SDAFF 2011 Program Guide

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THE TWELFTH ANNUAL SAN DIEGO ASIAN FILM FESTIV AL october 20-28, 2011
Filmmakers bring creativity to life

Inde e de t lm fetivals bring us the et cine atic p n n s b s m productions of lmmake s around theworld. Ther work r i capture s our imagination. Weapplaud theSan Die o Asian Film Fe tival. g s Friars Mission 5624 Mission Center Road 619-209-6740 Fashion Valley 1350 Fashion Valley Road 619-296-4951 Eastlake Village 2265 Otay Lakes Road 619-591-4340
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Sharp Health Plan is a proud sponsor of the San Diego Asian Film Festival
As the only locally-based commercial health plan, we not only serve the people of San Diego County we are the people of San Diego County.
Advocate
We believe our members deserve a trusted health care partner and advocate.
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We believe in the art of ca r ing .
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Message from Executive Director

Welcome to our 12th Film Festival season! Our programming team has packed 160 films from 21 countries into nine glorious days of rich cinema in San Diego. This years film selection provides a window to the world through unique perspectives, innovative storytelling, and a chance to take our imagination to new heights. From our opening night film, a romantic comedy directed by the talented Bertha Bay-Sa Pan with an all-star cast in ALMOST PERFECT, to the deliciously delightful closing night film, JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI directed by David Gelb, we hope you will take full advantage of this years expansive offerings which reflect universal themes of love, family, and diversity. Along with this years Festival, we have much to celebrate as the San Diego Asian Film Foundation (SDAFF) has expanded our year-round offerings with a new Spring Showcase, monthly film forums, and the launch of DigiFest, a free online showcase of 23 full-length feature films available to anyone in North America. While there is much to celebrate, this season is also bittersweet as we bid farewell to Artistic Director Mye Hoang, who has earnestly served this organization for the last five years. Instrumental in expanding our international programming and membership, Myes impact on SDAFF will be felt for many years to come. As an agent of civic and cultural change, we connect audiences to the human experience through film. Whether youre an old-timer or brand new to SDAFF, we invite you to enjoy the Festival and experience the enchantment of Asian American cinema.
Lee Ann Kim FOUNDER AND ExECUTIvE DIRECTOR
the 12th annual san diego asian film festival
Table of Contents
MESSAGE FROM ExECUTIvE DIRECTOR ...................................6 LETTER FROM ARTISTIC DIRECTOR ............................................ 11 ABOUT SDAFF ....................................................................................... 12 BOARD OF DIRECTORS .....................................................................14 WELCOME LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN ............................ 15 SPONSORS ...............................................................................................16 GEORGE C. LIN MEMORIAL FUND .............................................. 22 TICkETING ............................................................................................... 23 CELEBRITIES ..........................................................................................24 SPECIAL EvENTS ................................................................................. 25 MEMBERSHIP ROSTER ......................................................................26
WHy MEMBERSHIP MATTERS ....................................................... 28 2011 JURy .................................................................................................30 FESTIvAL SCHEDULE ........................................................................34 FREE FILMS.............................................................................................38 FILM AND PROGRAM GUIDE ..........................................................41 ASIAN AMERICAN FILMMAkING IN SAN DIEGO ..................50 NANCy kWAN LIFETIME HONOREE .......................................... 52 vIRTUAL FILM FEST ..........................................................................122 STAFF LIST ............................................................................................ 142 SPECIAL THANkS .............................................................................. 144 FILM INDEx/PRINT SOURCE LIST ............................................. 146
THE RITUAL THE RITUAL

Step N 9 : The Bestowal Step N 9 : The Bestowal
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So before say cheers, expect to to hear a few them. So before youyou say cheers, expect hear a few of of them.
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A destination thats close to our hearts.
Southwest Airlines is devoted to serving the community
Southwest Airlines is with you in the air and in your community, sharing our spirit of LUV at every destination along the way. From celebrating cultural events to partnering with local community organizations, we are proud to be part of the community. Its a pleasure to serve you, because your community is our LUVing destination.
Official Airline of the San Diego Asian Film Foundation
Letter from Artistic Director
As my 6th and last year with SDAFF, this festival week will be filled with bittersweet excitement. I came to San Diego in 2006 from New york after having been lured by Lee Ann kim and her vision to double the length of the festival (from four to eight days), fairly oblivious to the speed at which the foundation expanded in my first 3 years onboard. It is hard for me to look back and realize how much this foundation has grown tripling in budget, films, audience and year-round events. I will always be grateful for the opportunity, and thank the board as well as Lee Ann for giving me this dream job. My departure next month, however, leaves the foundation in good hands with my colleagues Phil Lorenzo, Dan Matthews, Brian Hu, and Lina Park who have worked so diligently (and many late nights) to fulfill SDAFFs mission true community heroes in my book. I will miss them all as well as the volunteers, members and friends I have made in San Diego. I very much look forward to returning to the festival as an attendee and as a member to discover films that I would not otherwise have access to. Thank you, SDAFF, for providing me a place to unleash my passion for film. I hope that my contributions to the Foundation are as plenty as the memories I am taking from it. Please bid me farewell at our Centerpiece Film (SURROGATE vALENTINE) and reception on October 23 where I will moderate my final filmmaker Q&A with the cast and crew I promise a most memorable evening and festival week!
mye hoAng ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
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About The San Diego Asian Film Foundation

WE ARE A GROUP OF PASSIONATE, HARD-WORkING ADvOCATES OF ADvANCING QUALITy ASIAN AMERICAN AND INDEPENDENT CINEMA. WE BELIEvE OUR WORk BUILDS HOPE AND UNDERSTANDING THROUGH THE SHARED ExPERIENCES OF ARTISTS AND AUDIENCES. NOT TO MENTION, WE LOvE TO HAvE FUN! miSSion Our mission is to connect audiences with the human experience through the Pan Asian media arts. We fulfill our mission by: Presenting unique, culturally-enriching programs that would otherwise be inaccessible; Engaging the public in meaningful discourse and positive social change; Promoting artistic excellence, innovation and the independent voice; Strengthening San Diego as an arts destination.
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About The San Diego Asian Film Foundation

progrAmS While we are best-known for our annual Film Festival, we offer year-round programs that include:
(CONT.)
Community and outdoor Screenings
reel Voices, a youth documentary boot camp
Spring Showcase
monthly film forums
free fiLmS on demAnd We offer a free selection of SDAFF films throughout the year on TIME WARNER CABLE. If you are a digital subscriber, go to Channel 144 and search for the SD ASIAN FILM tab. Click on the tab, and choose the film youd like to see.
The SAn diego ASiAn fiLm foundATion iS A 501 (C)(3). TAx id # 33-1001523 2508 hiSToriC deCATur rd, SuiTe 140, SAn diego, CA 92106 619-400-5911 | www.SdAff.org | info@SdAff.org
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2011 Board of Directors

The San Diego Asian Film Foundation is overseen by a passionate group of business and community leaders who volunteer their time and expertise to help grow a dynamic organization. Board members are in charge of governance, ensure adequate resources and help guide the Foundations strategic direction. STephen Chin, SDAFF CHAIR Sharp Health Plan LAni LuTAr, vICE CHAIR SD County Taxpayers Association AmeThyST griffiTh, SECRETARy Matador Enterprises STeVen hong, TREASURER Automated TeleMedicine, Inc. dAn hom, CHAIRMAN EMERITUS Focuscom, Inc hArLen BAyhA Wells Fargo rAnjiT dhindSA Jeet Media LLC 14
Andy hoAng Salk Institute SheiLA KAnoyA Port of San Diego jeff KreBS kaiser Permanente BenjAmin Lee Bank of America Home Loans joe mendozA katcam Real Estate STeVe peACe JMI Realty ArT riVerA Fusion Marketing LouiS Song Proven, Inc. gAry wong Union Bank If you are interested in joining the board, please contact us at info@sdaff.org
Welcome Letter from the Chairman
A writer needs a pen, an artist needs a brush, but a filmmaker needs an army. orson welles Film is a collective experience, which has the power to transcend our views of the world and bring us together in new and wondrous ways. Much like the films we share, the San Diego Asian Film Foundation (SDAFF) is also a collective experience. I am privileged to partner with Lee Ann kim and SDAFF to enrich the cultural landscape of our San Diego community. In addition, I am grateful for the talents of our dynamic board of directors, staff, and hundreds of volunteers. But most importantly, I am honored to partner with each of you, the members of SDAFF. As Orson Welles so keenly observed, we are an army yet each of us helps to define SDAFF in unique ways. Thank you for your support and generosity. Together, we have delivered meaningful experiences for San Diegans and the SDAFF community. It has been a year of tremendous change and exciting new initiatives for us! NTC Promenade, new headquarters Spring Showcase, new film festival Film Forum, new member screenings and discussions DigiFest, new online film festival Connect San Diego, new progressive multi-ethnic program
The festival is that special time of year when our SDAFF army comes together to celebrate what we love best Asian film and the San Diego community. We couldnt do it without you. Welcome to the 12th annual SDAFF film festival!
STephen r. Chin SDAFF BOARD CHAIRMAN
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2011 Sponsors
MAJOR GRANTS
lARGe TheATeR SpONSOR
SMAll TheATeR SpONSORS
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GAlA pReSeNTeRS
Reel vOiceS SpONSOR
educATiON pARTNeRS
SpOTliGhT
Consulting | Staffing | Solutions
fRee filMS AT fOuR
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ScReeNiNG SpONSORS
Michael Rozzen
eveNT SpONSORS
yOuTh dAy
OfficiAl AiRliNeS
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OfficiAl TeleviSiON SpONSOR
OfficiAl RAdiO SpONSOR
OfficiAl NewSpApeR SpONSOR
MAJOR MediA SpONSORS
cOMMuNiTy SpONSORS
MUSICAL EXCELLENCE
Beyond
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MediA pARTNeRS
The original and first Asian Journal in America

Philippine Radio AM 1450 M-F 7-8 PM
San Diegos first and only Asian Filipino weekly publication and a multi-award winning newspaper! Online+Digital+Print Editions to best serve you!
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Your getaway is waiting. Dont wait to begin.
For more information, call 1-800-HARRAHS or visit www.HarrahsRincon.com
George Lin George C. Lin Memorial Fund

EACH yEAR SINCE HIS PASSING, THE FESTIvAL HAS PROUDLy PRESENTED AN EMERGING FILMMAkER AWARD IN HONOR OF FORMER SDAFF PROGRAM DIRECTOR GEORGE LIN. A scientist by trade, George co-founded the DC Asian Pacific American Film Festival in 2000 then joined SDAFF in 2003. Quirky, loving, and passionate, he championed all things independent film, music, art. George passed away in San Diego on October 14, 2008, after a long battle with cancer. The George C. Lin Memorial Fund provides grants to emerging filmmakers and for cancer research and awareness. The Festival is supporting the Memorial Fund this year by donating ticket sales from the screenings of THE LULU SESSIONS (pg. 85) and OCEAN HEAvEN (pg. 92). The public is also welcome to make direct contributions to the Fund at the San Diego Foundation. george C. Lin memoriAL fund C/o The SAn diego foundATion 2508 hiSToriC deCATur rd. SuiTe 200 SAn diego, CA 92106
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Ticketing
Starting October 18 you can buy tickets onsite at the UltraStar Mission valley Cinemas box office. To guarantee seating, patrons are advised to arrive at least 15 minutes before showtime. generAL Opening & Closing Night Films ...............................................$15 online/$20 at door* General Admission .............................................................................$9 online/$11 at door Panels .............................................................................................................................................. $5 Festival 4-Pack.............................................................................. $34 (online and at door) Festival 10-Pack ............................................................................ $84 (online and at door) All Festival Pass ..........................................................................................For Members only Free Films ............................Free! Pick up tickets at the box office starting Oct. 20 SdAff memBerS Opening & Closing Night Films .............................................................. $12 online/door* General Admission ...................................................................................................$7.50/door Panels .................................................................... Free (must get ticket from box office) Festival 4-Pack..........................................................................................................................$25 Festival 10-Pack ........................................................................................................................$62 All Festival Pass ...................................................................................................................... $175 refund poLiCy No refunds for unused tickets, 4-packs, 10-packs, or all festival passes. Exchanges are only available when a program is oversold. SoLd-ouT SCreeningS | ruSh LineS When a program is sold out, there is a very good chance seats will be available through rush line at the theater. Rush lines take place outside the theater as early as 30 minutes before the show. We will offer all open seats 15 minutes before showtime on a first come basis to those waiting in the rush line. download the official 12th San diego Asian film festival iphone Application * Create your Own Festival Schedule * Complete Program Details * Up to the minute News * Interact with the Festival Community
search the
Festival on the Go
* Includes post-film reception. To sign up for membership, inquire at membership booth in theater lobby and take advantage of discounts immediately. $2 discount at box office is available for seniors, military, and students.
SdAff moBiLe on IPHONE APP STORE
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Celebrities Scheduled to Attend
ediSon Chen (Almost Perfect, Infernal Affairs) i.Am.me Crew (Americas Best Dance Crew Season 6 Winners) Lynn Chen (Surrogate Valentine, Saving Face) judiTh hiLL (This Is It)
KeLLy hu (Almost Perfect, Scorpion King, X2) Sung KAng (Fast Five, Better Luck Tomorrow, Fast and Furious) ArChie KAo (Snow Flower and Secret Fan, CSI) nAnCy KwAn (Flower Drum Song, World of Suzie Wong)
CS Lee (Dexter) LeonArdo nAm (Perfect Score, Vantage Point) joy oSmAnSKi (Surrogate Valentine, White on Rice) rAndALL pArK (Larry Crowne, People Ive Slept With)
miKe reLm (Pioneer video Mash Up DJ) iVAn ShAw (Almost Perfect, Book of Daniel) SheeTAL SheTh (American Chai, World Unseen) hArry Shum, jr. (Glee, The LXD: Legion of Extraordinary Dancers)
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PHOTO ORDER: FROM LEFT TO RIGHT, TOP TO BOTTOM
Special Events
Thu, oCT 20 opening nighT pArTy | 9pm 1Am Maria Maria Restaurant, Hazard Center 1370 Frazee Road, SD, CA 92108 Celebrate opening night with the director and cast of ALMOST PERFECT. Free for opening night ticket holders/passholders or $10 sponsored by: UNION BANk fri, oCT 21 BLowfiSh: inTerSeCTion of SighTS And SoundS | 9pm 2Am Culy Warehouse, 335 6th Ave (between k & J St), Gaslamp Dance the night away to the beats of Mike Relm. Free for passholders, $5 via Chroniclr.com, or $10. sponsored by: CHRONICLR, MySPACE, and Myx-Tv. gALA AwArdS dinner | 5:30 9:30pm Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina | 1380 Harbor Island Drive Dress to impress and mingle with the stars of SDAFF as we honor top films of the festival, with special Lifetime Achievement honor to Nancy kwan. $200/seat presented by: HARRAHS RINCON CASINO and WELLS FARGO. CApe KArAoKe pArTy | 9:30pm 1Am Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina | 1380 Harbor Island Drive Sing for bragging rights and some spare change at our latenight karaoke party. Free to attend, $10 to enter contest, winner takes all. sponsored by: COALITION OF ASIAN PACIFICS IN ENTERTAINMENT Sun, oCT 23 A Very SurrogATe pArTy | 9pm midnighT Hard Rock Cafe, 401 4th Ave (Across Horton Plaza) Mingle with the director and stars of our Centerpiece film, with live performance by Goh Nakamura. Free admission + complimentary appetizers. fri, oCT 28 CLoSing nighT pArTy | 9pm CLoSe Randy Jones All American Grill | 7510 Hazard Center Drive (next to kinkos) Enjoy sushi and sake and other delights as we wrap up our 12th season with the director of JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI. Free for closing night ticketholders/passholders or $10.
SAT, oCT 22
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Membership Roster George Lin

