Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival

narrative program

Film Still from Lost in Apocalypse

Narrative Program: Lost in Apocalypse

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East Coast Premiere Director: Sky Wang 90 mins | Drama, Horror, Action, Thriller | China | Chinese Mystery unfolds as a group of individuals are confronted by undead forces outside of an abandoned factory but then go about their business as usual the next day. An unexplained virus suddenly breaks out and turns people into blood-lusting beings, leaving the characters stranded in the penthouse suite of a hotel. As time passes, the group decides to make a run for survival. Through struggle, betrayal, and loss, the remaining individuals desperately make it out of the hotel alive and arrive at the factory where we first met them. But this is only a temporary haven, as they are tested once again by new circumstances. Who amongst them will survive?

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Narrative Program: Moving Parts

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Philadelphia Premiere Director: Emilie Upczak 77 mins | Drama | Trinidad and Tobago | English After the death of her father, Zhenzhen leaves China to be with her brother, who works construction on the islands of Trinidad and Tobago. Although she gets a job at a restaurant, she is forced into a compromising position when the smuggler demands more cash. Her brother promises to pay her debt, but he is unsuccessful in getting an advance from his employer, leaving Zhenzhen desperate. She asks her boss for the money. He agrees but makes Zhenzhen promise she will work it off. Help comes unexpectedly from Evelyn, who runs an art gallery in the neighborhood. But the contrast between the dark rooms above the restaurant and the blindingly white gallery calls everyone’s innocence into question.

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Narrative Program: Original Sin

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East Coast Premiere Director: Jean Lee 75 mins | Drama, Comedy, Romance | USA | Spanish Pecado Original is an absurdist Spanish language rom com about Eva, a sexually frustrated housewife, her uptight husband, and a freewheeling artist who form an unlikely love triangle with unpredictable results. From “accidentally” purchasing an erotic painting, to fellating her uptight husband for the very first time, the story is largely told through Eva’s perspective as she confronts society’s rules on female propriety with the greatest irreverence. Writer/Director Jean Lee expected in attendance.

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In the Life of Music

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Opening Night Film, Narrative Program OPENING RECEPTION 9-11:00pm | Lightbox Film Center Director: Caylee So and Sok Visal 92 mins | Drama | Cambodia | Khmer, English The Life of Music is a story told in three chapters. It tells the story of how one song, “Champa Battambang,” a song made famous by Sinn Sisamuth (the King of Khmer Music), plays a role in the lives of three different generations. It is a powerful intergenerational tale that explores love and war as it depicts the lives of people whose world is inevitably transformed by the emergence of the Khmer Rouge. Director Caylee So, Co-Producer praCh Ly, and other members of the Cast & Crew are expected in attendance for a post-film Q&A.

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Narrative Program: Flower Drum Song

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Director: Henry Koster 133 min | Musical, Comedy, Romance | USA | English In this adaptation of the 1958 Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway musical, Chinese immigrant Mei Li (Miyoshi Umeki) is betrothed to nightclub boss Sammy Fong (Jack Soo), but he wants to marry showgirl Linda Low (Nancy Kwan). To get out of the arrangement, Sammy pawns her off to wealthy Master Wang (Benson Fong) as a fiancée for his son, Wang Ta (Victor Sen Yung). Mei Li falls in love with Wang, but he wants to pursue Linda, who takes advantage of his affections to test Sammy’s love.

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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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RSVP HERE

The Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival (PAAFF) Preview Party is a free public event that will provide a sneak peek of what to expect at our upcoming annual film festival, scheduled for November 7th - 17th. We will unveil this year’s theme, the festival trailer, and trailers of the feature films. Guests will get an overview of the programming, including non-film events such as panels, performances, and parties as well as VIP guests attending the festival.

We have added a new element to our preview party this year. We will host a mini-marketplace to support and provide a platform for our local AAPI makers and businesses. We will also feature a local indie band, Moonroof.

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