6 mins A romantic visual poem set during a traditional Asian parade in which a highly acrobatic dance is performed to bring good luck. Tickets Festival Pass

Directed by Justin Lin Ben (Parry Shen) is a perfectionist and overachiever whose tunnel vision leads to nothing less than graduating at the top of his class. As he struggles to achieve social success, he discovers his darker side. He and his friends Virgil (Jason Tobin), Daric (Roger Fan), and Han (Sung Kang) lead a double life of mischief and petty crimes to alleviate the pressures of perfectionism. As their shadow lives begin to grow, the gang tumbles into a downward spiral of excitement and excess. A truly revolutionary film that broke the mold of the model minority myth wide open with its 2002 Sundance premiere and nationwide theatrical release by MTV Films, this film single-handedly launched the careers of Justin Lin (THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS: TOKYO DRIFT, STAR TREK BEYOND, ANNAPOLIS), Sung Kang (FAST & FURIOUS, GANG RELATED, BULLET TO THE HEAD), Parry Shen (GENERAL HOSPITAL, NCIS: LOS ANGELES, YES WE’RE OPEN), and Jason Tobin (JASMINE, #1 SERIAL KILLER, TOKYO DRIFT), among others. In recognition of the 15th anniversary of its release, PAAFF is showing a never-before-seen Sundance Festival cut of the original 35mm film. This cut has only screened six times in Park City and once at the LA Asian Pacific Film Festival. Tickets Festival Pass

Directed by Ric Burns, Li-Shin Yu Co-produced by Center for Asian American Media, this film underscores important connections between the Chinese Exclusion Act and the history of US immigration. By examining the socio-economic and geo-political forces that led to the Act, the film uncovers its unmistakable and wide-ranging consequences on national attitudes towards race, culture, politics, and society. At its core this is a film about American identity, tracing the arc of what has defined being American from the time the US was a fledgling republic through its astronomical rise as a world superpower. This film documents in fascinating detail the events leading to, consequences, and continuing impact of the only federal legislation in US history to single out and name a specific race and nationality for exclusion from immigration and citizenship. The second half of this documentary will be shown after the Memories to Light Program, which explores a more recent history of Chinese Americans through a collection of home movies. Tickets Festival Pass

A remote archipelago of hundreds of tiny volcanic islands in the western Pacific, the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) is an independent nation of 100,000 citizens and a protectorate of the United States. In recent years, the country has become a “recruiter’s paradise” for the US military, especially since 9/11. Yet they have lost fives times more soldiers, per capita, than any US state. The film captures a tightly knit island community — a microcosm of economic, social and political change—as the high price for military service in a foreign nation’s wars cuts deep. Through an intricate web of the personal journeys undertaken by Pacific Islander soldiers, the film illustrates the larger story of a remote region whose interests are caught in the ever-changing tides of international politics. Who are these virtually unknown foreign soldiers fighting America’s wars? What does it mean for the United States to use, and practically discard, foreign citizens from their military? What happens to Micronesian veterans, and their families, when they return home and cannot access their benefits (healthcare, treatment for PTSD, loans, etc)? What is the future of these islands that exist at the mercy of foreign superpowers and strategic military interests? Director Nathan Fitch expected in attendance for post-film Q&A. Tickets Festival Pass

PAAFF is excited to present a selection of home movies collected in the San Francisco Bay Area spanning 1920s-1970s and featuring Chinese American families. Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) Executive Director Stephen Gong will narrate this program, which will also include live musical accompaniment by Chinese multi-instrumentalist Qin Qian and her band. If memories are food for the soul, home movies are the breadcrumbs we drop to find our way back. Unfortunately for many Asian American families who immigrated in the early 20th century or earlier, there is very little home movie footage that shows their unique experiences in this country. CAAM’s Memories to Light project is an effort to collect, digitize, and exhibit Asian American home movies from the bygone film era. PAAFF is also collecting home movies on behalf of the Memories to Light project in the formats of 8mm, Super-8, and 16mm. Films will be digitized at no cost to the owner. If you have questions about adding your films to the collection, please contact: Wing So at [email protected]. Tickets Festival Pass