(AS OF 9/15/2011)
LifeTime Allan Camaisa Johnny Chou Matt Jumper Pat Pepper produCer Theresa Battle and Michael Frazier Jesse and Pearl Charfauros Sandra Chong and Paul Bergman L. Pete and Todd Futa Tom and Loretta Hom Chong Lee Ed Lee Diana Mar Jip-Chuh virginia Mar Jip Steve Peace Eddie Wang Rodriguez Ryun Song Dominic Tong and katherine Bowdish Sarah yang pATron Mike Avila Perla and Zachary Brownlie Bruce Chin-Lee Thomas Dring Lois Fong-Sakai Amethyst and Robert Griffith Dan and Lisa Hom Dale Inahara Sheila Abrenica kanoya Jaejung kim Marcia kingzio Jeff krebs and Fritz Friedman Marichu Magana Joseph Ongsiapco and Fawn yang Sudarma Pokta and Tomomi Ushii Louis Song and Lee Ann kim Charles and Linda Tu Patrick van Schoote SupporTer Emil Ayoubkhan karen Beeson Corey Buuhoan Michelle Cheung Stephen Chin Wendy Gillespie Nancy and A Hobbs Timothy Tau Hsieh Dae Lee and Lina Park Rich and Soang Lee Phil Lorenzo Ildiko Lutar Johnny Mah Jerrilyn Malana Lynne and Paul Matthews Joe Mendoza Joff Morales Elizabeth Nolan Joy Pakingan Roberto Pelia Greg Penetrante Jeremy Pizzola and Gayle Ta Elise Prosser Luis Ramos Miyo and Mitchell Reff Robert Sanchez Cuong Trang kenneth Wade Tai Quiaug Wang Ryan Wong donor Elgin Aguilar Elias Almazan Rommel Andaya Jason and Tomomi Arcand Gale Barlow Steven Barlow Sumi Barton Harlen and June Lee
Bayha Brian Blake Jeanne Burch Maria Cabuang and Chris Cate kristine Chang Lee Chang Han Chiu and Wendy Wong Leeva Chung Jeet Dhindsa Tammy and Bill Dodds Bill and Melissa Eisenhamer Toshiye Estes Matthew Fite Salvador and Shirley Flor Carlton Floyd RB Francisco Allen Fuqua Marty Goldman kikue and ken Graeber Steven Hadley Sylvie Hinh Erika Hiramatsu and Michael Cheswick Andy Hoang Steven Hong Takeo Hoshi Shan Huang and Paul Brown Robert and Edna Ito
Jeff Iwami Marleen and yosh kawahara David kawamoto Janet kaye Jinah and Matt kim-Perek Susan kim Ed and Grace Lallana Eric and Elaine Lallana Benson Lam Jeffrey Lee kent Lee Thomas Lee kate Leonard and Richard Forsyth Tommy and Bonnie Lim Sophia and Steve Lukas May McLean kuei Lan Mentz Nicole Miller-Coleman George Ng and Janet Cha Laurel Nishida Erica-Anne Okamura and Jegan Chen Jeanette Ollivier Shirley Omori and Efton Woodford Lynn Owens Jacqueline Pablo Chris Paffendorf
Sue Ann Park Raymond Park Mariette Pascasio Ty Phimmasone Guy Poirier Allan Regala Craig and Silvia Reid Trent Reid Abigail Rivamonte and Andrew Alcantara Art Rivera Brent Rockwell Jessica Ann Ross Chris Rule Armando Salvador Shirley Sanz Steve Sato Randal Schober Angela Shiao Jill Shun Jonathan Soohoo John Skrentny Mark Stabb Ryan Suda Serena Tam Joyce and Bill Teague kent and Hye Joung Tibby Maria Torres Greg Toya Joanna y Tsai and Mark Ayers
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Membership Roster
donor (ConT.) Benjamin Tu Wendy Urushima-Conn Rainer Wagester Christina Wang Susie Willemsz-Geeroms Gary and kathy Wong Alex Wu Cynthia yee James kW yee friend Jireh Advincula Rick Ahumada Andrew Arvai Ruben Arizmendi and Frida vissuet Eloise Bienvenu Jack Bolado Anahid Brakke Jeffrey Brosbe Dennis-Michael Broussard Ellen Brown and Zoe Merewether Greg Brown Jose Bucud Marilyn Cachero Arthur Carbonell Allen Chan David Chan katrina Chan Chong-Ren Chien Sidnee Chong Garrett Chow
(CONT.)
Forrest Chu Adrianna Chuh kassandra Chuh Jane Chung Judy Chung and Benjamin Lee kathleen Clavero Dan Cornthwaite and Alexander Dumas Melissa Croteau Jessie Crozier Helen Cruz John Dacapias Andre Dacio Gary Davis Emmanuel De Guzman Maria Elena Delgado and John Weaver Stan Donn yul Eblamo Christopher Ekren Scott Eriksson Amador Rey Estrada, Jr. Bruce Farmer Ashley Fifield and Sylvie Estrella Dieter Fischer Lesley Fisher Michelle Floresca Marie Gabriel Russell Ginns Jasmine Gipson Matt Goldman Andy Gonzalez Jim Gottlieb
Punvipa Grice Lori Guild and Louie Tejeda Monica Gutierrez victor Gutierrez Steve and vicky Hadley Amy Harris kaori Hashimoto and Tom Jacobson yvette Hawkins Julie Haza kathi Heiser Mye Hoang and Dave Boyle Anthony Hom Nancy Hom De Dzwo and Ellen Hsu Brian Hu Carole Huston Larry Huynh Pamela Huynh Bruce Inman Marko Iwashita Mark Wayne Javier Susan Jenkins Clare kanoya Trace and Mildred kawasaki Francesca kemp Judy kesaris Albert kim Steven and Tracie kim Hana kwon Trinh Le Melanie Le Forestier
George Lin
Tamara Leach Quyen Leba Donna Lee Jimmy Lee Myungsik Lee and Lucia Jun yam Lee Gerardo Leon Grant Lewis Ed Lim karen Lim and Nathan Ginoza Nancy S. Liu Jennifer Lo Jonathan Louie and Andy Schell Robin Low Jerry Lu yen Ly Joel Machitar Marichu Magana Daniel Matthews Bridget McDonald Brian Mehl Sarah Meland Michelle Mentz David Molina keith Momon Stephanie Moy and katie Moy Lynne Murphy Ed Nesfield Lyman Ng Nancy Nguy Stefan Nguyen
Thanh Nguyen Glen Ong James Paguyo III kevin Pao Judy Patacsil kristin Pearey Will Pedranti Darlene Portades Hector Ramos Jr. William Reeve Reggie Regala Jason and Sunshine Reyes Nika Reyes kR Ridge Andrea Rocha and Salvador Rivera Dyllan Ronque Anne Louise Ross Bruce Rowe Brian and Lori Rueger S&D Property Management Aneeza Salim Ruth Marie San Filippo Timothy and kiyomi Sankary William Saung Dan Schreiber Miriam Seva Jini Shim David Shina Randy Sivila Shawn Skinner and Huong Duong
kurtis Stecker Jackie Szitta Nancy Taylor victor Tecson Annamarie Till Duke Tran Long Tran Peijean Tsai Mei-Hui Tu and Ron Miller yen Tu Felix Tuyay Erica Ueland George Uy Jan vangrov Mike vasquez Chris voight karen Wang Michael Wells and Sung Ae yoon Jon Wesick Judy Wong Peter Wong and Jenny Lieu Sabina Wong Wilda Wong William Wong and Samantha Hoeung Lisa yadao Momoyo yamada Wendy yamamoto and Steve Teo Everly yeo
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Why Membership Matters

As a member of the San Diego Asian Film Foundation (SDAFF), you are part of a dynamic, caring community that loves film and its power to transform lives. your membership not only supports our year-round programs, but also our mission of connecting audiences to unique, culturally-enriching Asian and Asian American cinema. Many of our independent artists can only exist through media arts organizations like SDAFF. Members receive exclusive benefits including discounts on tickets and merchandise, invitations to members-only events, and access to sneak previews of films prior to their theatrical release. Help us reach our 200 new member goal and join the SDAFF community! As a thank you, all new members (who sign up at any level) will receive their next film on us at the 12th Annual San Diego Asian Film Festival. PLUS, all members are entered into a drawing for a 7-day cruise for two on Holland America Line to Mexico or the Caribbean. The winner will be selected in November. Memberships start at only $55 /year (less than $5 per month). To join or renew, stop by the Membership Table during the Festival or contact Lina Park at lina@sdaff.org or 619.400.5910.
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HollAnD AmErIcA lInE is honored to support the San Diego Asian Film Foundation
Spacious, Elegant Ships Gracious, Award-Winning Service Worldwide Itineraries Extensive Activities & Enrichment Programs Sophisticated Five-Star Dining
2011 Jury
ALexAnder jArmAn became Manager of Public Programs at the San Diego Museum of Art in September 2008. Alexander received his B.F.A. in art history from Northern kentucky University in 2006 and is currently finishing his masters degree in art history at San Diego State University. Over the last five years, he has exhibited his own work as a professional artist throughout southern California, as well as curated and juried several exhibitions in the area. Prior to his time in San Diego, Alexander was Gallery Director for the Time Warner Cable Gallery at ArtWorks in Cincinnati, Ohio. ChriSTine Kwon joined the Center for Asian American Media in 2007 and became Managing Director of the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival in 2010. She graduated from UC San Diego where she studied world literature and film, notably assisting with JeanPierre Gorins tribute to film critic Manny Farber during her time there. Christine has a background in journalism and film criticism and also works on the production end as a freelance writer and editor. Spurred by her interest in youth voices, she initiated SFIAAFFs Student Delegate Program in 2009. miKe oTT is the director of the 2010 feature Littlerock, which has screened at over 20 festivals internationally and has won numerous awards, including a Gotham Award for Best Film Not Playing in a Theater Near you and Best Dramatic Narrative Feature at the 2010 San Diego Asian Film Festival. In 2011, he won the Someone to Watch Spirit Award. Mike studied under Thom Anderson at the California Institute of the Arts, where he received his Masters of Fine Arts degree in Film/video. Presently, Mike teaches film directing at the University of Southern California. phiL yu is the founder and editor of popular Asian American news/culture blog AngryAsianMan.com, which the Washington Post has called a daily must-read for the media-savvy, socially conscious, pop-cultured Asian American. Mixing humor with criticism, Phils commentary has been featured and quoted in stories for the Post, New york Times, National Public Radio, CNN, Los Angeles Times, and more. He worked previously at the Center for Asian American Media in San Francisco, and currently serves on the Board of visual Communications and Projekt Newspeak, both in Los Angeles.
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You are an artist.

You see the true beauty in creative expression. You strive to elevate our culture. You believe the arts make our community and the world a richer place. For your dedication and your passion, we salute you.
Union Bank is proud to sponsor the 2011 San Diego Asian Film Festival.
La Jolla Priority Banking Office 7807 Girard Avenue, La Jolla, CA 92037 Sandy Bayne, VP & Sr. Priority Banking Relationship Manager, 858-551-4702 Clairemont Priority Banking Office 425 Genesee Avenue, San Diego, CA 92117 Rowena Holloway, VP & Sr. Priority Banking Relationship Manager, 858-569-2314 Business Banking 840 Carlsbad Village Drive, Carlsbad, CA 92008 Paul Johnson, Business Development Officer, 619-229-6467
unionbank.com
2011 Union Bank, N.A.
Schedule of Programs
All film programs (except for OXhide ii on Oct. 26) take place at the Mission valley ultraStar cinemas at hazard center. Times and films are subject to change, and additional screenings may be added. for the latest schedule, visit www.sdaff.org or text SdAff to 53137 for cell phone updates.
Thursday, Oct 20
TheATre 7 BAronA 7:00PM ALmoST perfeCT (OPENING NIGHT FILM) 106 mins
TheATre 6 ShArp 4:00PM houSe of The riSing Sun 101 mins (FREE) eTerniTy 110 mins
TheATre 2 CherpLe 7:40PM Sd BLoCK pArTy 95 mins
TheATre 1 Verizon 9:30PM nighT fiShing 60 mins
7:50PM 9:00pm
opening nighT pArTy @ mAriA mAriA reSTAurAnT, hAzArd CenTer
Friday, Oct 21
6:30PM KnoTS 77 mins
TheATre 7 BAronA
TheATre 6 ShArp 7:00PM gLoVe 144 mins
TheATre 2 CherpLe 5:35PM Summer pASTure 75 mins Senior yeAr 95 mins
TheATre 1 Verizon 4:00PM where Are you TAKing me? (FREE) 72 mins QueerS on The Verge 93 mins
8:40pm
BAng BAng 99 mins
7:45pm
7:30pm
10:00pm CoLd fiSh (sdaFF eXtreme) 144 mins 9:00pm BLowfiSh pArTy @ CuLy wArehouSe, gASLAmp
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Saturday, Oct 22
TheATre 7 BAronA 12:00PM ninjA KidS!!! 100 mins 2:00pm 5:00pm 7:45pm AfTerShoCK 135 mins donT go BreAKing my heArT 115 mins A Boy And hiS SAmurAi 109 mins
TheATre 6 ShArp 12:30PM my wedding And oTher SeCreTS 88 mins foreVer young 82 mins SALAd dAyS 81 mins rAKenroL 110 mins
TheATre 2 CherpLe 12:40PM greAT dAy 91 mins Big in BoLLywood 70 mins The dAy he ArriVeS 79 mins norwegiAn wood 133 mins
TheATre 1 Verizon 10:00AM ni hAo KAi LAn (Free) 72 mins 12:15pm 2:20pm 5:10pm 7:00pm The ABCS of ABdC (paneL) 90 mins wonder women 88 mins i Am 71 mins ShAoLin 131 mins
2:45pm 5:20pm 7:35pm
3:00pm 6:00pm 8:00pm
Sunday, Oct 23
TheATre 7 BAronA 12:00pm reeL VoiCeS (Free) 90 mins 2:00pm ninjA KidS!!! 100 mins heLLo ghoST 111 mins SurrogATe VALenTine (centerpiece FiLm) 75 mins
10:00pm yAKuzA weApon (sdaFF eXtreme) 105 mins
TheATre 6 ShArp 12:20pm oCeAn heAVen 96 mins AnimATion: The iLLuSion of Life 85 mins TieS ThAT Bind 102 mins operATion TATAr 90 mins
TheATre 2 CherpLe 1:15pm we Are The worLd 88 mins TALeS of The wAriA 60 mins LefT By The Ship 80 mins The STooL pigeon 113 mins
TheATre 1 Verizon 12:30pm ASiAn AmeriCAn women in hoLLywood (paneL) 80 mins TrouBLemAKer 92 mins fuLLmeTAL ALChemiST: The SACred STAr of miLoS 110 mins udAAn 134 mins
2:30pm
3:30pm
2:40pm
4:20pm 7:00pm
4:50pm 7:40pm
5:30pm 8:00pm
5:10pm 7:30pm
9:00pm
SurrogATe pArTy @ hArd roCK CAfe, gASLAmp
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Schedule of Programs
Monday, Oct 24
TheATre 7 BAronA 7:00pm AfTerShoCK 135 mins 5:30pm 8:00pm
(CONT.)
TheATre 6 ShArp houSe of The riSing Sun 101 mins eTerniTy 105 mins
TheATre 2 CherpLe 7:15pm in The fAmiLy 169 mins
TheATre 1 Verizon 4:00pm 7:30pm To whom iT mAy ConCern (Free) 104 mins heLLo ghoST 111 mins
Tuesday, Oct 25
TheATre 7 BAronA 7:00pm LoVe in A puff 104 mins
TheATre 6 ShArp 7:30pm A CiTy of SAdneSS (Free) 159 mins
TheATre 2 CherpLe 5:15pm 7:45pm The dAy he ArriVeS 79 mins norwegiAn wood 133 mins
TheATre 1 Verizon 4:00pm 6:50pm 9:10pm open SeASon (Free) 57 mins The whiTe meAdowS 92 mins fuLLmeTAL ALChemiST: The SACred STAr of miLoS 110 mins
Wednesday, Oct 26
TheATre 7 BAronA 7:00pm gLoVe 144 mins
TheATre 6 ShArp 4:00pm 6:30pm 8:30pm hiding (Free) 60 mins
TheATre 2 CherpLe 5:30pm LefT By The Ship 80 mins The piAno in A fACTory 119 mins
TheATre 1 Verizon 5:20pm 7:30pm 9:20pm my wedding And oTher SeCreTS 88 mins Big in BoLLywood 70 mins nighT fiShing 60 mins
AnimATion: The 7:45pm iLLuSion of Life 85 mins ShAoLin 131 mins
The LofT AT uCSd (offSiTe) 8:00pm oxhide ii 132 mins
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Thursday, Oct 27
TheATre 7 BAronA 7:00pm 9:30pm A Boy And hiS SAmurAi 109 mins rAKenroL 110 mins
TheATre 6 ShArp 4:00pm 7:15pm 49 dAyS (Free) 65 mins The power of Two 93 mins
TheATre 2 CherpLe 5:20pm 7:30pm 9:40pm diSorder 91 mins Summer pASTure 85 mins The STooL pigeon 113 mins
TheATre 1 Verizon 5:30pm 7:40pm greAT dAy 91 mins The LuLu SeSSionS 88 mins
Friday, Oct 28
7:00pm
TheATre 7 BAronA jiro dreAmS of SuShi (cLosinG niGht FiLm) 81 mins
TheATre 6 ShArp 4:00pm we Are The worLd (Free) 88 mins TBA TBA
TheATre 2 CherpLe 5:00pm TBA
TheATre 1 Verizon 6:00pm TBA
7:30pm 9:50pm
7:20pm 9:45pm
BAng BAng 99 mins CoLd fiSh (sdaFF eXtreme) 144 mins
9:00pm
AmpheTAmine 97 mins
9:00pm
CLoSing nighT pArTy @ rAndy joneS ALL AmeriCAn griLL, hAzArd CenTer
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Free Films
Free screenings at this years festival:
There are numerous ways to save on SdAff tickets: buy online, get 4- and 10-packs, or become a member. But as far as discounts go, you cant beat free! youll still need tickets, which you can pick up at the ultraStar mission Valley Cinemas box office starting oct. 20.
A CiTy of SAdneSS (pg. 67) Directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien Tuesday, Oct. 25, 7:30pm A special presentation of the classic 1989 Taiwanese film, recently named the greatest Chinese-language film of all time. ni hAo, KAi-LAn And friendS (pg. 87) Saturday, Oct. 22, 10:00am Nick Jr.s adorable kai-lan journeys to the monkey castle. reeL VoiCeS (pg. 103) Sunday, Oct. 23, Noon Ten high school students from San Diego create documentary films based on subjects in their lives. free fiLmS AT four courtesy of All 4pm screenings on weekdays are free: houSe of The riSing Sun (pg. 79) Thursday, Oct. 20, 4:00pm Past meets present in these short films from Japan and Japanese America. where Are you TAKing me? (pg. 118) Directed by kimi Takesue Friday, Oct. 21, 4:00pm Discover the unexpected in this journey through the vibrant streets of Uganda.
To whom iT mAy ConCern (pg. 114) Directed by Brian Jamieson Monday, Oct. 24, 4:00pm An intimate look at the life of legendary Hollywood actress Nancy kwan and her family. open SeASon (pg. 93) Directed by Lu Lippold and Mark Tang Tuesday, Oct. 25, 4:00pm A Hmong immigrant is convicted of killing six white hunters during deer hunting season. hiding (pg. 78) Directed by Justin Wheeler Wednesday, Oct. 26, 4:00pm North korean refugees hiding in China struggle to escape through a 3,500 mile modern-day underground railroad. 49 dAyS (pg. 54) Thursday, Oct. 27, 4:00pm A special big-screen presentation of the hit korean Tv drama 49 DAyS: episode 1. we Are The worLd (pg. 117) Friday, Oct. 28, 4:00pm From five countries and in ten languages, these short films open a window to the world.
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2011
film and PRogRam
guide
41
Opening Night Film

Thursday Oct.20, 7:00pm
USA | ENGLISH | 106 MINS | vIDEO | 2011
almost PeRfeCt
In the urban comedies of Bertha Bay-sa Pan, women dont fall in love on purpose. They dont flirt and they dont play games. In Pans breakthrough Face (2002), kristy Wu has enough on her mind an interfering grandma, an absent mother such that she doesnt court love, rather love has to court her. In the long-awaited ALMOST PERFECT, Pans lovely, and yes romantic, second feature, vanessa (kelly Hu, in her best role yet) runs into an old acquaintance Dwayne (Ivan Shaw) at a company event. Maybe its Dwaynes disarming goodlooks, maybe its because we sense unreleased energy in vanessas frantic worklife and crazy family (her parents relationship is on the rocks, her younger brother, played by the one-and-only Edison Chen, is in town on an aptly feckless surprise visit), but we know from the films opening moments that these two attractive young professionals need to be together, no matter how chaotic big sisterhood can be and how cynical everyone else seems to get about that thing called love. With Face, Pan proved to be one of Asian American cinemas foremost storytellers, and with ALMOST PERFECT, she perfects her craft and ups the stakes, doubling the size of the family (and comedy of dysfunction) and transforming attraction into magnetism. And through it all, Pan remains that romantic with street cred, a go-getter with a New york state of mind but who knows that sometimes you have to let yourself go to remember what it is youre trying to get. Brian Hu
diRecTOR Bertha Bay-Sa Pan pROduceRS Bertha Bay-Sa Pan, Riva Marker, Derrick Tseng cAST kelly Hu, Ivan Shaw, Edison Chen, Tina Chen Director Bertha Bay-Sa Pan, Kelly Hu, Ivan Shaw, Edison Chen and Tina Chen are scheduled to attend. Opening Night Reception immediately following Q&A at Maria Maria Restaurant. Co-preSenTed By: uniVerSiTy of SAn diego, uSd CenTer for inCLuSion And diVerSiTy, SAn diego ChineSe womenS ASSoCiATion SponSored By:
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Closing Night Film

