Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival

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Live Performance: Voided

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Writer, Director & Performer: Pratima Agrawal 80 mins | Live Performance What is it like to be an unconventional Indian woman trying to exist in a marginalizing world? Voided is a solo performance inspired by Pratima’s own experiences and the true story of Kalpana Chawla (the first Indian female astronaut in space and one of the crew members who died in the 2003 Columbia accident). It iss the exploration of culture, status quo, and representation that dares to color outside the lines. BIO: Pratima is a local performing artist, teaching artist, and administrator. While she considers herself to be from Austin, TX, she moved to Philadelphia four years ago by way of Bethlehem, PA for the city’s vibrant theatre and arts scene and is inspired by the progressive community voices within and outside of the arts. She finds purpose in working on projects that challenge her as an artist and push the boundaries of art and humanity. She also volunteers for the Philadelphia Ready for 100 clean energy campaign and is a Sixers fan. She would like to thank all her collaborators for their artistry and continued support.

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Shorts Program: Augmented Adolescence

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Asian Arts Initiative | 62 mins In today’s society, technology increasingly impacts how we live our lives from simple things like ordering food and taxis to finding our dating partners. Perhaps those most impacted by the omnipresence of digital technology are the post-millennial youth. This block of four narrative and one doc short explore a variety of coming-of-age situations impacted by technology. Filmmakers expected in attendance for post-film Q&A. Share Director: Barna Szász, Ellie Wen | 13 mins | USA An 18-year-old Instagram influencer attempts to reconcile his identity online with his identity in real life. Soap & Shadows Director: Donna Mae Foronda | 8 mins | USA It’s early in San Francisco when Bethany and Craig wake up from a strange sound, but instead of getting annoyed, they imagine playful scenes using the sound. Bethany is enamored by the moment, thinking Craig may be “the one.” Clique Bait Director: Anna Mikami | 15 mins | Home Kong Set in the international school community of Hong Kong, a high school girl spreads a video sexualizing her childhood friend and classmate. Halo-Halo Director: Bernard Badion | 9 mins | Hong Kong A food video blogger has trouble meeting his deadline, pining for the person he saw on the subway that morning. Can a missed connection post solve his problem? Lions in Waiting Director: Jason Karman | 17 mins | Canada The newest member of a minor league hockey team experiences hazing by his new teammates as he struggles to fit in both on and off the ice.

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Narrative Program: August at Akiko’s

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East Coast Premiere Director: Christopher Makoto Yogi 75 mins | Drama | Hawaii | English August at Akiko’s is a mystical film that lives in the seams between dream, reality, and memory with a time-signature all its own. Armed with just his suitcase and a sax, cosmopolitan musician Alex Zhang Hungtai (Dirty Beaches, Last Lizard) returns home to the Big Island of Hawai‘i after being away for nearly a decade. Amidst possessed sax solos and brooding strolls, Alex stumbles upon a Buddhist bed & breakfast run by a woman named Akiko (Akiko Masuda). Hungtai’s wild sax and Akiko’s Buddhist bells form the base for a rich soundtrack surrounding the unexpected new friendship and wrapping around the audience like a sonic web.

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Shorts Program: Intergenerational & Overseas Perspectives on Queer Idenitity

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Asian Arts Initiative | 81 mins This program of six narrative shorts explores a variety of perspectives on queer-ness, coming out, and embracing one’s identity both overseas and amongst the Asian immigrant generation in the US. Filmmakers expected in attendance for post-film Q&A. Hoài (Ongoing/Memory) Director: Quyen Nguyen Le | 11 mins | USA A young Vietnamese American queer woman and her father cohabitate after her recent breakup, exploring themes of heartbreak from romantic relationships, to families, to nations. Salamagan Director: Elisa Oh | 12 mins | USA Ana fears that coming out to her Filipino Catholic mother would break her heart. But when her mother needs help cleaning a hoarder house, Ana enlists her secret girlfriend for the job. Straighten Out Director: Yung-Chieh Chang | 14 mins | Taiwan Sheng wakes up in a clinic with no memory of how he got there. When he discovers the truth, he faces a difficult choice: following his family’s religious beliefs or embrace his true identity. Rani Director: Hammad Rizvi | 14 mins | Pakistan A Pakistani transgender woman sets out to take care of an abandoned child. Hudson Director: Shae Xu | 10 mins | USA A young divorcee mother tries to find the right moment to tell her teenage son that the woman she lives with is actually her girlfriend. Uninvited Director: Seung Yeob Lee | 20 mins | South Korea When a closeted gay man’s mother comes for a sudden visit, he quickly hides evidence of his live-in boyfriend.