Directed by James Q. Chan Forever Chinatown is the story of self-taught 81-year-old artist Frank Wong, who spent the past four decades recreating fading memories of the San Francisco Chinatown of his youth by building extraordinarily detailed miniature models. A meditation on memory, community, and preserving one’s own legacy, Frank’s three-dimensional miniature dioramas become rare portals into a historic neighborhood and a window to the artist’s filtered and romanticized memories and emotional struggles. In his compromise with immortality, Frank announces plans to cremate his exquisite works with him upon his death in order to ‘live inside them forever’ in his afterlife. This film takes the journey of one individual and maps it onto a rapidly changing urban neighborhood from 1940s to present day. Philadelphia Chinatown community leaders expected in attendance to lead a group discussion after the film. Tickets Festival Pass

Directed by Ludwig Berger, Michael Powell, Tim Whelan & Alexander Korda One of the most spectacular fantasies ever made, this color film pioneer was at the forefront of cinematic technique when released. Inspired by The Arabian Nights and cited as a major influence on Disney’s Aladdin, Sabu Dastagir co-stars as Abu the thief in this epic adventure. When Prince Ahmad (John Justin) is blinded and cast out of Bagdad by the nefarious Jaffar (Conrad Veidt), he joins forces with the scrappy thief Abu (Sabu, in his definitive role) to win back his royal place and the heart of a beautiful princess (June Duprez). With its luscious Technicolor, vivid sets, and unprecedented visual effects, Thief of Bagdad has been charming viewers of all ages for decades. Perhaps the only Indian national to achieve A-list celebrity status in mid 20th century Hollywood, Sabu is best known for his role in the original, live-action adaptation of The Jungle Book. While it is somewhat problematic that he race-bends as Arab in the role of Abu, this is arguably his strongest performance in a Hollywood film, as he spends nearly an hour of the film as the lead protagonist. Tickets Festival Pass

Directed by Nadine Truong depressed foster youth named Ben is bullied and consequently gets into a car accident. His recovery process is slow until he meets Adrienne, a fellow wheelchair-bound patient at the hospital. Adrienne breathes hope into his life and introduces to him her grandfather, Taekwondo Master Kang. Master Kang not only teaches Ben how to walk and get back up on his feet but also how to take charge of his own life. PAAFF alumna Nadine Truong (Someone I Used to Know) uses the martial arts backdrop to tell a classic coming-of-age story complemented by a beautiful score and meticulously crafted cinematography. Based in part on the true story of Master Kang’s Old Greenwich Taekwondo dojang. Nadine and Producer Brian Yang (Linsanity, Snakehead) expected in attendance for post-film Q&A. Tickets Festival Pass

Directed by Robin Lung Documentary filmmaker Robin Lung investigates Li Ling-Ai, the uncredited female producer of KUKAN, a landmark color film about the atrocities committed by Imperial Japan in China. Lost for decades, KUKAN helped shift public support against Japan in the lead up to WWII and was the first American feature documentary to receive an Honorary Academy Award in 1941. Lung discovers the sole surviving copy of the film and pieces together the inspirational tale behind its production and complex identity of the woman who made it. Filmmaker Robin Lung expected in attendance for post-film Q&A. Tickets Festival Pass

Live Performance AAFF is excited to present for the first time a staged reading of a new original play by Steven de Castro (Fred Ho’s Last Year). The play is based on the true story of Corporal David Fagen, an African American soldier serving in the 24th regiment of the US Army in the Philippines-American War. While serving, Fagen defected to the Filipino army and joined in their rebellion against US colonial rule. Earning the rank of Captain in the Filipino Army, Fagen became the FBI’s most-wanted criminal. Ultimately his fate is shrouded in mystery, some claiming to have found his partially decomposed remains, while others believe he married a Filipina woman and lived out the rest of his life peacefully in the Philippine mountains. Bringing together two underrepresented communities in the retelling of a little known story of mutual resistance, this groundbreaking piece will feature local African American and Asian American theater artists sharing the stage for the first time. Tickets

Directed by Jonathan Cianfrani Fermentation is an ancient and mysterious food preservation technique whose story can be traced back to the origins of our species. How did this practice give rise to what the culinary world calls “the hottest food trend across the globe?” Join chef/author Ed Lee on a journey to understand how the process of fermentation is used in modern cuisine throughout the US and abroad—exploring the shared techniques used to produce cheese, bread, beer, charcuterie, kimchi, kombucha, and more. Providing a glimpse into how tradition can give rise to a contemporary trend, this film offers point of entry into the deep dark world of fermentation … and what it means to human. Co-presented by Reading Terminal Market, this special after-hours market event will highlight the many market vendors whose products involve or employ fermentation. Tickets Festival Pass