JiRo dReams of sushi
JAPAN/USA | JAPANESE WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES 81 MINS | 35MM | 2010
Friday Oct.28, 7:00pm

direCTor David Gelb produCer kevin Iwashina
Sukiyabashi Jiro must be the smallest 3-star Michelin restaurant in the world. A basement eatery in Ginza Tokyo with 10 stools, no credit cards accepted and no printed menu. It doesnt look like a gourmet destination. yet filmmaker David Gelb chose its 85-year old master sushi chef Jiro Ono as the subject of his mouthwatering documentary JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI. Profiling all aspects of the craft, from picking out tuna at the fish market auctions to proper techniques of massaging an octopus, Gelb explores the Japanese tradition of shokunin kishitsu, or, artisans spirit. It is a highly disciplined way of life inspired by passion and dedication to ones craft. Jiros methods require years of practice and can take his apprentices nearly a decade of repetitious practice to win his approval. His customers can taste the difference, right down to the rice, which even Gelb has claimed in interviews is unrivaled. The film celebrates the art of sushi but also centers itself upon the importance of family, tradition and hard work. Gelb reveals the complicated relationship between Jiro and his two sons Takashi and yoshikazu, one of which will inherit his fathers legacy and carry on the family business. The films score is a combination of classical selections from Mozart and Bach and modern orchestral pieces by Philip Glass and Max Richter who are known for their minimal and repetitive qualities which beautifully complement Jiros methods. Poignant and inspiring, JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI provides an intimate view into the world of a genius and innovator, a film as perfect as the dishes that Jiro creates. Mye Hoang
Director David Gelb and producer Kevin Iwashina are scheduled to attend. Closing night sushi and sake party at Randy Jones All American Sports Grill, 7510 Hazard Center Drive (next to Kinkos and Doubletree). Official Selection, 2011 Tribeca Film Festival Co-preSenTed By: jApAn SoCieTy of SAn diego And TijuAnA, BuddhiST TempLe of SAn diego, jApAneSe AmeriCAn hiSToriCAL SoCieTy of SAn diego (jAhSSd), SAn diego jApAneSe AmeriCAn CiTizenS LeAgue (jACL), uSC CenTer for inCLuSion And diVerSiTy, SAn diego yu yu, LighThouSe mAgAzine SponSored By:
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45
Centerpiece Film
suRRogate valentine
diRecTOR Dave Boyle produCerS Gary Chou, Duane Andersen, Michael Lerman cAST Goh Nakamura, Lynn Chen, Chadd Stoops Director Dave Boyle and cast will be in attendance with live performance by Goh Nakamura. Free after-party following Q&A at Hard Rock Cafe, 801 4th Avenue. Audience Award, San Francisco Intl Asian American Film Festival Best Actor, Special Jury Award, Dallas Intl Film Festival Co-preSenTed By: VoiCe of SAn diego, giVing BACK mAgAzine
Sunday Oct.23, 7:00pm

While traveling the globe with his previous film White on Rice (SDAFF 09 Audience Award Winner), director Dave Boyle kept running into San Francisco musician Goh Nakamura who was also touring from city to city. The filmmaker was a fan of Gohs music Goh didnt believe him at first and the two struck up a friendship sharing stories about life on the road as artists. With an idea to shoot a shoestring budget movie with a very simple story, Boyle offered Goh the role to play himself in SURROGATE vALENTINE (entitled after one of his songs). The romantic comedy starts in San Francisco and follows Goh as he barely scrapes by playing live gigs and teaching guitar. When a filmmaker friend asks him to teach guitar lessons to Tv star Danny Turner (Chadd Stoops) for his upcoming movie role, Goh reluctantly takes on the task for a small paycheck. Wanting to study his every move, Danny tags along Gohs roadtrip to Seattle and Los Angeles. Despite Gohs introverted tendencies and Dannys annoying chatterbox nature, the unlikely duo embark on a comical adventure. Danny even ends up being helpful to Gohs career and maybe even his love life when Gohs high school flame Rachel (Lynn Chen) shows up, forcing him to confront his unrequited crush. Shot in black and white with elegant rhythm, Boyle navigates an amiable road movie with outstanding natural performances from Chen, newcomer Stoops and of course leading man Goh Nakamura. One of the best independent films of the year, Boyles latest serves as a cinematic valentine for not only the romantics, but also the skeptics, and most of all for the artists everywhere struggling through life to do what they love. Mye Hoang Preceded by: ViA TexT
USA | ENGLISH | 10 MINS | vIDEO
DIRECTOR Abe Forman-Greenwald A relationship conflict unfolds entirely through text messages between sparring partners.
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Spotlight on Japan
In March of this year, the whole world watched Japan. Tragedies of historic proportions compounded one after another in previously unfathomable ways. Support from all nations and peoples relieved many of the financial and pragmatic difficulties, while political tremors continued to rock a nation in healing mode. In July of this year, the whole world watched Japan again, this time as its womens soccer team won the hearts of fans around the globe in a nail-biter that brought the World Cup trophy to Japan for the first time. In its own way, the win showed the world a different side of Japans struggle: one of resilience and sportsmanship. This October, the San Diego Asian Film Festival wants to continue to spotlight Japan, not by highlighting struggle, but by showcasing the diversity of stories, styles, and characters that reflect the effervescence of the Japanese culture. These films range from the endearing to the irreverent, the delectable to the dangerous. Culture has a way of capturing a societys contradictions, values, hopes, and fears, and cinema has a way of spreading that culture across borders in the visceral immediacy of picture and sound. These stories will make you cry, sneer, chuckle, sweat, and even water at the mouth. Thats not just the power of movies. Thats the spirit of Japan assuming our bodies and willing us to cheer.
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jiro dreAmS of SuShi (pg. 44) Directed by David Gelb Oct. 28, 7:00pm (Closing Night Film) An 85-year-old sushi master in Tokyo brings passion to perfecting his life work in a worldrenowned restaurant. A Boy And hiS SAmurAi (pg. 66) Directed by yoshihiro Nakamura Oct. 22, 7:45pm Oct. 27, 7:00pm A 19th century samurai magically appears in modern Tokyo, transforming the lives of a single mom and her adorable son. ninjA KidS!!! (pg. 90) Directed by Takashi Miike Oct. 22, Noon Oct. 23, 2:00pm Takashi Miike brings us Rantaro and other ninja apprentices battling at an elite ninjutsu academy. norwegiAn wood (pg. 91) Directed by Tran Anh Hung Oct. 22, 8:00pm Oct. 25, 7:45pm Haruki Murakamis novel becomes a sumptuous, shimmering take on infatuation in a time of rock n roll.
CoLd fiSh (pg. 68) Directed by Sion Sono Oct. 21, 10:00pm Oct. 28, 9:45pm Parents find their troublesome daughter work at a fish store but soon discover the horrific truth of the stores owners. yAKuzA weApon (pg. 121) Directed by Tak Sakaguchi Oct. 22, 10:00pm With a machine gun arm and rocket launcher leg, the worlds deadliest, most pissed-off gangster is ready to kill all who stand in his way. fuLLmeTAL ALChemiST: The SACred STAr of miLoS (pg. 74) Directed by kazuya Murata Oct. 23, 5:10pm Oct. 25, 9:10pm In this second film developed from the everpopular anime series, the Elric Brothers get involved in the rebellion of the Milos people. houSe of The riSing Sun (pg. 79) Oct. 20, 4:00pm Oct. 24, 5:30pm Past meets present in these five short films from Japan and Japanese America.
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From Tora! Tora! Tora! to Bang Bang

Asian and Asian American filmmaking in San Diego is a lot like most of the productions in the nations seventh-largest city. Filmmakers take advantage of the citys many ecological and historical resources: the beach, the Gaslamp district, and especially Balboa Park. And given its proximity to Hollywood, San Diego locations are conveniently located, yet not as overexposed as the usual LA haunts like Griffith Park or Rodeo Drive. In the process though, San Diego is often made into a generic city without an identity, or it becomes a stand-in for a better known city or place. Which is what makes Byron Qs BANG BANG all the more exciting. But more on that later. With its military resources and geographic convenience, San Diego doubled in some scenes of the Pearl Harbor attack in the US-Japan coproduction Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) Later, in the 1990s, as much of Hollywood and American television was outsourced to Canada, the ethnically-diverse San Diego reaped the benefits of some Asian-themed productions, two of which starred the then-omnipresent Russell Wong. The Tv film-turned-Tv series Vanishing Son (1994-5), which featured not just Wong but other familiar Asian American faces (Ming-na Wen, Dustin Nguyen, Tamlyn Tomita, vivian Wu, Haing S. Ngor, Chi Muoi Lo) filmed San Diego as Los Angeles and other parts of the American South. In 2003, Russell Wong returned to San Diego to film the pilot of the San Francisco-set Black Sash, though
by
BRIAN HU
Francisco and Taipei, respectively. Jy-Ah Min has travelled the world with her 2010 feature M/F Remix, which playfully documents the curious stasis of Southern Californias Asian American youth living in disjointed time. UCSDs most famous Asian American filmmakers are undoubtedly Wesley Chan, Ted Fu, and Philip Wang better known as Wong Fu Productions whose 2006 campus-set short Yellow Fever is now a viral legend. The trio has since released the feature A Moment With You (SDAFF 06), unleashed a merchandise line, produced countless shorts and music videos, and teamed up with Far East Movement to forge the multi-city concert series International Secret Agents. In five years, Wong Fu Productions has become the single most influential force in Asian American media production. Though beginning humbly on the UCSD campus, Wong Fus outlook is now national (and international with their One Days HK series) and San Diego no longer plays a significant role in their productions. Enter UCSD-alum Byron Q, reared on the French New Wave and Tupac Shakur. His feature debut BANG BANG (pg. 62) doesnt take San Diego as a generic American city or even a generic Asian American one. Rather, it jumps right into the thick of the ethnic logic and social fabric of the city as its lived by everyday Asian Americans there. In a city where the rich brush with the notso-rich, Taiwanese American parachute kids hang
the production moved to vancouver as soon as it was picked up by the WB. kashmir-born, Emmy/Genie-winning vic Sarin twice used San Diego for his Tv films: 1996s Hearts Adrift and 1995s Texas-set Wounded Heart. In 1994, another Asian American filmmaker, Chi kim, spent seven weeks in San Diego shooting the 3 Ninjas knock-off Black Belt Angels, which features a former Miss USA, a Dukes of Hazzard actor, and a swarm of progeny of semi-famous karate and taekwondo practitioners, in addition to the usual San Diego locales. Far more memorable is Tarsem Singhs The Cell (2000), which takes advantage of another San Diego treasure: its biotechnology. The films Campbell Center, that facility where psychiatrists dive into the secret mental maps of psychopath killers, was none other than La Jollas Neurosciences Institute. Around the same time, something was going on in another part of La Jolla. UCSD, which has no shortage of Asian American students, started to turn out creative, tech-savvy, and ambitious filmmakers, many of whom passed through the classrooms of legendary filmmaker Jean-Pierre Gorin, professor in UCSDs Department of visual Arts. Cinematographers R.J. Lozada and Sean Marc Lee (who shot the luminous short HUAN DAO in this years fest) are now working in San
50
out and cause havoc with vietnamese American gang members. Each side becomes curious about the others way of life and the ensuing drama is distinct to the geographies of ethnicity and class in contemporary San Diego. Many of the themes resonate with other cities on the West Coast, but the look and feel comes from the homes of Mira Mesa and Clairemont Mesa, the texture of Convoy, and the scale of the Ocean Beach Pier.
While creating a quintessentially San Diego film wasnt Byron Qs intention, because he and his cast and crew lived in San Diego, they knew niche spots and they knew how the city breathed. They knew how to borrow (or steal) locations that outsiders wouldnt have access to. They knew how to talk to local gang members to give the film authenticity. The characters and situations are true because San Diego was the filmmakers home. Like their predecessors from Hollywood, the BANG BANG
team could take advantage of a film-friendly city and the helpful local film commission. But for the first time, the spirit of San Diego Asian Americans has been captured on film from the ground up, and in doing so, ironically, can speak to audiences of all cities. Many thanks to Katie Outlaw of the San Diego Film Commission, and to Byron Q and James Bak for their insights.
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Nancy Kwan
Fifty years ago, a beautiful young dancer from Hong kong became one of the first Asian American leading ladies in Hollywood. Charismatic and charming, Nancy kwan quickly rose to stardom through her groundbreaking roles in The World of Suzie Wong and Flower Drum Song. Since then, she has appeared in more than 55 films and television shows. In honor of her work, the San Diego Asian Film Festival is proud to present Nancy kwan with a Lifetime Achievement Award. The public is invited to meet Nancy kwan at a free screening of a documentary about her life, TO WHOM IT MAy CONCERN: kA SHENS JOURNEy (pg. 114) on Monday, October 24 at 4:00PM.
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Thursday Oct.27, 4:00pm
49 daYs (ePisode 1)
SOUTH kOREA | kOREAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES 65 MINS | vIDEO | 2011
In collaboration with DramaFever, SDAFF is proud to present this years hit korean drama 49 DAyS in eye-popping high-definition on the big screen! yes, thats your heart pounding at the thought of superstar Nam Gyu-ri projected bigger than life. yes, thats your head getting faint at the thought of Bae Su-bin setting the screen on fire with that solemn, sexy stare. yes, those are your tear ducts automatically firing off at the thought of Lee yo-won baring her soul on screen in whats sure to be another award-winning role. No, were not kidding when we say that this is a supernatural romantic comedy about adorable Ji-hyun (Nam Gyu-ri) set to marry the most perfect fianc (Bae Su-bin), but gets in a car accident involving yi-kyung (Lee yo-won) that intertwines their fates and their bodies and souls! See how it all starts in episode one of SBSs 49 DAyS. Then, clear the schedule for the rest of the week, because youll be at home watching the rest of the series with English subtitles on DramaFever. And while youre there, check out DigiFest, SDAFF and DramaFevers landmark online festival of the best in Asian American cinema free until December 31, 2011. Brian Hu direCTor Jo young-kwang CAST Lee yo-won, Nam Gyu-ri, Bae Su-bin Co-preSenTed By: mneT SponSored By:
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the aBCs of aBdC (ameRiCas Best danCe CReW)

Saturday Oct. 22, 12:15pm
90 MINS
Dance has become an integral part of Asian American youth culture, uniting the community in a unique and expressive way. Due to increasing accessibility and the mainstream success of shows like MTvs Americas Best Dance Crew and the online-driven The LxD (The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers), artists now have a platform to catapult to rock star-esque levels and inspire a new generation of dancers. Enjoy an intimate panel discussion with contestants of MTvs Americas Best Dance Crew (ABDC) and members of the LxD as they talk about their experience on the show and in the industry. Music video directors and industry professionals will also be on hand to chime in on the evolving integration of dance in the film and television industry. Scheduled to appear are members of Americas Best Dance Crew Season 6 grand winners, I.AM.ME Crew and Season 6 Finalists Instant Noodles Crew along with Shelby Rabara (The Dark Nurse) from the LxD: The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers. More panelists to be announced.
moderATed By:
phiL yu, AngryASiAnmAn.Com
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Saturday Oct. 22, 2:00pm Monday Oct. 24, 7:00pm

CHINA | MANDARIN WITH ENGLISH AND CHINESE SUBTITLES | 135 MINS | 35MM | 2010
afteRshoCK
Shattering domestic box office records and unleashing torrents of tears, AFTERSHOCk is a Titanic-sized work of collective mourning for a nation reeling from recent earthquakes. Cleverly evading PRC censors sensitive to depictions of modern suffering, AFTERSHOCk takes its audience back to 1976, when the Great Tangshan Earthquake leveled cities and became arguably the worlds deadliest natural disaster of the 20th century. But AFTERSHOCk is not about death, but survival. Hours after the earthquake, which the film depicts in uncompromising detail, a mother (played by xu Fan in a spine-tingling performance) is told that below the rubble are her son and daughter, and to save one means to crush the other to death. In choosing, she sets off a life of guilt for her and the child she saves. She also sets on a life of emotional abandonment the other child who miraculously survives and who heard every word of the mothers sacrifice. As its title implies, AFTERSHOCk is not about the disaster but about the cracks that continue to rupture a family in the decades that follow. And yet their resilience mounts to one of the most powerful and uplifting works of family drama China has ever seen. Director Feng xiaogang, long the most popular director on the mainland, goes beyond his usual comedic populism and creates a life-affirming cinematic epic. Brian Hu
direCTor Feng xiaogang CAST xu Fan, Zhang Jingchu, Chen Daoming Best Film, 2010 Asian Pacific Screen Awards Co-preSenTed By: ChineSe SChooL of SAn diego, epoCh TimeS SponSored By:
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amPhetamine
Thursday Oct. 28, 9:00pm

HONG kONG | CANTONESE AND ENGLISH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 97 MINS | vIDEO | 2010
As swimming instructor expert kafka (Byron Pang) is breaking up with his girlfriend at a Hong kong cafe, he shares a lingering glance with handsome David (Thomas Price), a finance hotshot in the city on business. Quickly, David falls for kafka and pursues him aggressively, even when kafka tell him hes straight and they can never be together. After several adrenaline-laced adventures, their love for each other grows despite the hurdles, including kafkas drug addiction and mental afflictions. Ultimately, their addiction to love proves just as dangerous as the drugs they use to explore their relationship. direCTor Scud CAST Byron Pang, Thomas Price, Winnie Leung Panorama Competition, 2010 Berlin Film Festival Closing Night Film, 2010 Hong Kong International Film Festival ADULTS ONLy CONTAINS STRONG SExUAL CONTENT Co-preSenTed By: guyS LiKe uS, Long yAng CLuB of Sd known for themes usually deemed too controversial for Hong kong cinema including gay nudity filmmaker Scud (aka Danny Cheng Wan-Cheung) paints a striking, stylized visual portrait full of panoramic views, a high-octane color palette, and Scuds unique brand of cinematography. Anchored by two convincing lead performances, AMPHETAMINE explores love in Hong kongs fast lane, as the speed limits of passion are tested. Michael Chen
Michael Rozzen
SponSored By:
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Sunday Oct.23, 2:30pm Wednesday Oct. 26, 6:30pm