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Film Still from Dirty Sock

Comedy Shorts

This FREE shorts program offers a diverse selection of comedy shorts starring AAPI actors and comedians. Filmmakers expected in attendance for post-film Q&A. 3 Minutes At a local speed-dating event, a couple makes all-too-honest assessments of each other over the course of a three-minute conversation. Dirty Sock A man tries to prevent the future soiling of his sock using a digital time machine app. Moby Dick A comedic take at Korean culture, where circumcision is considered a necessity. Based on the filmmaker’s own high-school aged experience. First Date Deepak meets his future bride for the first time. She’s not exactly what he expected but everything he ever wanted. Almost Asian A comedy webseries created by Katie Malia that follows a half-Asian actress’ everyday life in Los Angeles. Each episode polaroids Katie’s personal and professional struggles with tongue-in-cheek humor as she awkwardly attempts to maneuver through life as a half-Asian woman. Facebook Event Page

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Photo of Pratima Agrawal wearing a witch outfit

Titles are for Little Witches – Theater Performance

As part of our ongoing commitment to the community, PAAFF’16 will include a series of FREE screenings and live theater performances November 16-17 at Fleisher Art Memorial in South Philadelphia. Titles are for Little Witches: The Salem Bitch Trials The world is full of bitches. Or is it witches? And are they talking about them or us? In this “discoveries we have made so far” showing, the Kaleid ensemble will explore the ways that the word “bitch” is used and history of witchcraft accusations to ask: What is power? How do we take it from each other? How do we claim it for ourselves? And who needs titles anyway? Approximately 55 minutes with audience talk back afterwards. Ensemble: Pratima Agrawal – Creator/Performer Nastassja Baset – Creator/Perfomer Gabriella Sanchez – Creator/Performer Sarah Mitteldorf – Creator/Director Daniel Ison – Sound Designer Gina Purri – Composer Tanaya Thomas – Choreographer Website: kaleidtheatre.org Kaleid Theatre is a project of CultureTrust Greater Philadelphia. Kaleid Theatre, as in kaleidoscope, as in collide, is a physical theatre ensemble. We are interested in how language, movement, music, and sound can come together to create a new, multi-sensory, multi-dimensional language, which allow us to explore issues that are not easy to talk about through one sense or dimension alone. The things that mean the most to our communities are often the hardest to articulate. They frequently deal with emotion, power hierarchy, the divine, trauma, transcendence, even voicelessness. To explore these themes, Kaleid layers consistent and conflicting languages from different mediums – such as text, movement, music, or sound. This method allows us to mirror the layered experience of consistent and conflicting emotions and ideas that embody these human experiences, and to explore them in a more honest and fully articulated way. Facebook Event Page 

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Film Still from Carnatic Cornet

Musical Shorts

This FREE four film shorts program offers a glimpse into the lifestyle of two virtuoso immigrant musicians, a struggling indie folk artist about to catch his big break, and Chinese punk rockers in Beijing. Filmmakers expected in attendance for post-screening Q&A. Carnatic Cornet Venkat Ganesan is attempting to do something that has never been done before, play the south Indian classical Carnatic music on the cornet. This short doc follows Venkat the week leading up to his first live performance. Dinosaur Rider Adapted from true stories and featuring a cast of local punk-rockers acting as themselves, this narrative short is a vibrant portrait of what it’s like to be young and punk in contemporary China. Crescendo A narrative short about sacrificing one’s passions to ensure the success of future generations, told through one hardworking South Asian immigrant’s perspective as a dishwasher and lover of classical music. I Hate Big Phony Navigating in between cultures, the soulful Korean singer-songwriter-guitarist Bobby Choy discusses his emotionally moving music and performs some of it too, lending insight into his life journey and what’s next for him. Facebook Event Page

