Film Club 2021

Join us for the inaugural meeting of our new PAAFF Film Club. We'll be discussing Wayne Wang’s feature debut Chan is Missing (1982).

For our April meeting, we will be discussing Surname Viet Given Name Nam (1989). Vietnamese-born Trinh T. Minh-ha's profoundly personal documentary explores the role of Vietnamese women both historically and in contemporary society. Using dance, printed texts, folk poetry, and the words and experiences of Vietnamese women in Vietnam—from both North and South—and the United States, Trinh's film challenges official culture with the voices of women.A theoretically and formally complex work, Surname Viet Given Name Nam explores the difficulty of translation and themes of dislocation and exile, critiquing both traditional society and life since the war. You can access this documentary for FREE on Kanopy. Our April meeting is scheduled for April 17, at 3PM ET/12PM PT. We will send a meeting registration link soon! Sign up for our Film Club newsletter below! *Please make sure to check the "PAAFF Film Club" box when signing up!

Spring is in the air! And what better way to celebrate than with a romantic comedy? For the May meeting of PAAFF Film Club, we’ll be talking about writer-director Alice Wu’s 2004 debut Saving Face. Reviewing the film at the Toronto International Film Festival, David Rooney of Variety described the film as a “warmly observed, low-key charmer about a closeted Chinese-American lesbian and her traditionalist mother, both reluctant to go public with secret loves that clash against cultural expectations.” PAAFF Film Club will meet next on May 15 at 3PM ET/12PM PT. Saving Face is available on Amazon Prime Video. Sign up for our Film Club newsletter below! *Please make sure to check the "PAAFF Film Club" box when signing up!

After moving from Calcutta to New York, members of the Ganguli family maintain a delicate balancing act between honoring the traditions of their native India and blending into American culture. Although parents Ashoke (Irrfan Khan) and Ashima (Tabu) are proud of the sacrifices they make to give their offspring opportunities, their son Gogol (Kal Penn) strives to forge his own identity without forgetting his heritage. You can access The Namesake on Hulu, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, or you can rent the film for $3.99 on YouTube. Our June meeting is scheduled for June 19 at 3PM ET/12PM PT. We will send a meeting registration link soon! Make sure you join the PAAFF Film Club Discord server if you’re interested in continuing the conversation outside of our monthly meetings! Sign up for our Film Club newsletter below! *Please make sure to check the "PAAFF Film Club" box when signing up!

Before Jo Jo Rabbit and the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder, Taika Waititi wrote and directed Boy, the focus of our July PAAFF Film Club meeting. Part The 400 Blows, part Slumdog Millionaire, a pinch of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” and all New Zealand, Boy offers a nostalgic coming-of-age narrative that seems made for summer viewing. During summer break in 1984, eleven-year-old Michael Jackson fanatic "Boy" has the adventure of his life. With his mother dead and father AWoL, Boy becomes the head of a household full of kids when his Nana leaves town for a funeral. It starts as just another few weeks of fruitless pining for classmate beauty Chardonnay, but then his Dad rolls up in a vintage car with his Crazy Horses gang, and Boy's life turns upside down. You can access Boy on Hulu, Vudu (free with account), and Amazon Prime Video ($3.99). Our next meeting is scheduled for July 17 at 3PM ET/12PM PT. Make sure you join the PAAFF Film Club Discord server if you’re interested in continuing the conversation outside of our monthly meetings! Sign up for our Film Club newsletter below! *Please make sure to check the "PAAFF Film Club" box when signing up!

Next month will be our last Film Club meeting of the year! We’ll be closing out our season with A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night, Ana Lily Amirpour's award-winning debut. With hints of homage to Iranian New Wave cinema, the film is more art film than vampire flick. Residents of an Iranian ghost-town, Bad City, encounter a skateboarding vampire who preys on men who disrespect women. You can access A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night on Kanopy and for rent on Amazon Prime Video ($3.99). Our next meeting is scheduled for August 21 at 3PM ET/12PM PT. Make sure you join the PAAFF Film Club Discord server if you’re interested in continuing the conversation outside of our monthly meetings! Sign up for our Film Club newsletter below! *Please make sure to check the "PAAFF Film Club" box when signing up!