87 MINS
animation: the illusion of life
deATh By LemonAde
CANADA | 2 MINS | 2010 | 2D TRADITIONAL
dAiSy
USA | 2 MINS | 2010 | MIxED MEDIA
DIRECTOR kyu-Bum Lee A little girl running a lemonade stand has a run in with Death. Vigour
DIRECTOR Rohitash Rao A little girl learns the dire consequences of pulling petals off a daisy. enriQue wreCKS The worLd
USA | 4 MINS | 2010 | 2D TRADITIONAL
How do you coax life out of thin air? Find out in this program dedicated entirely to the magical art of animation. SOME MATURE CONTENT Cast and crew scheduled to attend. Co-preSenTed By: ArT inSTiTuTe, pLATT CoLLege
DIRECTOR Chang Dai A celebration of joyful movement, aliveness, handdrawn animation, and sheer vigour. new digS
SOUTH AFRICA | 2 MINS | 2010 | CG
DIRECTOR David Chai Enrique learns the hard way that actions speak louder than birds! guArd dog gLoBAL jAm!
DIRECTOR Martin Sen A little hamster, feeling neglected and unloved by his owner, decides to leave his rotten home in search of a better one. SKeTChi
WORLDWIDE | 5 MINS | 2011 | vARIOUS
DIRECTORS Bill Plympton, David Chai, Perry Chen, etc. 75 different artists combined their talents (and styles) for this crazy-quilt remake of an Oscar-nominated short. SeTh And mAriA
USA | 4 MINS | 2011 | CG, PHOTOGRAPHy
DIRECTOR Lily Sun A girl struggles to revive her beloved dead dog. defeCTiVe deTeCTiVe
USA | 4 MINS | 2011 | CG
DIRECTOR Sam Chen Seth and Maria are addicted to marijuana and they will stop at nothing to keep getting high. Sour: Tone of eVerydAy
DIRECTORS Avner Geller and Stevie Lewis A washed-up detectives imagination runs wild as he tries to solve the most critical case of his career. ruBBudS
JAPAN | 4 MINS | 2009 | LIvE ACTION, STOPMOTION
DIRECTOR Masashi kawamura A global music video shot entirely using webcams by fans of the Japanese band Sour. heArT
USA | 3 MINS | 2009 | CG
DIRECTOR Jan Chen On a boring night, a motley crew of RUBBUDS embark on an unforgettable journey of ecstasy.
DIRECTOR Erick Oh An exploration into the meaning of life, what we fight for, and how we tend to destroy each other.
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LiBAngBAng
DIRECTOR Chia-Chi Tseng Through the lens of poetry, this animated short is inspired by the flying fish of Orchid Island in Taiwan. A purpLemAn
SOUTH kOREA | 13 MINS | 2010 | STOPMOTION
DIRECTOR Tak Hoon kim Based on the true story of North korean defector Hyuck kim, who escaped prison to find safety in South korea. no more QueSTionS
DIRECTOR Rauch Brothers Based on a real-life interview for StoryCorps, kay Wang takes her son and granddaughter down memory lane before her death a few weeks later. The LighThouSe
DIRECTOR Po Chou Chi A poignant story about a fathers undying support of his son and his dreams. The LoST Thing
AUSTRALIA | 15 MINS | 2010 | CG
DIRECTOR Shaun Tan and Andrew Ruhemann 2011 Academy Award Winner for Best Animated Short. A boy finds a strange creature on a beach and decides to find a home for it in a world where everyone believes there are far more important things to pay attention to.
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asian ameRiCan Women in hollYWood and BeYond

Sunday Oct. 23, 12:30pm
90 MINS
Since the days of Anna May Wong, Asian American actresses have had a continued presence in cinema, from icons of the Orient to Oscarnominated actresses to directors and producers behind the camera. As technologies, demographics, and audiences transform, so too do representations and opportunities for Asian American actresses to hone and showcase their art. This panel brings together a legendary professor of Asian American Studies and two actresses who have become familiar faces in film and Tv and who will star together in next years Yes, Were Open. Preceded by: SLAying The drAgon: reLoAded
DIRECTOR Elaine H. kim Deborah Gees seminal documentary Slaying the Dragon (1988) broke down the stereotypes of Asian American women into dragon ladies and lotus blossoms, and became a staple of Asian American classes around the country. Over twenty years have passed, and famed UC Berkeley professor Elaine H. kim has brought the discussion to the present, interrogating not only more recent Hollywood representations, but also Asian American self-representations on film, Tv, and the internet.
pAneLiSTS: LyNN CHEN (Saving Face, Surrogate Valentine) SHEETAL SHETH (Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World, The Trouble with Romance) ELAINE S. kIM (Professor, Ethnic Studies, UC Berkeley; Director/Writer, Slaying the Dragon: Reloaded) moderATed By: Leeva Chung (Professor, Communication Studies, University of San Diego) Co-preSenTed By: Audrey mAgAzine, CSuSm ApifSA (ASiAn pACifiC iSLAnder fACuLTy STAff ASSoCiATion), uCSd womenS CenTer
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Friday Oct.21, 8:40pm Friday Oct. 28, 7:20pm

Bang Bang
Justin (Thai Ngo) is a troubled teenage gang member who runs away from home after a fight with his mother. Despite a real desire to pursue a career in music, gang life has trapped Justin in a world he cannot escape. Conversely, his best friend Charlie (David Huynh), despite his wealthy upbringing, has become completely infatuated with the gangster lifestyle and seeks a way in. When the murder of a fellow gang member ignites a violent street war, both Justin and Charlie become embroiled in a conflict that will change both of their lives forever. In this astonishing feature film debut, director Byron Q has crafted a tale that deftly balances gritty realism with stylized visuals in a manner that transcends the gangsta movie genre. Shot locally in San Diego, the film also features outstanding performances from hip hop artist Thai Ngo in the lead role, David Huynh (Baby, SDAFF 08) and Jessika van as Justins love interest. Not just authentic in its depiction of life on the streets, the film brings hard-hitting authenticity to its characterizations and situations in a way that will stay with you long after the credits have rolled. Gene Huh direCTor Byron Q CAST Thai Ngo, David Huynh, Jessika van Best First Film, 2011 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE AND vIOLENCE Director Byron Q and the cast are scheduled to attend. Co-preSenTed By: myx TV, uCSd ALumni SAn diego CLuB
62
Saturday Oct. 22, 3:00pm Wednesday Oct. 26, 7:30pm

USA | ENGLISH AND HINDI | 70 MINS | vIDEO | 2011
Big in BollYWood
Omi vaidya is an ordinary Angelino. He lives in a plain L.A. house with his grad student wife, mows his own lawn, and struggles to make his dreams come true as an actor no small task for an Indian American in a white-majority industry. Then fate comes knocking. A major Bollywood studio rolls into town to cast a supporting role in an upcoming film starring Aamir khan, a titan of the Bombay film industry. Thing is, Omi cant really speak Hindi, so he goofballs his way through the audition and somehow lands a role as a comedic sidekick. Shot by Omis old college buddies, BIG IN BOLLyWOOD follows Omi as he travels to India for the premiere of the film, 3 Idiots. What they discover is beyond any of their imaginations. The film skyrockets to the top of the box office, becoming the highest-grossing film in Indias history, and suddenly the California son is mobbed by the worlds most feverish movie lovers, is swept away by the Bollywood typhoon, and is expected to deliver publicity speeches and present at award shows in a language he barely understands. A uniquely Asian American story about being an outsider in both Asia and America, BIG IN BOLLyWOOD is one of those cant-make-this-up star-is-born tales with a comedic twist, featuring red carpet crashing, bus getaways, and of course, dance. Brian Hu Preceded by: i wAnT To Be A deSi
CANADA | ENGLISH | 6 MINS | vIDEO | 2010
direCTorS kenny Meehan and Bill Bowles produCerS Tyler MacNiven and Matt McCroskey Filmmakers scheduled to attend Oct. 22 screening. Audience Award, 2011 Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles
DIRECTOR Allan Tong Roger finds a fix for his mixed-race quandary: become a desi!
64
BloWfish: an inteRseCtion of sights and sounds

Friday Oct. 21, 8:00pm
$10 GENERAL | FREE FOR PASSHOLDERS | FREE FOR GUEST LIST
kick off opening weekend of the Festival with our annual party celebrating the deadly but delicious fusion of music and video. Featuring pioneer video mash-up DJ Mike Relm, dance the night away and enjoy the latest music video premieres from the best in the Asian American indie music scene. Party will be the official after-celebration for Friday night film premieres of kNOTS and BANG BANG. Cast and crew for films scheduled to attend. More acts and special guests to be announced. Free admission available for those on the guest list. For guest list consideration, sign up for a FREE account on www.Chroniclr.com and send confirmation of registration to blowfish@sdaff.org with BLOWFISH in subject line. vENUE: CULy WAREHOUSE, 335 SIxTH AvE, GASLAMP
SponSored By:
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a BoY and his samuRai
Saturday Oct.22, 7:45pm Thursday Oct. 27, 7:00pm
JAPAN | JAPANESE WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 109 MINS | vIDEO | 2010
In this entertaining and enchanting tale, an Edo-period samurai named kajima, played by Japan Tv star Ryo Nishikido, ends up being spirited away to present day Tokyo where he is understandably lost and confused. Single-mom yusa and her 6-year-old son Tomoyo take in the lost samurai and offer food and shelter, although not seriously believing yet that he has time-traveled. Not long after, kajima steps into the role of a surrogate father, as yusa repeatedly works late at the office, and learns to master every domestic duty from laundry to dishes. Then through Tomoyas fondness for custard, kajima makes a profound discovery, even claiming that the custard must be from the heavens. While mom is making progress up the chain at her work, the boy and the samurai stay home and master the art of pastry-making. After they enter a highly competitive cake contest together, their world turns upside down kajima is discovered by a top upscale restaurant, and an opportunity he cant refuse threatens to tear the family dynamic apart. A BOy AND HIS SAMURAI recently won the Audience Award at the New york Asian Film Festival and it is easy to see why. With sincere lead performances and a heartfelt storyline that also touches on the role of women in modern Japanese society, it is audience-pleasing without dumbing down. Among all the choices in this years Japan Spotlight, this endearing and visually appetizing box-office hit with strong family values is not one to miss. Mye Hoang
direCTor yoshihiro Nakamura CAST Ryo Nishikido, Fuku Suzuki, Rie Tomosaka Audience Award, 2011 New York Asian Film Festival Audience Award, 2011 Fantastic Fest West Coast Premiere Co-preSenTed By: LighThouSe mAgAzine, BuddhiST TempLe of SAn diego, jApAneSe AmeriCAn hiSToriCAL SoCieTy of SAn diego (jAhSSd), moChi CAfe, SAn diego jApAneSe AmeriCAn CiTizenS LeAgue (jACL), Anime Conji, proVen inC.
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a CitY of sadness
Tuesday Oct.25, 7:30pm
FREE!
TAIWAN | TAIWANESE, JAPANESE, MANDARIN, SHANGHAINESE, AND CANTONESE WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 159 MINS | 35MM | 1989
Recently named the greatest Chinese-language film of all time by the Golden Horse Film Festival, Hou Hsiao-hsiens A CITy OF SADNESS is a monument of world cinema by any measure, rewriting the rules of how to shoot violence, how to tell a history, and how to stage a shot. It also changed the course of Taiwanese political history, daring to be the first work of mass culture to address the infamous 228 Incident and daring to remind the political dissidents and conservative stalwarts alike that in the end, a nation that suffers together will cry together. This is cinema at its most challenging, and most humane. direCTor Hou Hsiao-hsien CAST Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Chen Song-young, Li Tian-lu Golden Lion, 1989 Venice Film Festival Presented in a new 20th anniversary 35mm print. Co-preSenTed By: TAiwAneSe AmeriCAn CommuniTy CenTer After the second world war, a patriarch and his sons are torn by economic gain, political possibility, and social inertia. The younger generation is released of Japans colonial grip, but is now lost in the dizzying centripetal forces of the transition from one colonizer to another: the kuomintang government from the mainland. In this moment of confusion, there is money to be made, loyalties to be breached, and languages to be learned. Many will die. And then there is the deaf youngest brother, played by the great Hong kong actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai, who has no voice but can be the quiet observer, the moral rock of family, love, and hope. Those left standing will go on to build the Taiwan we know today. Brian Hu
67
Friday Oct. 21, 10:00pm Friday Oct. 28, 9:45pm

SDAFF ExTREME
Cold fish
Conflicts in most family dramas are resolved through patience and civility. Most family dramas are not directed by Sion Sono. With COLD FISH, Sono takes the most twisted, disturbed path to confronting family dysfunction, which for him is less a social ill than a reflection of the darkest tendencies of the human condition. A stressed-out, socially-repressed family man (Mitsuru Fukikoshi) runs a small tropical fish shop. His wife (played by Megumi kagurazaka) may be hot, but there is no fire in the marriage. Compounding his stress is a daughter who is starting to act out in criminal ways, which leads her to getting caught by another fish shop owner, Murata. Then, a strange proposition: Murata asks that Mitsuko live and work with him, his wife (Asuka kurosawa), and all of their other scantily-clad female sales workers. Thus begins a strange relationship between two men that leads to a downward spiral of adultery, murder, and other very perverted and disturbing acts. A special SDAFF Extreme selection, COLD FISH is a classic Sion Sono film reminiscent of previous works like Suicide Club and Norikos Dinner Table. In this masterwork, Sono reminds us that the dark and depraved are often unnoticed, yet are an unavoidable part of the fabric of everyday life, where the line between blood, sexuality, and family can sometimes cross paths and reveal ugly truths. Phillip Lorenzo Preceded by: BLoodTrAffiCK
HONG kONG AND AUSTRIA | ENGLISH | 11 MINS | vIDEO | 2011
direCTor Sion Sono CAST Mitsuru Fukikoshi, Denden, Asuka kurosawa, Megumi kagurazaka ADULTS ONLy CONTAINS ExTREME vIOLENCE AND SExUAL SITUATIONS Co-preSenTed By: fiLm SChooL ConfidenTiAL, CinemA junKie, Anime Conji SponSored By: mediA ArTS CenTer SAn diego
DIRECTOR Jennifer Thym

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the daY he aRRives
Saturday Oct.22, 6:00pm Tuesday Oct. 26, 5:15pm

SOUTH kOREA | kOREAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 79 MINS | vIDEO | 2011
direCTor Hong Sang-soo CAST yu Jun-sang, kim Bo-kyung, kim Sang-jung CONTAINS MATURE CONTENT Official Selection, Un Certain Regard, 2011 Cannes Film Festival West Coast Premiere Co-preSenTed By: SAn diego ArThouSe moVieS SponSored By:
yoo Sungjoon (yu Jun-sang) has just arrived in Seoul from the countryside and tells us through voiceover that hes just passing through and that hes going to see a friend and take it easy. But we, knowing that this is a Hong Sang-soo film, know better. In Seoul, Sungjoon, an erstwhile filmmaker, runs into a curious cast of characters: some old colleagues, fans he doesnt remember the names of, collaborators who want nothing to do with him, strange women who clearly like him, waitresses who look like ex-lovers. And of course there will be drinking. And sex. And tears. And awkwardness that shows how quickly men will crack when properly inebriated and when placed in the same room together. Nobody shoots soju banter better than Hong Sang-soo, and even though his films all have the same basic subject matter, Hong is able to play with structure to explore new themes in each. Partway through the easy-going minutiae of DAy HE ARRIvES, situations start reoccurring in uncanny ways. Is Sungjoon reliving the same arrival? Is it still the day he arrived? Is the butterfly effect playing tricks on us? Or are Sungjoons days and encounters with people all so random, repetitive, and strange that this could simply be the daze of his drunken stupor? The Groundhog Day-type repetitions become a lovely (though deliciously awkward) rumination on chance and love, which Hong started to develop in his last masterpiece Hahaha. Brian Hu
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CHINA | MANDARIN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 58 MINS | vIDEO | 2009
disoRdeR
you can call it a Chinese city symphony. you can call it one of the most mesmerizing films Ive seen in ages, as Hua Hsu wrote in The Atlantic. But none of that gets to the sheer poetic force of how director Huang Weikai has assembled images and sounds of a city at a boiling point. This is no city symphony, but a city cacophony: men collapsing in the streets, pigs running loose, murky water flooding to the knees, and an ominous blimp floating above like a dead fish in an aquarium. The chaos builds to the point of no return. Disorder turns to dehumanization. But DISORDER isnt just urban violence. Its also an artful invective on a world spinning out of control. The films Chinese title (Now is the future of the past) gets to the odd sense of time and history coming to a head and exploding. The film is shot on digital yet looks like grainy 16mm. Its the preindustrial meeting the post-apocalypse. Its Sidney Lumet reporting from the future. China is on the brink of implosion and humanity is put to the test. The streets are alive with the absurd. Brian Hu Preceded by: whATS for dinner?
CHINA AND USA | JIANGxI DIALECT WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 33 MINS | vIDEO | 2011
direCTor Huang Weikai produCer Li Jiuchu
DIRECTOR Jian yi As food habits become a sign of social status, the demand for meat in the worlds most populous country puts pressure on environmental sustainability. WHATS FOR DINNER goes beyond the save the environment slogans (which the government spits as readily as any NGOs), to focus on how everyday economic realities and cultural change are transforming the agricultural landscape in China and beyond.
70
dont go BReaKing mY heaRt

HONG kONG | CANTONESE AND MANDARIN WITH ENGLISH AND CHINESE SUBTITLES | 115 MINS | 35MM | 2011
A finance executive (Louis koo) is in search for the love thatll free him from his playboy ways. An architect-turned-alcoholic (Daniel Wu) is in search for the inspiration that will unlock his artistry once again. Enter the calamitous, lovable yen (Gao yuanyuan), fresh off a breakup and a little jaded by love, though willing to entertain the idea if the right man comes around. Or comes up. Hong kong is a city built vertically, and one of the pleasures of the witty DONT GO BREAkING My HEART is how it is a true city romance, where the citys iron, steel, and glass dont impede love, but facilitate it. In the citys giant skyscrapers, men and women work, flirt, and propose, and through the giant windows they stare and spy. Even in the romantic comedy genre, famed action director Johnnie To is no slouch, innovating with space and expectation. Collaborating once again with Wai ka-fai (the dynamic directing duo of Vengeance, Mad Detective, and others), To serves the romantic and comedic charms with signature slickness, though anyone whos seen his heartmelting Needing You or My Left Eye Sees Ghosts shouldnt be surprised. As in Tos thrillers, DONT GO BREAkING My HEART has no obvious good guys and bad guys, and keeps the audience guessing to the final scene. Brian Hu
direCTor Johnnie To, Wai ka-fai CAST Louis koo, Daniel Wu, Gao yuanyuan, Lam Suet Opening Night Film, 2011 Hong Kong International Film Festival
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Thursday Oct. 20, 7:50pm Monday Oct. 24, 8:00pm

THAILAND | THAI WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 105 MINS | 35MM | 2010
eteRnitY
Wit has just brought his schoolteacher fianc koi to his rural home. In this quiet, rustic setting, under the tall trees and beneath the wooden awnings of Wits youth, the young couple falls in love. In some sense a paean to puppy love, ETERNITy captures in long, patient strokes the romanticism of floating down a river or rocking in a hammock with the person you want to spend the rest of your life with. ETERNITy is achingly romantic, but its as calm as a summers afternoon. Characters dont have to proclaim their love to each other its palpable in their gentle glances, in their playful asides, even in the way they breathe in the countryside air when together. Bookending these scenes of youthful tenderness is a ghostly presence that stretches that innocence into infinity. The puzzle of the film, as its title suggests, is how to discover, in these everyday rhythms of life, a love that knows no end that haunts, not to frighten, but to never let go. Director Sivaroj kongsakul has worked with other Thai masters of artful romanticism (Pen-ek Rataranuang, Apichatpong Weerasethakul) and with this award-winning debut, emerges as perhaps the most romantic of all. Brian Hu direCTor Sivaroj kongsakul CAST Pattraporn Jaturanrassmee, Wanlop Rungkamjad, Namfon Udomlertlak Tiger Award, Rotterdam International Film Festival, 2011 Best Film, Deauville Asian Film Festival, 2011 Silver Digital Award, Hong Kong International Film Festival, 2011
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foReveR Young
82 MINS

In these shorts, youth aint a number, its a state of mind. TiCK ToCK
USA | 5 MINS | 2011
DIRECTOR Ien Chi In real time and reverse motion, this is what one man does when he has five minutes left to live. expoSure
USA | 15 MINS | 2011
BoyS And girLS