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Okay I’ll Tell You + Bi(?!)Lingual – Theater Performances

As part of our ongoing commitment to the community, PAAFF’16 will include a series of FREE screenings and live theater performances November 16-17 at Fleisher Art Memorial in South Philadelphia. Okay I’ll Tell You Four adults, who were adopted when they were young, gather to share their stories of family, loss, love, pride, and identity. Here, they challenge us to face their own questions, stare down narratives that keep being thrown at them, and wonder how, and sometimes even if, this part of their stories matters. Together, they mourn the closures they cannot have, embrace a future that has always been wide open, and celebrate the people with whom they have grown. Please note: this piece is not specifically created for children and does contain cursing, sexual references, and racial anxiety. The original creation of OK, I’ll Tell You received support from a 2015 Leeway Foundation Art and Change Grant. Approximately 55 minutes with audience talk back afterwards. Ensemble: Rae Bradley – Creator/Performer Noah Breymeier – Creator/Performer Siona Stone – Creator/Performer Sarah Mitteldorf – Creator/Director Website: sarahm.net Bi(?!)Lingual Asaki Kuruma’s first solo show that is incubated by Simpatico Theatre Project as a part of 2014 SoLow Festival. The show is inspired by Asaki’s life-time experience as a foreigner- Born in Japan, learned English, came to America to pursue her dream- only life just doesn’t work the way movies do. 10 min excerpt of the 55 minute original will be performed by Asaki in advance of the main event theater performance. Asaki Kuruma – Creator/Performer Facebook Event Page

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Film Still from Knots

Loss & Longing Shorts

This FREE program offers a selection of five short films dealing with coming to terms with death, and longing after loss. Filmmakers expected in attendance for post-screening Q&A. Song on Canvas An emotionally lost artist, trapped in the corporate world, receives encouragement to pick up his brush again from, out of all people – his deceased mother played by Sharon Omi (Eat With Me). Directed by PAAFF alumni Keo Woolford (The Haumana). Harry on the Clouds This animated short is about a grieving sheep mother whose young son’s spirit comes back to visit from heaven. Knots When Scarlett’s grandfather comes to town for her high school graduation, she must come to terms with the loss of her mother and mend her relationship with her father. The motif of the knot is what keeps the generations together with themes of family, acceptance and crossing cultures. I Won’t Miss You 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. Godlike Alex, a complex and introverted high school teenager with an interest for gaming, finds himself at odds with his Grandmother when he receives news of his mothers passing. Facebook Event Page 

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Film Still from It Runs in the Family

It Runs in the Family + LGBT Shorts

This FREE program includes feature film It Runs in the Family along with a showcase of three short films examining the intersectionality between AAPI and LGBTQ identity. It Runs in the Family A young gay Filipino Canadian artist, Jay Cabalu and his sister Joella travel from Vancouver to Manila to meet their other queer relatives. Reconciling issues of faith, sexuality, and family relationships; viewers are invited to accompany Jay on this personal journey as he reflects on his struggle with being gay and Roman Catholic. It Runs in the Family is an intimate exploration on acceptance and what the modern queer family can aspire to in the Filipino diaspora. Screened with program of LGBTQ themed short films. Gaysians Five queer and trans Asian-Americans from New York City explore their relationships with their family and culture in this patchwork documentary. The subjects share stories about their families, and in doing so, shed light on the com- plicated histories that have shaped these intimate and personal relationships. Arranged Two 20 something Indian Americans meet under family pressures to get an arranged marriage they don’t want but realize that actually going through it might be their best option. One is gay and the other wishes to pursue her own restaurant business. Nuoc An experimental narrative short film about a queer Vietnamese American teen who attempts to piece together and understand her mom’s experience as a Vietnam War refugee. Facebook Event Page 

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