USA | 5 MINS | 2010
DIRECTOR Chris Tipton-king Nerves abound, keith and Marion primp, shave, and rehearse for some hot first dates. my nAme iS SeVen
USA | 7 MINS | 2011
DIRECTOR Mia Trachinger Jesse realizes there is nothing black and white about governmentenforced vaccinations. TAKe A muLLigAn
USA | 10 MINS | 2011
DIRECTOR vince Duque A reset button for bad pickup lines? If only life were like this. whATS up in The fuTure!
USA | 2 MINS | 2011
DIRECTOR D.B. Cheng Familiar faces from Quest Crew and kaba Modern battle it out for love. huAn dAo
TAIWAN, USA | 20 MINS | 2011
DIRECTOR Chickie Otani The heart may be young, but the body has some other ideas no eV TrouBLe in LiTTLe ChinA
USA | 3 MINS | 2011
DIRECTOR Norbert Shieh Two brothers have an unscheduled reunion in their old Taiwan home. pArAChuTe KidS
USA | 15 MINS | 2011
DIRECTOR Allen Ho With the parents gone, Christmas isnt the usual party.
DIRECTOR Michael Sorvino Legendary actor James Hong is back, and no puny electric car is going to stop him!
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fullmetal alChemist: the saCRed staR of milos

JAPAN | JAPANESE WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES 110 MINS | vIDEO | 2011
Sunday Oct. 23, 5:10pm Tuesday Oct. 25, 9:10pm
FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: THE SACRED STAR OF MILOS is the second animated film based off the popular Fullmetal Alchemist manga and anime series. Set in a fictional universe where alchemy is common practice, brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric search for the Philosophers Stone to restore their bodies after a failed attempt to bring their mother back to life through alchemy. We join Ed and Al as they travel through Table City, a circular valley next to the country of Creta. The people of Table City, known as the Milos, had their land taken by the Cretans and are forced to live in the valley where they are constantly persecuted. Once Ed and Al discover the Philosophers Stone is somewhere in Table City, they must help the Milos people, including two mysterious strangers, rebel against the Cretans and reclaim their land while also discovering the secrets surrounding the city itself. Murata successfully mixes drama, comedy and a whole lot of action into one film. Intense action dominates most of the film, but Murata is able to seamlessly blend light-hearted humor throughout to form a satisfying result. The inclusion of new characters and a separate side story from the anime series make FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: THE SACRED STAR OF MILOS a must-see experience for hardcore fans as well as newcomers to the series. James Paguyo
direCTor kazuya Murata CAST Romi Park, Rie kugimiya, Maaya Sakamoto Co-preSenTed By: Anime Conji
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glove
Friday Oct. 21, 7:00pm Wednesday Oct. 26, 7:00pm

SOUTH kOREA | kOREAN AND kOREAN SIGN LANGUAGE WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 144 MINS | 35MM | 2011
Best known for his action and crime thrillers, veteran director kang Woo-suk hit a homerun at the korean box office with GLOvE, an uplifting, familyfriendly sports drama. Based on a true story, GLOvE centers on a struggling baseball team at a rural school for the hearing-impaired. Though winless, the young players dream of competing in the national baseball championships. The schools head nun, meanwhile, plans to dissolve the team, believing deaf students have no future in sports. yet for these boys who are treated as outcasts in society, eliminating baseball would take away the one thing that makes them feel normal. Fortuitously, the team gets a new coach a hot-tempered champion pitcher Sang-Nam (Jung Jae-young) who took the job to rehabilitate his image after a well-publicized drunken brawl. Jaded and unmotivated, Sang-Nam is rather unenthusiastic about taking on a motley crew of deaf country boys with whom he can barely communicate. But their dogged determination to go to nationals begins to win over Sang-Nam. He gradually develops a bond with the kids, especially a talented young pitcher Myeong-jae (Jang ki-bum), whose rebelliousness reminds Sang-Nam of his own early years. At each base, GLOvE is loaded with sentimentality, humor, and dignity. It affirms our love for underdog stories while shedding light on a community that is rarely portrayed on film. Lee Ann kim
direCTor kang Woo-suk CAST Jung Jae-young, yoo Seon, kim Hye-seong, Jang ki-beom, kim Ho-won Co-preSenTed By: weLLS fArgo, mNET SponSored By:
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Saturday Oct. 22, 12:15pm Thursday Oct. 27, 5:30pm

MALAySIA | CANTONESE, HOkkIEN, MANDARIN, AND MALAySIAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 91 MINS | vIDEO | 2011
gReat daY
Director Chiu keng Guans heartwarming comedy portrays Chinese Malaysian family values against the backdrop of spectacular Malaysia locales and featuring an all-local cast. Displaying both the beauties of the rural Perlis countryside and the capital, kuala Lumpur, the film shows Malaysias vibrancy through intersecting stories of Chinese Malaysian families. In the rural Perlis kampong, two older men (called uncles) in a retirement home squabble over who has better children. Determined to win the argument, the uncles sneak off to the city to better shove their childrens filial piety in the other uncles face. However, one uncle underestimates the different pace of his childrens hectic city lives, and struggles to give his family the caring support they secretly crave but openly disdain. With the help of a widower who inadvertently smuggled the uncles into kuala Lumpur, all of the families learn how to connect to simpler and happier lives. Combining both the tranquility of the country kampong, the bustle of kuala Lumpur, and the Chinese Malaysian family values that weave the two together, the film comically portrays how time and love is a precious commodity in the clash between the modern and the traditional. Wendy yamamoto
direCTor Chiu keng Guan CAST Wan Wai Fun, Jiang Han, Jack Lim North American Premiere Co-preSenTed By: SingmA CLuB of SAn diego
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hello ghost
Sunday Oct. 23, 4:20pm Monday Oct.24, 7:30pm

SOUTH kOREA | kOREAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 111 MINS | 35MM | 2010
A box office hit in South korea, HELLO GHOST showcases what korean cinema does best take a morbid storyline and turn it into a kneeslapping comedy with a dose of melodrama, side order of tears, and a sprinkle of romance. So good, HELLO GHOST is already slated for a U.S. remake by director Chris Columbus (Home Alone, Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone). Festival favorite Cha Tae-Hyun from My Sassy Girl (SDAFF 02) and Scandal Makers (SDAFF 09) stars as Sang-Man, a depressed lonely young man who is so pathetic he fails at several attempts to end his own life. After waking up in the hospital from a near-death experience, four pesky ghosts enter his life: an old, alcoholic perv; a chain-smoking taxi driver; a weeping woman; and a rambunctious boy with an insatiable sweet tooth. visible to no one else, the annoying spirits follow Sang-Man everywhere he goes until he acquiesces to demands of carrying out their unfinished business. Hoping to get rid of them, Sang-Man allows each ghost to possess his body, forcing him into hilariously awkward situations. Despite the trouble, Sang-Man finds new purpose in living. With his quirky entourage, Cha Tae-Hyun does not disappoint, once again emerging as an endearing, hapless hero whom fans should be dying to see. Lee Ann kim
direCTor kim young-Tak CAST Cha Tae-Hyun, kang Hye-Won, Lee Moon-Su, ko Chang-Seok Co-preSenTed By: KOREAm mAgAzine, mneT, KoreAn AmeriCAn BAr ASSoCiATion SponSored By:
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FREE!
Wednesday Oct. 26, 4:00pm

hiding
North korea is a country under much political scrutiny and debate, but one issue that often gets overlooked is the hundreds of thousands of North koreans who are still enslaved in prison camps in modern day. Those lucky enough to escape often end up in China, despite the threat of repatriation, where third party NGOs offer them assistance at starting a new life in a new country. Starting a new life is not nearly as easy as it seems, however, and an enormous percentage of female refugees are trafficked and sold as sex workers. Justin Wheelers HIDING explores this issue as well as the phenomenon of 21st century prison camps in North korea with the help of LiNks networks, including the struggle of refugees to escape through a 3,500 mile long underground railroad.
direCTor Justin Wheeler Director Justin Wheeler is scheduled to attend. Co-preSenTed By: LinK (LiBerTy in norTh KoreA). KOREAm mAgAzine SponSored By:
78
house of the Rising sun

Thursday Oct. 20, 4:00pm Monday Oct. 24, 5:30pm
103 MINS
FREE!
Past meets present in these shorts from Japan and Japanese America.
henryS gLASSeS
USA | 20 MINS | 2010
DIRECTOR Brendan Uegama Despite being locked in an internment camp, a Japanese American boy finds a way to see the world in new colors. The VirTueS of Corned Beef hASh
USA | 21 MINS | 2010
DIRECTOR kerwin Berk A young journalist must alter his approach and diet to interview a Nisei war veteran. CONTAINS MATURE CONTENT Co-preSenTed By: BuddhiST TempLe of SAn diego, jApAneSe AmeriCAn hiSToriCAL SoCieTy of SAn diego (jAhSSd) SponSored By: hidden BooKS The ArT of Kumi Korf
USA | 30 MINS | 2011
DIRECTOR Sam Hampton One-time aspiring architect finds fame in various artistic disciplines. TSuyAKo
JAPAN AND USA | 25 MINS | 2011
DIRECTOR Mitsuyo Miyazaki In postwar Japan, Tsuyako, a factory worker, must decide between duty and love. ThiS dreAm of ourS
JAPAN | 7 MINS | 2011
DIRECTOR yusuke Sato While in deep meditation, an aging poet struggles to write his own death haiku.
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USA AND INDIA | ENGLISH, HINDI WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES 71 MINS | vIDEO | 2010
i am
I AM is a bold, fascinating exploration of the lives of South Asians living inside and outside of India, whose identities are complicated by sexuality. This documentary invites us into the hearts and minds of people whose struggle for social, cultural, and political acceptance for lesbians, gays, and bisexuals evokes the question who are you? Director Sonali Gulati presents multiple faces on this question through stories, such as the tale of two lesbians who were forcibly wrenched apart by one womans furious family which cannot accept their love. Similarly, we can also marvel at the bravery of a prince, who openly proclaims his homosexuality and risks losing his throne rather than hide who he is. However, Gulati does not shy away from showing us multiple and differing points of view, such as the dubious clinics that specialize in medicine that will cure homosexuality. Hauntingly framed by Gulatis own regret that she never came out to her mother before her mothers death, this film beautifully portrays the identity struggles of South Asian LGBT people, and the political efforts to overturn punitive colonial laws against homosexuality in India. Throughout this film, we learn how to answer the question who are you? with the answer I AM. Wendy yamamoto
direCTor Sonali Gulati Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary, Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles Audience Award and Best Documentary Film, Asian Film Festival of Dallas Co-preSenTed By: pfLAg, SAn diego gAy And LeSBiAn TimeS, womenS inTernATionAL CenTer
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in the familY
Monday Oct. 24, 7:15pm

USA | ENGLISH | 169 MINS | 35MM | 2011
Asian American cinemas most striking debut in years, IN THE FAMILy is a singular work that kicks convention to the curb: a story set in Tennessee, with patient and unusual long takes, and a running time that can only be described as bold. The result is a transcendent experience that, with each surprise of creative daring, achieves uncommon dramatic heights. The film opens on the ordinary daily routines of an ordinary American family. Breakfast is served, and the young son Chip is whisked off to school. That the parents are two men, Joey (Patrick Wang) and Cody (Trevor St. John) is hardly the point that is, until a tragedy that leaves Joey to raise Chip on his own, leading to a custody battle that challenges legal conventions, but not the audiences sympathies, thanks to Wangs stirring performance as a most tender and wise father. The resulting legal standoff is a thing of incredible sensitivity that never mocks the conservatism of the American South, but rather treats it as a living being constantly in search for the dignity of man. Discrimination, both racial and sexual, creeps just beneath the surface, but the brilliance of the film and its extraordinarily clever script is how one gay Asian American crusader fights for his son by being the most gentlemanly southern man in the entire film. IN THE FAMILy takes no dramatic shortcuts and makes no compromises. Out of respect to the reality of struggle, this is a civil rights drama with no miracles. The only miracle perhaps is that the films director, writer, producer, and lead actor is one man, Patrick Wang, who, in his debut, pulls off an unforgettable feat of unflinching filmmaking. Brian Hu
direCTor Patrick Wang CAST Patrick Wang, Trevor St. John, Susan kellerman, Brian Murray North American Premiere Co-preSenTed By: fAmiLy mATTerS, SAn diego gAy And LeSBiAn TimeS, The CenTer
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Knots
In the kooky romantic comedy kNOTS, matriarch Miriam (Illeana Douglas) is three times divorced, with one daughter born from each husband. What ensues is a recipe for comical family strife as the daughters finally reach the breaking point of addressing feelings repressed thanks to moms poor choices in men. When eldest daughter Lily (kimberly Rose-Wolter) rejects her boyfriends marriage proposal, she decides to return home to Hawaii for family support. It turns out the family is having wedding troubles of their own. Their wedding planning business is being run into the ground by Lilys two half-sisters Twinny (Mia Riverton) and Hoku (Janel Parrish), and its left to Lily to get things on the right track. If things couldnt get worse, Lilys ex-boyfriend kai (Sung kang) enters the picture, as does a surprise reveal that makes reconciliation no easy matter. With kNOTS, director Michael kang (The Motel, SDAFF 05; West 32nd, SDAFF 07) vibrantly interweaves multiple storylines together in a brisk, delightful 77 minutes. As the title kNOTS implies, no family is too non-traditional, no relationship too unexpected, for the ties that bind. Eric Lallana
direCTor Michael kang wriTer kimberly Rose-Wolter CAST kimberly Rose-Wolter, Sung kang, Illeana Douglas, Mia Riverton North American Premiere Director Michael Kang and cast scheduled to attend. Co-preSenTed By: KoreAm mAgAzine, iLoVemuSuBi.Com, ASiAn reAL eSTATe ASSoCiATion of AmeriCA (AreAA) SponSored By:
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left BY the shiP
Sunday Oct. 23, 5:30pm Wednesday Oct. 26, 5:30pm

PHILLIPPINES | TAGALOG WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 80 MINS | vIDEO | 2010
While American sailors left Subic Bay after U.S. forces pulled out of the Philippines in 1992, their legacies remain on the faces of abandoned offspring. At least 50,000 children were born to U.S. servicemen and Filipina sex workers, creating a generation of fatherless, mixed-race children in limbo. Unable to elude discrimination because of their physical features, they are derogatorily labeled Iniwan ng Barko (left by the ship). Over the course of two years, directors Emma Rossi-Landi and Alberto vendemmiati followed four Filipino Amerasians in pursuit of a better life. Their lives are overshadowed by poverty, social stigma, and the denial of their basic birthrights by the U.S. government (despite U.S. citizenship automatically being granted to Amerasian children of U.S. servicemen in other countries). For the first time these Amerasians are given a voice in LEFT By THE SHIP, which explores the deep psychological consequences of militarization and the universal need for acceptance. Lee Ann kim Preceded by: eAST of mAin STreeT
USA | 10 MINS | vIDEO | 2010
direCTor Emma Rossi-Landi, Alberto vendemmiati Co-preSenTed By: ASiAn AmeriCAn journALiST ASSoCiATion (AAjA), fiLipino AmeriCAn nATionAL hiSToriCAL SoCieTy SAn diego ChApTer (fAnhS Sd), uCSd CroSS-CuLTurAL CenTer SponSored By: ThereSA nguyen-muTh, STATe fArm AgenT
DIRECTOR Jonathan yi A poor, half-African American boy in the Philippines rises above poverty and blindness to international superstardom as Apl.de.Ap of The Black Eyed Peas.
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Tuesday Oct. 25, 7:00pm

HONG kONG | CANTONESE WITH ENGLISH AND CHINESE SUBTITLES | 104 MINS | 35MM | 2010
love in a Puff
This years SDAFF has a plethora of romantic comedies to choose from. None are as charming and colorful as LOvE IN A PUFF, a film whose premise stems from a Hong kong phenomenon called hot potting, or basically alleyway smoke breaks during work, after the government imposed an indoor smoking ban in 2007. Cherie (Miriam yeung) is a cosmetics sales girl who has become smoking buddies with a the staff of an ad agency. As they meet in the alleyway to smoke and gossip, Cherie meets the younger and good-looking ad exec Jimmy (Shawn yue) who has just broken up with his girlfriend. Although Cherie is in a relationship, they end up exchanging numbers. The film chronicles what happens between the two over the course of the next seven days. They talk, they SMS each other and soon they begin to harbor feelings for one another. The simple premise blossoms into an extremely enjoyable romantic comedy that unlike most Hollywood offerings, feels authentic from beginning to end. LOvE IN A PUFF will make even the skeptics out there feel like theyve been on a romantic rendezvous in Hong kong. The performances are immensely likeable and even believable, with camerawork that is loose enough to recall the French New Wave. Cherie is as refreshing, complex and multidimensional as they come, and not to mention her awesome purple hair. For festival go-ers who need just one film pick that is sweet, smart, and sassy, LOvE IN A PUFF provides the perfect fix. Just be sure to stay long enough into the credits for bonus footage. Mye Hoang
direCTor Pang Ho-cheung CAST Miriam yeung, Shawn yue Best Screenplay, 2011 Hong Kong Film Awards Co-preSenTed By: uniVerSiTy of SAn diego
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the lulu sessions


Its hard to think of a fiction film without death or love. yet when it comes to documentary, these are perhaps the uncanniest, most tenuous topics of all, ones that defy the genre of realism precisely because we have such a hard time believing that they are real to begin with. A piercing work of personal documentary, THE LULU SESSIONS has no illusions about such topics, yet brings us to the brink of grasping both. Holding the camera is then-film student S. Casper Wong. On the other side is Caspers best friend, Louise LuLu Nutter, professor, chainsmoker, alcoholic, free-swearing life of every party. LuLu is also a world-renowned cancer researcher. And shes just been diagnosed with cancer. In the final 15 months of LuLus life, she and Casper stare down death, each other, their families, and indeed love, with Caspers playful camera in tow. Were never quite sure whether to laugh or cry theres something diabolically perverse about the whole scenario in part because the film is so full of curiosity and unrest when it comes to the porous boundaries between friendship and love, life and death. The only thing for certain is the unfailing dignity of the most undignified and untamed of spirits, and the priceless gift of just being there for each other: a companion for the dying, a regressing body that becomes a testament to immortality. Brian Hu
direCTor S. Casper Wong Filmmaker S. Casper Wong is scheduled to attend. Proceeds from this screening benefit the George C. Lin Memorial Fund Co-preSenTed By: pfLAg, SAn diego gAy And LeSBiAn TimeS
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mY Wedding and otheR seCRets

NEW ZEALAND | ENGLISH | 88 MINS | vIDEO | 2010
My WEDDING AND OTHER SECRETS is New Zealander director/writer Roseanne Liangs endearing portrayal of multicultural romance, familial love, and an ambitious young woman who will do anything to make a film. Based on the directors real life relationships, the film centers on the attempts of a Chinese New Zealand woman to reconcile her white boyfriend with her traditional Chinese family. Emily Chu, a clandestine filmmaker, attends university in Auckland under the guise of studying computer science to please her parents, but is surreptitiously pursuing her real desire to make horror films. While juggling her personal ambitions with the concerns of her traditional father and overprotective mother, Emily stumbles into a romantic relationship with James, a Caucasian fellow nerd whos better at developing computer games than at kissing. Emily realizes that she can have it alla student allowance to make the slasher flick of her dreams while keeping her boyfriend and showing her parents her filmmaking talents. All she needs to do is get married and keep it a secret. My WEDDING AND OTHER SECRETS features the funny, sweet, and surprising balancing acts between the different loves of Emilys life. At its heart, the film reveals that romance, family, and career are not separate problems, but necessary and interlocking parts of a joyful life. Wendy yamamoto
direCTor Roseanne Liang CAST Michelle Ang, Matt Whelan, Cheng Pei-pei Audience Award, Asian American International Film Festival (New York) Co-preSenTed By: iLoVemuSuBi.Com, womenS inTernATionAL CenTer
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ni hao Kai-lan and fRiends

Saturday Oct. 22, 10:00am
72 MINS
FREE!
Our popular free program for youngsters returns with another funfilled morning headlined by kai-lan, the adorable adventure-seeking character from Nick Jrs NI HAO, kAI-LAN television series.
journey To The monKey King CASTLe

USA | 45 MINS | 2011
PRODUCED By Nickelodeon kai-lan and her friends meet their favorite superhero, the Monkey king. mumuhug douBLe The BuBBLeS
TAIWAN | 5 MINS | 2011
DIRECTOR yen Ling Mo Mumu and friends enjoy blowing bubbles on the beautiful Island of MuWa. Co-preSenTed By: BArnArd eLemenTAry huBo
USA | 2 MINS | 2009
DIRECTOR Erick Oh Hubo, a robot, encounters a not-quite-typical ball that refuses to play nice. mumuhug iTS oKAy To Be BoLd!
DIRECTOR vance yang Mumu, a fun-loving sea creature, boldly adventures on MuWa Island. The LoST Thing
AUSTRALIA | 15 MINS | 2010
DIRECTORS Shaun Tan and Andrew Ruhemann A boy finds a home for a strange creature he discovers on a beach.
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Thursday Oct. 20, 9:30pm Wednesday Oct. 26, 9:20pm

night fishing
Park Chan-wook, the mad-genius renegade who brought us Oldboy, Im a Cyborg but Thats Okay (SDAFF, 07), and Thirst (SDAFF, 09), teams up with his brother Park Chan-kyong to produce the worlds first iPhone film to be shown in movie theaters. And because its Park Chan-wook and Park Chan-kyong (whose award-winning Anyang, Paradise City is establishing the brother as a major talent of his own), there will be blood. A fisherman casts his bait in the night, but hooks more than he can handle. Demons meet fishhooks. The kurosawa forest fable meets the 21st century. A nautical adventure by the man who once showed us an actor eating a live octopus. Brian Hu Preceded by: infLuenzA
direCTor Park Chan-wook and Park Chan-kyong CAST Oh kwang-rok, Lee Jung-hyun Golden Bear, Best Short Film, 2011 Berlin Film Festival West Coast Premiere Co-preSenTed By: KoreAm mAgAzine SponSored By:
DIRECTOR Bong Joon-ho CAST yun Che-moon, ko Soo-hee, Park Jin-woo The Park brothers werent the first korean auteurs to experiment with everyday video to spin an unconventional story. In 2004, Bong Joon-ho, director of Memories of Murder (SDAFF, 03) and The Host, staged a fictional thriller in actual city spaces in front of actual security cameras. Bong then collected the footage from the building owners and cut together an elaborate drama of a man pushed to the edge and into a world of crime.
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Saturday Oct. 22, 12:00pm Sunday Oct. 23, 2:00pm

ninJa Kids!!!
Acclaimed director Takashi Miike is back again and there are exclamation points to prove it! Leaving behind the blood-spattered samurai in 13 Assassins, Miike returns with the family-friendly NINJA kIDS!!!, a live-action adaptation of the Japanese anime series Nintama Rantar. young Rantaro was born into a family of unsuccessful ninjas. To make his family proud, he joins the Ninja Academys first-year class where he meets a crazy cast of characters, including kirimaru, a young boy who babysits during class to support his family, and Okawa, the dean of the academy whose old age seems to be catching up to him. When rival ninjas try to kill a classmate of Rantaro, the ninja kids engage in an exciting battle that includes a race to the top of a mountain where Rantaro can finally prove his worth as a ninja. As if ripped out of the anime series itself, this is the kind of film where characters get baseball-sized lumps on their head when hit, and where Mr. konnamon, your friendly ninja trivia commentator, breaks the fourth wall to educate the audience. As with The Great Yokai War and the Yatterman films, Miike has put together a world that is fun, silly, and crazy enough to entertain fans and aspiring ninjas of all ages. James Paguyo
direCTor Takashi Miike CAST Seishiro kato, Roi Hayashi, Mikijiro Hira West Coast Premiere Co-preSenTed By: Anime Conji, jApAn SoCieTy of SAn diego And TijuAnA, BuddhiST TempLe of SAn diego, jApAneSe AmeriCAn hiSToriCAL SoCieTy of SAn diego (jAhSSd)
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noRWegian Wood
Saturday Oct. 22, 8:00pm Tuesday Oct. 25, 7:45pm

The most beloved novel by Haruki Murakami, if not the most internationally-beloved contemporary Asian novel of all, Norwegian Wood has received a big-screen adaptation by none other than venicewinning, Oscar-nominated director Tran Anh Hung (Scent of Green Papaya, Vertical Ray of the Sun). As with any adaptation, the result has been debated, celebrated, and dissected the only consensus being that NORWEGIAN WOOD is a shimmering work of beauty, diving into chromatic depths never suggested by the book, while remaining true to Murakamis exploration of sexual awakening at its most beguiling. direCTor Tran Anh Hung CAST kenichi Matsuyama, Rinko kikuchi, kiko Mizuhara Official Selection, 2010 Venice Film Festival CONTAINS STRONG SExUAL CONTENT Co-preSenTed By: SAn diego yu yu, jApAneSe AmeriCAn hiSToriCAL SoCieTy of SAn diego (jAhSSd) Tran has stripped the sprawling, time-hopping novel to its narrative basics, focusing on the three leads: Watanabe (kenichi Matsuyama), dazed and confused, who teeters quietly toward adulthood; Naoko (Rinko kikuchi of Babel), dazed and paralyzed, who wants nothing more than to relive her 18th year forever; and Midori (kiko Mizuhara), dazed and effervescent, whose ever-present smile hides deep scars of abandonment. Their story of doomed, haunted almost-lovers is brought to life in renowned cinematographer Mark Lee Ping-bings glorious images, in which characters glow in rapturous light and shadow as fleeting as innocence itself. More enchanting than the dialogue and the voiceover are the sounds of infatuation: winds through the woods, the hyperventilating gasps of crying in a lovers arms, and Radiohead composer Jonny Greenwoods 21st century spin on the 60s sound that gives the novel its title. As dark, mysterious, and alive as the Beatles song, NORWEGIAN WOOD brings the cyclone of awakening to swirling heights. Brian Hu
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CHINA | MANDARIN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 96 MINS | 35MM | 2010
oCean heaven
For the first time in his 25-year long movie career, Jet Li will be performing no martial arts whatsoever in OCEAN HEAvEN, the directorial debut of xue xialou, who is known for writing Chen kaiges award-winning film Together. xue was inspired to make the film after his own experiences as a volunteer at an autism school. The film starts out in the darkest possible way, with Jet Li as a single father trying to kill his autistic son Dafu (Zhang Wen) and then himself by drowning in the ocean after he has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. OCEAN HEAvEN plays out completely unsentimental with a daring performance by Li as the conflicted father trying to figure out how he is going to care for his 22-year old sons special needs after he succumbs to illness. Lis character tirelessly sets on a mission to teach Dafu how to live on his own by training him to take the bus and perform simple household chores and essentially, how to live life with dignity. The subject of autism has been tackled many times in cinema, but never has the torment of the parent been shown so honestly in a non-glamorized way. Dafu is not a superstar athlete nor can he count cards at a casino; he is an ordinary and loving young man unable to grasp the formidable future without his father. It is a heartfelt story that got the attention of one mega star Jet Li reportedly took a salary of one dollar to star in the project in hopes to inspire others to pay attention and to dedicate their passion to charity. Other notable talent on this film includes renowned cinematographer Christopher Doyle whose work with Wong kar-wai is best known, and composer Joe Hisaishi who also scores the films of Hayao Miyazaki and Takeshi kitano. Mye Hoang
direCTor xue xiaolu CAST Jet Li, Zhang Wen, kwai Lun-mei Proceeds from this screening benefit the George C. Lin Memorial Fund CONTAINS MATURE CONTENT Co-preSenTed By: epoCh TimeS, fAmiLieS wiTh ChiLdren from ChinA SAn diego (fCC-Sd), SdSu L. roBerT pAyne SChooL of hoSpiTALiTy And TouriSm mAnAgemenT SponSored By:
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oPen season

FREE!
A Hmong immigrant is convicted of murdering six hunters and wounding two others during deer hunting season in Sawyer County, Wisconsin. vang, a former National Guard sharpshooter, claims that he acted in selfdefense when the confrontation with the eight hunters became racially charged and aggressive. Hesebeck and Willers (the two that survived) claim that vang had trespassed on to their property and when asked to leave, began shooting at them without warning. Was this a racially incited incident which was committed in self-defense? Or was this the result of a violent and methodical killer? direCTorS Lu Lippold and Mark Tang SponSored By: Even after vang is convicted of the crime and sentenced to six life terms in prison, many questions remain unanswered, both in and outside the courtroom. In a county where trucks bear bumper stickers that read Save a Deer, kill a Hmong, both the Asian and non-Asian communities are forced to come to grips with the ever growing racial tension that seems to have been propelled by the unfolding events. Part courtroom drama, part intimate portrayal of those involved, OPEN SEASON successfully weaves news coverage, courtroom recordings, and family interviews to explore the root causes and the reverberating impacts of this tragedy and brings to light the simmering tensions racial, cultural, economic that lurk in Americas heartland. Jimmy Lee
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MONGOLIA | MONGOLIAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 90 MINS | vIDEO | 2010
oPeRation tataR
Life cant get any more difficult for Taivnaa. His daughter is sick with cancer, his wife is not speaking to him, and he has just lost his job as an accountant. With hospital bills piling up, tensions mounting at home, and no new job opportunities in sight, Taivnaa decides to take control of his own destiny by robbing the very bank that he used to work for. Enlisting the help of good friend Ulzii, Taivnaa puts together a ragtag team of four to steal $1.2 million in cash, but none of these men are anywhere close to being their Hollywood heroes, let alone professional criminals. They encounter numerous obstacles along the way, including their own incompetence, but are led through difficulty by Taivnaa, whose hope for his daughters well-being is the catalyst to getting the job done. OPERATION TATAR is the classic heist film with a Mongolian twist. The film, like its characters, cant help but take itself seriously despite dips into hilarity. This is action where the emotion, characterization, and the high-stakes plot are amped as far as the form can take it, and the result is a bloody good time for those looking for off-beat fun. Brandon Coyle
direCTor Bat-Ulzii Baatar CAST Borkhuu Amarkhuu, Ganbold Erdenebileg, Enkhtaivan Batkhuu West Coast Premiere
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oXhide ii
THE LOFT, UCSD PRICE CENTER
CHINA | MANDARIN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 132 MINS | vIDEO | 2009
With 2005s Oxhide, then 24-year-old first-time director Liu Jiayin shocked the film world by shooting a narrative film completely in her familys Beijing apartment with her, her mother, and her father each playing themselves re-enacting scenes from their actual lives. The entire work was shot on a consumer-grade Dv camera, masked down to a Scope 2.35 aspect ratio, thus limiting our vision to close-ups of the domestic world of the family. With 2009s OxHIDE II, Liu ups the ante again. Like Monet to the Rouen Cathedral, Liu, with the same masked frame, returns to her familys cramped living spaces, focusing this time on a single room in fact, a single table. It is the table on which her father does his leatherwork, and on which the family will, in mouth-watering detail, make dumplings for dinner. The scene plays out in real time, but this is no improvised indie slack-fest. Liu captures everyday conversation and mundane work with mathematical precision, forcing the looseness of the ordinary to confront the obsessive exactness of her framings, edits, and dialogue, setting off a series of aesthetic surprises and new ways of looking at domestic space and listening to conversation. In one of the boldest moves in feature film history, the camera slowly circles the table in 45-degree increments, and by the end, were where we started, and the world of the family has come alive. Brian Hu
direCTorS Liu Jiayin CAST Liu Zaiping, Jia Huifen, Liu Jiayin Official Selection, 2009 Cannes Directors Fortnight This is a special presentation held at The Loft at the University of California, San Diego in conjunction with ArtPower! Film. All tickets are $8.
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the Piano in a faCtoRY

Wednesday Oct. 26, 7:45pm
CHINA | MANDARIN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 119 MINS | 35MM | 2010
The second feature from emerging writer-director Zhang Meng (Lucky Dog), THE PIANO IN A FACTORy is a unique amalgam of black humor, postindustrial landscapes, and Sino-Soviet musicality wrapped in an absurdly endearing story of one mans mission to build a piano for his daughter. Chen, an unemployed single father and leader of a local band of rag-tag musicians, has a passion for music and wants to share that gift with his daughter. Given his money troubles, Chen finds creative ways to give her piano lessons, building a wooden keyboard into their bookshelf and breaking into the local womens school so she can practice. But things become complicated when his ex-wife returns, locking him into a custody battle that hinges on which parent can provide a real piano for their daughter. After exhausting all other options, including failed attempts to borrow money and steal a piano, Chen is left with only one logical choice: to build a piano from the scrap metal in the abandoned steel factory! With Chaplin-esque sensitivity, Zhang moves between the tragic and the comic with beautifully visual punctuations. Between the surreal musical outbursts and the physical humor there is a deep and sincere pathos, and by the end, the satisfaction of having seen something one wont quickly forget. Jason Low
direCTor Zhang Meng CAST Wang Qian-yuan, Qin Hai-lu, Jang Shin-yeong, Liu Qian Grand Jury Prize, World Competition 2011 Miami Film Festival Co-preSenTed By: epoCh TimeS, ChineSe ConSoLidATed BeneVoLenT ASSoCiATion (CCBA), houSe of ChinA, SAn diego ArThouSe moVieS
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Anabel and Isabel Stenzel are identical twin sisters who have defied all odds and endured a lifelong battle to breathe. THE POWER OF TWO is the story of their lives and all the lives they continue to touch.
the PoWeR of tWo
USA | ENGLISH AND JAPANESE WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 93 MINS | vIDEO | 2011
At an early age, the sisters developed the fatal genetic disease cystic fibrosis (CF), which has no known cure. Despite spending much of their childhood in hospitals, the half-Japanese twins remained joyful and optimistic, providing inspiration for others with the chronic illness. Thanks to a miraculous double lung transplant, Ana and Isa emerged as authors, athletes, and global advocates for organ donation. Their crusade takes them to their mothers native country of Japan, to inspire change in the hearts and minds of a culture resistant to transplantation. More than a story about CF, THE POWER OF TWO is a celebration of unexpected life milestones and a reminder that there is a miracle in every breath. direCTor Marc Smolowitz Co-preSenTed By: BuddhiST TempLe of SAn diego, jApAn SoCieTy of SAn diego And TijuAnA, CySTiC fiBroSiS foundATion, jApAneSe AmeriCAn hiSToriCAL SoCieTy of SAn diego (jAhSSd)
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IF WE KNEW THEN
WHAT WE KNOW NOW
HE MIGHT STILL BE HERE.

1 in 10 Asian Americans is living with chronic hepatitis B and most dont even know it.
Without appropriate monitoring or treatment, 1 in 4 may die from liver cancer or liver failure.
Hepatitis B can be managed and serious complications of liver disease may be prevented.
2011 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. UN9449 6/11
Protect yourself and your family. Talk to your doctor about hepatitis B testing today.
QueeRs on the veRge

92 MINS
im in The mood for LoVe

CANADA | 7 MINS | 2010
The BuS pASS
USA | 3 MINS | 2010
DIRECTOR Jason karman A heartbroken young man spies his ex at a hot pot restaurant and gets Glee-ful. mirror imAge
USA | 20 MINS | 2011
DIRECTOR Narissa Lee A woman sees the person of her dreams on the train and must made a split-second decision. mASALA mAmA
SINGAPORE | 8 MINS | 2010
When fate collides with drama, life is quickly dragged to the edge. Co-preSenTed By: fAmiLy heALTh CenTerS of SAn diego, fiLmouT SAn diego, firST uu ChurCh rAinBow ouTreACh, greATer SAn diego BuSineSS ASSoCiATion The gAy And LeSBiAn ChAmBer of CommerCe, guyS LiKe uS, Long yAng CLuB of Sd, pride@STATe, SAn diego gAy And LeSBiAn TimeS, uCSd LgBT reSourCe CenTer
DIRECTOR Charles kim A crazed serial killer stalks the life of a gay bible study leader. BoyS And girLS
USA | 5 MINS | 2010
DIRECTOR Michael kam A Chinese boy in Singapore develops a protective bond with an Indian storekeeper. LunChTime
USA | 7 MINS | 2011
DIRECTOR Chris Tipton-king Nerves abound, keith and Marion primp, shave, and rehearse for some hot first dates. Andy
USA | 6 MINS | 2010
DIRECTOR keo Woolford Bullied and desperate, Henry approaches a former teacher and receives some unexpected insight. TSuyAKo
JAPAN AND USA | 25 MINS | 2011
DIRECTOR Andrew Ahn A day at the mall leads to an unsettling moment of paranoia and possibility. Viewer diSCreTion AdViSed (TApe 96)
USA | 11 MINS | 2011
DIRECTOR Mitsuyo Miyazaki In postwar Japan, Tsuyako, a factory worker, must decide between duty and love.
DIRECTOR Drew Stephens Date night turns dramatic, as the lines between romance and obsession blur then break.
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101
Saturday Oct. 22, 7:35pm Thursday Oct. 27, 9:30pm

PHILIPPINES | TAGALOG WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 110 MINS | vIDEO | 2011
RaKenRol
To the beat of some good ol rock and roll, friends flirt with love in Quark Henares peppy, crowd-pleasing comedy RAkENROL, a tribute to waning innocence and the music that gives the film its title. Odie (Jason Abalos) and Irene (Glaiza de Castro) form a close bond, in part over their love for underground rock in the Philippines. The two agree to form their own band, and along the way they pick up a firecracker of a drummer and a former punk rocker who is now a barista. Despite a rough start, their band, Hapipkas, grows in popularity in the local club scene. The road ahead is far from smooth, though, as Odies growing feelings for Irene conflict with her ongoing crush for another bands airheaded lead singer. No strangers to the underground music scene, director Quark Henares and co-writer Diego Castillo translate their past musical experiences into this loving, energetic big-screen ode to youth. Eric Lallana
direCTor Quark Henares CAST Jason Abalos, Glaiza de Castro, ketchup Eusebio Director Quark Henares is scheduled to attend Oct. 22 screening. Audience Award Winner, 2011 LA Asian Pacific Film Festival SponSored By: ThereSA nguyen-muTh, STATe fArm AgenT
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Reel Voices
Since 2005, the San Diego Asian Film Foundation has empowered local high school students to learn the art of documentary filmmaking through the Reel voices Program. This intense, 12-week summer internship helps students become socially-conscious storytellers, learn Final Cut Pro editing, and experience all stages of production and post-production. This year, Reel voices presents the work of ten students whose works touch on issues ranging from identity, family, to just having fun.
... GOING IN WITH NO BACkGROUND IN FILM, EvERyTHING FROM HOW-TO WATCH A FILM TO HOW-TO MAkE A LOG LINE (OR TWO) TO FILMING AND EDITING WAS NEW TO ME;
I COULDNT HAvE DREAMED UP A BETTER FIRST ExPERIENCE!

- AN ExCERPT FROM A SDAFF BLOG POST By MARISSA DODDS, REEL vOICES CLASS OF 11
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FREE!
Saturday Oct. 23, noon
Reel voiCes
90 MINS
whAT i wAnT
9 MINS
i Am An ASiACAn
9 MINS
Discover the compelling new voices of 10 local high school filmmakers in this collection of short documentaries. FREE POST-SCREENING RECEPTION SPONSORED By CHIPOTLE AND POPEyES. SponSored By:
DIRECTOR Michelle Mixay A young woman struggles with family pressures of growing up when she chooses to attend the San Diego Comic-Con. prepArATion of A generATion
5 MINS
DIRECTOR Jesus Olvera A culturally assimilated teen overcomes his insecurities and struggles through dance. In the process, he shows that two different cultures can bond together into one. KenNy
6 MINS
DIRECTOR Alexander Powell Through the eyes of a high school student and an educator, the issues surrounding the competition into colleges is examined, asking the question What does it take to succeed in the race for higher education? SiTz To STAge
7 MINS
DIRECTOR Asha Zephira Maren A young San Diego musician discloses his struggles and hardships about his night job. LoVe Life, LiVe your dreAm
5 MINS
DIRECTOR Marygian Rebullar The SCPA Music Department collaborates and grows stronger together with a local theatre group, from the first group rehearsal to the final piece on stage on a musically and technically difficult 3-hour long show titled Ragtime. ConneCTing The doTS
7 MINS
DIRECTOR Tony Anglin Jr. An aspiring artist pursues his dream, while trying to inspire others to do the same. doorS
5 MINS
DIRECTOR Jose Romero A young adolescent expresses her struggles from constantly moving due to her fathers military deployment. unpLugged: A 14 dAy ChALLenge
10 MINS
DIRECTOR Marissa Dodds A biracial teenager reflects on her experiences growing up with two cultures. fuLL ouT
9 MINS
DIRECTOR Camille Wilson Maddy Miller, a 17-year-old boy, struggles to move to LA in order to pursue a professional dance career.
DIRECTOR kaylor Myers Unplugged documents an entertaining two weeks in the lives of two young friends as they brave a challenge to refrain from using electronics for a full 14 days. Amidst youthful Americas fast paced, technology-reliant society, the eager boys comically discover the gravity.
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105

salad daYs
A bespeckled vlogger ventures into online dating. An out-of-work misfit ponders life, redemption, and make-out sessions. A curiously dopey wanderer treks about town in search of internet access so he can make a virtual girlfriend a physical one. As the stories bleed into each other, fantasy collides with misinformation, and creepiness circles infatuation until they dizzily become one. This is a 21st century comedy about 21st century musings. The three narratives in SALAD DAyS are about as connected as friends of friends. As they do in the techno-comic stories of Tao Lin, characters talk like theyre shooting instant messages and make proclamations like theyre giving snarky status updates (i.e. everything is both horribly banal and completely unbelievable). As in Etienne! (SDAFF 09) by co-director Jeff Mizushima, awkward line deliveries are syncopated to the level of art. In this universe, there is no bad acting and bad dialogue, only cuddly failure. If the virtual world is one where everyones a creep, SALAD DAyS doesnt shy away but rather embraces our inner weirdos and wonders what the hell were all doing here. yet for all of its contemporary contemplations, SALAD DAyS, as with Etienne!, has the innocence and giddy openness of the 1960s New Wave. The past isnt a source of nostalgia, but a beating heart for a world where icons have replaced faces. Brian Hu
direCTorS Hiram Chan, Jeff Mizushima, Emily yoshida CAST Emily yoshida, Dave Horwitz, Anthony kuan North American Premiere Filmmakers and cast are scheduled to attend.
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sd BloCK PaRtY
95 MINS

A celebration of local talent, featuring shoplifters, lightsabers, werewolves, and stoners. Co-preSenTed By: SAn diego pATCh
ShoeS AKA KidS TheSe dAyS

USA | 9 MINS | 2011
ComiC Con BrAwL

USA | 8 MINS | 2010
LoVe in The Time of fLAnneL

USA | 13 MINS | 2011
DIRECTOR Joseph Mangat The prowl for shoes reveals the secret life of a teenage girl. And Then She SmiLed
USA | 6 MINS | 2011
DIRECTOR Fernando Huerto and Shaun Finney Comic-Con attendees battle it out videogame-style in a parking lot. one wAy TiCKeT
USA | 7 MINS | 2011
DIRECTOR Jeff Gardiner Josh tries to figure out how to impress Autumn while battling to discover himself. eAST of mAin STreeT: wiLLy SAnToS
USA | 7 MINS | 2011
DIRECTORS Mark Anthony Gadia and Julie Zhan A quirky girl embarks on a quirky search for companionship. TooTh LiST
USA | 8 MINS | 2010
DIRECTOR George y A former badminton star makes a life decision to end all life decisions. one miSTAKe
USA | 11 MINS | 2011
DIRECTOR Jonathan yi Local Filipino American gains national fame as a top skateboarder. SeTh And mAriA
USA | 4 MINS | 2011
DIRECTOR Rommel Andaya A woman tries to get to the root of her dental woes and bites off more than she can chew. TherApydome
USA | 6 MINS | 2011
DIRECTORS Mark Anthony Gadia and Phillip Lorenzo Competition gets fierce at a talent agency. ingrid piTT: Beyond The foreST
USA | 6 MINS | 2011
DIRECTOR Sam Chen Seth and Maria are addicted to marijuana and they will stop at nothing to keep getting high.
DIRECTOR Grant Gelvin An anger management session takes an unexpected turn. The CASe
USA | 8 MINS | 2011
DIRECTOR kevin Sean Michaels An eight-year-olds Holocaust survival tale is told through the brush of 11-year-old Perry Chen. Le reTour
USA | 6 MINS | 2011
DIRECTOR Timothy Tau Detective Jack Law gets an offer he ought to refuse
DIRECTOR kane Diep A mother seeks to reconnect with a son she abandoned years ago.
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PHILIPPINES | ENGLISH, TAGALOG WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES 95 MINS | vIDEO | 2010
senioR YeaR
SENIOR yEAR opens on Henry in his late twenties, on his way to his tenyear high school reunion. Once the class valedictorian, he now nervously grips the steering wheel, reflecting on that final year at St. Fredericks, when he and his fellow Class of 2000 walked down that final gateway to adulthood and independence. Outside of the protective walls of school, how has everybody changed? Henry starts to calm down when he fondly recalls his favorite teacher Miss Joan (Che Ramos) and fellow classmate Sofia (Rossanne de Boda). Before long were back in the hallways in those final months of senior year, and career, college, family, and love swirl up with all of the bliss and emotion we remember so fondly about high school. Director Jerrold Tarog, who also wrote the script, successfully interweaves the films multiple stories as diverse as high school itself without any of them losing force or importance. But above all are the performances by the teenagers, played by real students, many of them non-professionals. Eric Lallana
direCTor Jerrold Tarog CAST Aaron Balana, Che Ramos, Daniel Medrana, RJ Ledesma North American Premiere Co-preSenTed By: fiLipino AmeriCAn ChAmBer of CommerCe SponSored By: ThereSA nguyen-muTh, STATe fArm AgenT
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shaolin

HONG kONG | MANDARIN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES 131 MINS | vIDEO | 2011
direCTor Benny Chan CAST Andy Lau, Nicholas Tse, Jackie Chan CONTAINS STRONG vIOLENCE Co-preSenTed By: SAn diego ChineSe hiSToriCAL muSeum SponSored By:
In a young Republic of China, where greedy warloards fuel a period of war and strife, Hou Jie played by Andy Lau (Warlords and House of Flying Daggers) arrogantly shows no mercy to his enemies seeking refuge with the benign and compassionate Shaolin monks. After unscrupulously killing a wounded enemy, Hou Jie pays a terrible price for his actions and is forced to seek refuge in the same Shaolin Monastery he blatantly disrespected. Hou Jies traitorous second-in-command Cao Man played by Nicholas Tse continues where the once-warlord left off, betraying his country and his own people. Hou Jie must adapt to Shaolin principles to stop the monster he created. Director Benny Chan (City Under Siege) delivers a powerful production with an all-star cast. The solid drama, epic adventure and masterful action choreography all combine for a thrilling film. And watch for a special appearance by iconic actor Jackie Chan as the monasterys cook Wudao, who gives the earnest drama a light-hearted lift. Cecilia Lai, Asian Film Festival of Dallas
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Sunday Oct. 23, 8:00pm Thursday Oct. 27, 9:40pm

HONG kONG | CANTONESE AND MANDARIN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 113 MINS | vIDEO | 2010
the stool Pigeon
Dante Lams been on a roll since the explosive kidnap thriller Beast Stalker (SDAFF 09) finally paid off on the promise he displayed as co-director of the modern classic Beast Cops ten years prior. And with THE STOOL PIGEON, which reunites Lam with the writer and actors of Beast Stalker, the bang-em-up-in-style director claims the title as contemporary Hong kong actions brightest light outside of the Milkyway Studio. This time out, Nick Cheung plays a cop with a knack for manipulating his police informants at whatever cost. Thing is, hes also a romantic the kind of guy who takes dance lessons and whose conscience keeps him from endangering sad-sack ex-cons like Ghost Jr. (Nicholar Tse), who wants nothing more than to get himself and his prostitute sister out of the underworld. Conscience may be a powerful thing, but in the end, is it more powerful than the cold lawlessness of the Hong kong streets? THE STOOL PIGEON has everything you want from a Chinese crime film: crushing action, lonely moles, mean-looking men, robberies, distraught girlfriends, and of course, bawdy sentimentalism. This is a classic trapped between good and evil Hong kong action film, the sort that John Woo used to excel in and which Infernal Affairs resurrected. But Lam has a style all his own, a kind of mean, no-nonsense cool that leaves the audience as bruised and battered as the characters. Brian Hu
direCTor Dante Lam CAST Nicholas Tse, Nick Cheung, kwai Lun-mei Official Selection, Forum, Berlin International Film Festival, 2011 CONTAINS STRONG vIOLENCE AND MATURE CONTENT SponSored By:
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summeR PastuRe
Friday Oct. 21, 5:35pm Thursday Oct. 27, 7:30pm

TIBET | TIBETAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 85 MINS | vIDEO | 2010
direCTorS Lynn True, Nelson Walker, Tsering Perlo Nominee, 2010 Independent Spirit Awards Co-preSenTed By: SAn diego muSeum of phoTogrAphiC ArTS (mOpA), ASiAn CuLTurAL feSTiVAL of SAn diego
Gorgeously filmed on the high plains of eastern Tibet over the course of one summer, SUMMER PASTURE intimately follows a Tibetan yak herding family: Locho the father, yama the mother and their chubby 5-month old baby girl who happily nestles in a fur-lined box through the entire film. As nomads, Locho and yama pursue a way of life that has changed little over 4,000 years. yet this way of living proves endlessly challenging: severe weather changes, chronic illnesses difficult to treat, runaway yaks, and long hours each day making butter and collecting yak dung for fuel. Filmmaking trio Lynn True, Nelson Walker and Tsering Perlo find the family at a pivotal period of uncertainty as rigid government policies and the allure of modern life in the city threaten to reshape their existence. Despite that much of the film is about the hardships of living a primitive lifestyle, SUMMER PASTURE is enthralling filmmaking and provides a thickening plot full of twists and surprises. Locho and yama intimately reveal their love story and how their family came to be. Its sometimes heart-breaking story makes the couple irresistibly relatable even though their lives are so completely foreign. The film suggests that like many other nomadic families, Locho and yama might succumb to the encroaching Chinese development forcing them to leave the austere land, but with all the dangers and stresses theyve already endured, one may wonder why the couple hasnt left already. Beautiful and poignant SUMMER PASTURE captures a dying way of life in the highest, coldest, poorest and most remote county in Sichuan Province, China. Mye Hoang
111

INDONESIA/USA | INDONESIAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 60 MINS | vIDEO | 2011
tales of the WaRia
Home to the worlds largest Muslim population, Indonesia is also home to a community of transgender individuals known as warias, men who live openly as women. Filmmaker kathy Huang first read about the warias in 2005 and couldnt shake the curiosity off. She even took several language courses and traveled to Indonesia to learn firsthand about this little-known community which originally started before Islam came to South Sulawesi in the 17th century when warias were historically meant to serve the king. Her latest film TALES OF THE WARIA follows four characters in present day Indonesia and weaves multi-layered stories about their search for romance and companionship. Often humorous and sometimes heartbreaking, the film reveals our universal capacity as human beings to search for love. And although the warias are able to live amongst the Muslim world, they are still often ostracized in their villages for dressing as women - and the dictates of Islam, which they abide by, do not allow them to undergo any sex-change operations. With poignancy and sensitivity, Huang uncovers the beauty and complicated lives of her subjects. Each tale is unique and each waria equally fabulous. With a hauntingly beautiful score and rarely seen images of Indonesia, TALES OF THE WARIA is a moving piece of documentary work. Mye Hoang direCTor kathy Huang produCer kathy Huang Audience Choice Award, 2011 Asian American International Film Festival (New York) Director Kathy Huang will be in attendance. Co-preSenTed By: indoneSiAn ArT CenTer, SAn diego gAy And LeSBiAn TimeS
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ties that Bind

103 MINS

Whether through fate or a freak accident of siamese twindom, you cant escape family.
A SCene AT The SeA

SOUTH kOREA AND USA | 22 MINS | 2010
DIRECTOR Jaehee Lee As the tides rise and fall, so do the changes in a relationship between a father and son. room #11
USA | 8 MINS | 2011
DIRECTOR ManSee kong Based on true events, immigrant tenants in New yorks Chinatown defy evacuation. BLood TieS
USA AND JAPAN | 7 MINS | 2011
SiAmeSe dAd
USA | 6 MINS | 2011
DIRECTOR ken Ochiai A bus accident forces an emergency room doctor to make an impossible choice. Andy
USA | 6 MINS | 2010
DIRECTOR Randall Park A hapless scientist is accidentally conjoined with his father, and that aint good for dating. digiTAL AnTiQuiTieS
USA | 15 MINS | 2011
DIRECTOR Andrew Ahn A day at the mall leads to an unsettling moment of paranoia and possibility. porTrAiT of Leonore
SOUTH kOREA AND USA | 20 MINS | 2011
DIRECTOR J.P. Chan In the near future, a heap of hardware unlocks family secrets. fATAKrA
USA | 19 MINS | 2011
DIRECTOR Peter Jin A young artist fantasizes about the sister he wishes was around for him.
DIRECTOR Soham Mehta Indian legend meets the Texas heat during an unforgettable family reunion.
113
to Whom it maY ConCeRn: Ka shens JouRneY

FREE!
Monday Oct. 24, 4:00pm

Celebrating 50 years in entertainment is the legendary Nancy kwan, SDAFFs lifetime achievement award winner of 2011. We honor the pioneering and ever-breathtaking Hollywood superstar with a special free screening of Brian Jamiesons intimate feature-length documentary about Nancy kwan, TO WHOM IT MAy CONCERN: kA SHENS JOURNEy. From kwans upbringing as a mixed-race outsider in Hong kong, to her fortuitous breakthrough as the title character of Paramounts The World of Suzie Wong and finally to her life as icon, wife, and mother, Jamieson captures kwan beyond the cheongsamd glamour and seductive glances. Between watching a new Broadway revival of The Flower Drum Song and breathing the eternal air of Angkor Wat, kwan reflects on a youth transformed by war and stardom, and an adulthood dedicated to a son who contracts AIDS. Along the way we hear commentary from contemporaries like France Nuyen and C.y. Lee who witnessed kwans rapid ascent to marquees around the world, as well as later stars like Joan Chen and vivian Wu, whose careers are unimaginable today without the path that kwan paved decades earlier. And of course we get to see rare home and newsreel footage of Nancy kwans early years and clips from her greatest roles on film and Tv. Brian Hu
direCTor Brian Jamieson Introduced by Dr. Seth Lerer, UCSD, Dean of Arts and Humanities Director and Nancy Kwan scheduled to attend.
114
tRouBlemaKeR

We all know the buddy road trip film. Two best friends set off on the open road for an adventure fraught with unlikely and often ridiculous trials and tribulations. But what if the two buddies are unemployed exes with anger management issues? What if their ultimate destination is to search out a derelict father who has been missing for over a decade? Rehka is a struggling writer and the titular troublemaker, and Omar is her reluctant yet compassionate ex-boyfriend who accompanies her up the West Coast. As can be expected, things dont go perfectly, but car troubles and wrong directions are minor bumps compared to the emotional journey that Rehka and Omar take as they attempt to repair their shattered relationship while Rehka struggles with abandonment issues in time to confront the man who created them. Director Geeta Malik makes a remarkable debut with TROUBLEMAkER, which twists and turns around the concepts of what relationships can and do mean in our lives. As no stranger to comedy, Malik (who made the viral hit Aunty Gs) inserts a healthy dose of humor into a heartfelt story about running away in order to find out what home really means. Brandon Coyle
direCTorS Geeta Malik CAST Pranidhi varshney, Peter Pasco, Ajay Mehta Director Geeta Malik scheduled to attend.
115

INDIA | HINDI WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 134 MINS | vIDEO | 2010
udaan
Rohan is expelled from boarding school after getting caught playing hooky at a movie theater. Sent home to the factory town of Jamshedpur, Rohan finds himself in a new kind of boarding school. His father treats parenting like boot camp, requiring sirs after every yes, and forcing Rohan into a strenuous workout regimen. But theres a fire burning in Rohan that lifts him out of his fathers rigid grip. Though hes forced to study engineering, Rohan wants to be a poet, and through writing finds an expression of his own identity. And through the figure of a six-year-old half-brother hed never known existed, Rohan finds the hope to stand up to his father and make a change. Like Rohans poetry, UDAAN uplifts. young director vikramaitya Motwane has created a pitch-perfect fusion of gritty industrial life and the soaring, rhythmic sentiment that Bollywood does so well. The result is a comingof-age tale that is both realistic and idealistic, uncompromising and crowd-pleasing. Sweeping the Indian film awards is no small task, least of all for a first-time filmmaker, and with UDAAN Motwane has secured himself a place as a filmmaker to watch. Brian Hu
direCTor vikramaditya Motwane CAST Rajat Barmecha, Ronit Roy, Aayan Boradia Official Selection, Un Certain Regard, Cannes Film Festival, 2010 Best Film (critics), Filmfare Awards, 2011 Best Film, Star Screen Awards, 2011 Best Narrative Feature, Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles, 2011
116
We aRe the WoRld

Sunday Oct. 23, 1:15pm Friday Oct.28, 4:00pm
88 MINS
FREE!
Collection of short films that offer a window to the world. Co-preSenTed By: SdSu AmeriCAn LAnguAge CenTer
A Tree fALLS in The foreST

USA | 8 MINS | 2011
DIRECTOR Bao Nguyen A document of New york Chinatowns recovery and transformation post-9/11. rememBer o goddeSS
SOUTH kOREA | 25 MINS | 2010
DIRECTOR yoon Jung Lee A man wants to file a missing persons reporton his own behalf. Tu & eu
USA | 14 MINS | 2011
mASALA mAmA
SINGAPORE | 8 MINS | 2010
DIRECTOR Michael kam A Chinese boy in Singapore develops a protective bond with an Indian storekeeper. SynC
CANADA AND CHINA | 14 MINS | 2011
DIRECTOR Edward Shieh Told in a single digital breath, relationships come apart in every combination of ethnicity, language, and orientation. mAKing noiSe in SiLenCe
USA | 19 MINS | 2011
DIRECTOR Jeremy Ball A train station worker battles in a racein an unexpected direction.
DIRECTOR Mina Son Two korean Americans reveal their experiences at the California School for the Deaf.
117
WheRe aRe You taKing me?

FREE!
USA AND UGANDA | ACHOLI, ENGLISH AND LUGANDA WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 72 MINS | vIDEO | 2010
WHERE ARE yOU TAkING ME? is an observational documentary in the truest sense. It examines the vibrant and diverse aspects of life and culture in Uganda, from the streets to a beauty parlor to a mill to a wedding, with minimal commentary aside from the fascination with the subjects going about their everyday lives. It simultaneously tells the story of no one and everyone, bringing a universal sense of the beauty experienced by humanity simply living life. Helmed by SDAFF veteran kimi Takesue (Best Narrative Short, 2005), WHERE ARE yOU TAkING ME? resonates conceptually with the city symphony and the observational work of Frederic Wiseman, at the same time that it has a playful self-awareness that acknowledges the filmmakers and international audiences foreignness to the world being captured. The result is a glimpse into the soul of a country one bruised by war but too infused with the joy of living to let the weight of hate crush its people. Brandon Coyle
direCTor kimi Takesue Director Kimi Takesue is scheduled to attend. Official Selection, 2010 International Film Festival Rotterdam Co-preSenTed By: ALLiAnCe for AfriCAn ASSiSTAnCe SponSored By:
118
the White meadoWs

IRAN | FARSI WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 92 MINS | vIDEO | 2009
To call THE WHITE MEADOWS startlingly unique does not quite serve it justice. The film follows the journey of Rahmat, a man who ventures on his boat through a silent sea to collect the tears of island inhabitants by hearing their woes, heartaches, dreams, and fears. Along the way he encounters a refugee, a persecuted painter, a reluctant bride, and a castaway that all contribute to his mysterious profession. Blending concepts and influences from Homers The Odyssey and Gibrans The Prophet, THE WHITE MEADOWS is a stirringly beautiful film that comes from revolutionary and incendiary director Mohammad Rasoulof, whose work has previously landed him in prison for his critique of the Iranian government and society. As with so many of the great filmmakers from Iran, Rasoulof is no stranger on the international film festival scene. His illustrious career that began with The Twilight (2002) has recently culminated with a Cannes screening of his new feature Good Bye (2011). THE WHITE MEADOWS delivers the same artistic heights and then some in an ethereal piece on power and restraint. Brandon Coyle
direCTorS Mohammad Rasoulof CAST Hassan Pourshirazi, younes Ghazali, Mohammad Rabbani AsiaAfrica Special Jury Prize, 2009 Dubai International Film Festival Golden Seashell Award, 2009 San Sebastian International Film Festival Co-preSenTed By: perSiAn CuLTurAL CenTer,
and is part of the Global Lens 2011 film series. For more information, visit www.globalfilm.org.
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85 MINS
WondeR Women
In these shorts, women capture our hearts through strength and perseverance. Co-preSenTed By: Audrey mAgAzine, CSuSm womenS CenTer, SAn diego ArThouSe moVieS, womenS inTernATionAL CenTer
BArBArA KAwAKAmi: A TexTured Life

USA | 18 MINS | 2010
DIRECTOR Akira Boch At 53, Barbara kawakami chased her academic passion and unearthed treasures of Hawaiian history. SAVASAnA
USA | 18 MINS | 2011
DIRECTOR Gerry Curtis Two women start a home business with consequences for their new customers. AwAKening The riVer of forgeTfuLneSS
V SomeThing
USA | 12 MINS | 2010
DIRECTOR kitty Lin Between life and death is a shimmering, strange world. ring LAiLA
USA AND INDIA | 25 MINS | 2011
DIRECTOR Asako Ushio Two women develop a competitive bond while ascending a difficult boulder. LAdy rAzorBACKS
USA | 4 MINS | 2011
DIRECTOR Anuradha Rana Women boxers from India dare to dream beyond expectations.
DIRECTOR Laura Green young women in a tough town find release in sport.
120
YaKuZa WeaPon

SDAFF ExTREME
yAkUZA WEAPON reveals a side of the famed yakuza crime family that is not well known. This is the touching story of Shozo Iwaki, who is getting by working as a mercenary in South America after leaving the life of a yakuza. After the untimely assassination of Shozos father kenzo, Shozo realizes he must journey back home to rediscover his true nature. Shozos true nature...is that he kICkS ASS! Shozo gets back to Japan ready to reap vengeance on some idiot named kurawaki, who had the nerve to double-cross kenzo and take out most of the Iwaki family. Shozo is so mad that he would give his arm and leg for revenge, and HE DOES! Shozo is so filled with rage that he clings to life and some crazy doctor rehabilitates him by packing a M61 vulcan for a right arm, and a rocket launcher for his left leg! Basically, all that he needs to bring the smackdown on the chumps that killed his pappy. So if you think you can handle tough gangster action, naked Japanese women who are actually deadly weapons, cybernetic penis implants, and more blood on screen than a Wes Craven and Dario Argento movie combined, then yAkUZA WEAPON is the only solution to curb your appetite for vengeance! From the guys who brought us classics like Battlefield Baseball, Cromartie High School, and Be a Man! Samurai School, yAkUZA WEAPON is ready to kick your teeth in! Phillip Lorenzo Preceded by: Timmy The poSSeSSed SiAmeSe Twin SoCK puppeT wiTh ToureTTeS, A LoVe STory
MALAySIA AND HONG kONG | 4 MINS | 2010
direCTorS Tak Sakaguchi CAST Tak Sakaguchi, Akaji Maro, Shingo Tsurumi CONTAINS ExTREME vIOLENCE Co-preSenTed By: fiLm SChooL ConfidenTiAL, CinemA junKie, mediA ArTS CenTer SAn diego, Anime Conji
DIRECTOR Rob Middleton
121
a Virtual Film Festival

Film festivals thrive on the here and now: the power of the local community, the presence of filmmakers, the chance to be the first to see important films from around the world. But what about the elsewhere and the future? We at SDAFF take pride in discovering and presenting the best in Asian American cinema at our annual festival, but what happens to these films after theyre screened? What about audiences in cities and towns that dont have access to the Asian American film festival circuit? DIGIFEST, SDAFFs collaboration with streaming video site DramaFever, changes all that. From September 1 to December 31 of this year, 14 narrative features and nine documentaries from previous SDAFF festivals will be presented for free to audiences throughout North America. With one click of the mouse, watch previous SDAFF award winners like Children of Invention, White on Rice, and The Cats of Mirikitani. Some of these films are unavailable anywhere else on DvD or otherwise so watch them at your convenience, rate them and share your thoughts with other DramaFever users, and keep supporting Asian American cinema! Check it out at www.dramafever.com/digifest Highlights include: Cats of Mirikitani, Punching at the Sun, White on Rice, Owl and the Sparrow, Red Doors, Shanghai Kiss, Children of Invention, Whatever it Takes, Macho Like Me, American Pastime, Make Yourself at Home, Shades of Ray, And Thereafter, Finding Face, and more!
122
Center for Inclusion and Diversity Department of Communication Studies International Center United Front Multicultural Center
Cultural enrichment and excellence... USD is proud to suppor t the San Diego Asian Film Festival
e celebrate all of the filmmakers participating in the 2011 san diego asian film festival.
from our cast to yours.
SDSU, a leader in educating diverse students, is proud to be the official educational sponsor for the San Diego Asian Film Festival.
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Staff List
foundATion And feSTiVAL STAff ExECUTIvE DIRECTOR Lee Ann kim MANAGING DIRECTOR Phillip Lorenzo ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Mye Hoang ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Brian Hu MARkETING PR DIRECTOR Daniel Matthews MEMBERSHIP DIRECTOR Lina Park MEMBERSHIP ASSOCIATE Wendy yamamoto ExECUTIvE ASSISTANT Elgin Aguilar PROGRAMMERS Michael Chen Sam Chen
Brandon Coyle Gene Huh Eric Lallana Anderson Le Jimmy Lee Jason Low Wendy yamamoto GRAPHIC DESIGNER yen Tan GRAPHIC DESIGN TEAM John Im Marilyn Jones Christopher Lee Edson Muzada Art Tejada Lucy Troung Jennifer Wang Frances Zukowski COMMUNITy OUTREACH Jimmy Lee ONLINE CONTENT Ryan Wong WEBSITE ken Benavente Jim Song
vOLUNTEER COORDINATORS Mark Gadia Megan Lam STREET TEAM COORDINATOR Olivia Ting MARkETING ASSOCIATES Irene Ancheta vivian Cao Leo Chau Davis Doan Marvin Gomez Grace kim Dami Lee Monica Lim Justin Phu Darlene Portades Josh vergera Sharon Wong PUBLIC RELATIONS ASSOCIATES Diana Chow Nikki Jimenez SPECIAL EvENTS Elgin Aguilar Dennis-Michael Broussard Richie Equid vince Equid
Pamela Huynh Sheila kanoya Jasmin king kent Lee Trinh Le Terry Matsuoka PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Chris Paffendorf FACILITIES Anthony Noceda THEATER OPERATIONS Eunjae kim Carissa Serie Ashly Custer GUEST SERvICES Sana Sephari Lisa yadao Bryce killian WILL CALL Elaine Lallana yvonne Law CUSTOMER SERvICE Samantha Love
142
Staff List
PROJECTIONISTS Ralph Delauro Brook Falkenstein Staci Gaines Jimmy Lee Jason Low Jon Miller Chris Paffendorf Sophia verbiscar
(CONT.)
Andy Hoang Dan Hom Sheila kanoya Dr. Jeff krebs Benjamin Lee Joe Mendoza Steve Peace Arturo Rivera Louis Song Gary Wong ADvISORy BOARD Brian Blake Dr. Leeva Chung Jonathan Fohrman Robert Ito Ed Nesfield Dominic Tong Eddie Wang-Rodriguez PHOTOGRAPHERS Archie Acosta Jose Bucud Michael Domingo Reggie Regala Allan Regala Edward Sebastian, Jr. vIDEO TEAM Alelie Adriano Rommel Andaya Austin Chen Alexa Evans Noelle Green ken Honjo Angelo Leal Mindy Lee vince Leyung Letecia Ng Christopher Nguyen Johnathan Nguyen Anthony Pang Jini Shim ACCOUNTING Lee Forrester LEGAL REPRESENTATION Mintz Levin FESTIvAL TRAILER Mike Watson, editor David Helpling, composer
OPERATIONS ASSOCIATES Ashly Custer Eunjae kim Mindy kim REEL vOICES Mike Watson, Instructor Jini Shim, Coordinator Jason Low, Assistant yOUTH DAy Dr. Leeva Chung Paola Rodelas BOARD OF DIRECTORS Stephen Chin, Chairman Lani Lutar, vice Chair Amethyst Griffith, Secretary Steven Hong, Treasurer Harlen Bayha Ranjit Dhindsa
143
Brent Altomare, Groovy Like A Movie Mike Abary, Sony Electronics Beth Accomando, Film School Confidential Thomas Ackerman, Spirit Graphics and Printing Mike Avila, SDAFF Member Arianne Ayers, Magnolia Pictures Stephen Baker, San Diego Symphony Beck Bamberger, Bam Communications Theresa Battle, Price Charities Dan Bennett, North County Times Robert Bennett, Mike Relm Amy Berry, Cox Communications Brian Blake, SDSU Hospitality & Tourism Mgmt Heather Bohn, kNSD NBC-Universal Anahid Brakke Aaron Bruce, SDSU Allan Camaisa, Risen Nino Camilo, ILOvEMUSUBI Steve Carlton, AFFD Cristina Chacon Alicia Chang, AFFD Dr. Lily Cheng, Confucius Institute Sheau-Ching Chiang-Nicholas, yu-yu Magazine karin Chien, dGenerate Films Jeewon Choi, kCCLA Heather & Lindsey Chronert, SD Polo Club Dr. Leeva Chung, USD Roslynn Cobarrubias, MySPACE Dan Cornthwaite, SDSU Associated Students Greg Cox, County Supervisor Crystal Decker, Well Go USA James Dierker, Stella Artois Olivia Eng, Macys
144
Special Thanks
Epoch Times Julius Estanislao, verizon Abe Ferrer, visual Communications Anna Fleming, CSUSM Carlton Floyd, USD Marie Foley, Anheuser-Busch kara Forrest Fritz Friedman, Sony Pictures Sue George, MOPA Wendy Gillespie, Allegiance Matt Goldman, SDAFF Member Debbie Gonzalez, Bank of America Amethyst Griffith Rey S. Guerrero, UCSD Julie Ha, koreAm Johnathan Hale, SDGLN kathryn Hammelman Sandra Hawkins, San Diego Symphony Healiis Polynesian Revue Paola Hernandez, Focuscom Andy Hoang Christin D. Hodous, Harrahs Rincon Tom & Loretta Hom Bob Hoffman Productions Tracie Hong, SD U-T David Hou, DramaFever Derek Hsu, TECO-LA Daniel Hwang, yogurtland Timothy Hwang, Zion Market Jeff Iwami, kyocera kevin Iwashina Jan Jackson, CSUSM Parissa Jafari, UltraStar
Janice Jann, Audrey Magazine Hua Jin, SDCAA Matt Jumper, SDIHF Chol kim, Coke Bottling Co Gene kim Geney kim, koreAm Jay kim, Paramount Pictures Laura kim Myung Soon kim Dr. yong J. kim Dr. Don kikkawa Nancy kwan Hana kwon Cecilia Lai, AFFD Eric Lallana Toan Lam, GIG Anderson Le, HIFF Chong Lee, Qualcomm Ed Lee, ELT Insurance Dae Lee, kashi Christine kwon, CAAM kent Lee Tk Lee, TECO-LA Graham Leggat, RIP Susan Lew Grant Lewis Alex Li karen Lim, City College George Lin (RIP) Frank Lin Phillip Lin Tricia Lin Nancy Liu
Special Thanks
(CONT.)
Mitchell & Miyo Reff Allan Regala Reggie Regala Dr. Craig Reid Joe Richter, UltraStar Theaters Justin Rimon, I.AM.ME Jimmy Rippy, Risen Magazine Jeff Roberto, SOAR Ron Roberts, County Supervisor Frank Robinson, Union Bank Aubrey kuan Roderick, Mira Costa College Mario Rodriguez, Funimation victoria Rodriguez, Focuscom kim Rohr, Sony Electronics Tatiana Roven Carlene Rowe, Stella Artois Michael Rozzen, Pilet Inc. Damon Rubio, UltraStar Robert Sanchez, Cherple Jennifer Sanderson, CAPE Susan Santos William Saung, Wawanesa Dana Sass, Barona Daniel Schreiber Woo-Jin Shim, County of SD Patricia Sinay, Holland America Line Pam Slater-Price, County Supervisor Jackie Smith, FUNimation Hyung J. Song kay Song Louis Song, Proven Inc. Samuel Song Weston Song Sadie Stern, LG Electronics Ryan Suda, Blacklava Seema Sueko, Moolelo Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in LA (TECO-LA) karen Tani, JACL Joyce Teague, JAHSSD Dr. karin E Thomas Emily Ting Greg Toya, CSUSM Joanna Train Patricia Tran, UCSD Duane Trammel, 48HFP San Diego Ada Tseng, Asia Pacific Arts Fred Tsui, Media Asia Ron Tuatagaloa Dave Tuites, JSSDT Felix Tuyay, SWC Tracie Ugamoto Marissa Upchurch, Triniti Management George Uy, Chroniclr Music Watson Michaela Watson Rebecca Webb, ArtPower UCSD Well Go USA Alan Wong Gary Wong, Union Bank Natasha Wong Sally Wong-Avery Nancy Worlie, kPBS Anders Wright Daniel Wurst, yelp Ditas yamane Shinae yoon, visual Communications; Phil yu, AngryAsianMan Su-Mei yu, Saffron Rick Zeiler Jing Zeng, ACCEF
Ingram Losner, PROvEN Inc Samantha Love Ric Manalo, L&L, AREAA Dylan Marchetti, variance Films Scott Marks Lidia Martinez, Southwest Airlines yasmin Massis-McIntyre, Wells Fargo Marnie McGranahan, Chipotle Jennifer Meyers, Jack in the Box ko Mori, Eleven Arts Regina Morishige, San Diego Symphony Rebecca Niebla George Ng, Chroniclr Stefan Nguyen, SDAFF Member Theresa Nguyen-Muth, State Farm Tk Nguyen, victory Entertainment van Anh Nguyen, vNTv Masashi Niwano, CAAM Greg Nolan, Gilead Steve Norwood, AFFD Priscilla Nunez, Smart Water keesa Ocampo, ABS-CBN Mark Oliver, Randy Jones Sports Grill kristen Osborne, variance Films Hoa Quach Andrew Pai, Hyphen Magazine Shawn Park, Sansai Suk Park, Drama Fever Jennifer Parker, SDSU Associated Students Judy Patacsil, Miramar College Doris Pfardrescher, Well Go USA Cecil Pratt, UltraStar Theaters Michele Predko, Westfield Summer Polacek, voice of San Diego Joseph Ramirez, UCSD CCC Ebonie Rayford, UCSD
145
Film Index/Print Source List

49 dAyS (pg. 54) jsia@dramafever.com AfTerShoCK (pg. 56) sophia.chinalion@gmail.com ALmoST perfeCT (pg. 42) festival@elevenarts.net AmpheTAmine (pg. 57) alessandro@medialuna.biz And Then She SmiLed (pg. 107) rommel.andaya@gmail.com Andy (pg. 113) andrew.ahn@gmail.com AwAKening, riVer of forgeTfuLneSS (pg. 120) thegiantinfant@gmail.com BAng BAng (pg. 62) byronchn@yahoo.com BArBArA KAwAKAmi: A TexTured Life (pg. 120) akiraboch@yahoo.com Big in BoLLywood (pg. 64) kendogg88@gmail.com BLood TieS (pg. 113) assistant@kenochiai.com BLoodTrAffiCK (pg. 68) jen@rockginger.com Boy And hiS SAmurAi, A (pg. 66) Haruka.Takagi@nbcuni.com BoyS And girLS (pg. 73) ctkfilm@mac.com The BuS pASS (pg. 100) narlee_1@yahoo.com The CASe (pg. 107) timothytau@gmail.com A CiTy of SAdneSS (pg. 67) wenchi@cc.ncu.edu.tw CoLd fiSh (pg. 68) rbenjamin@salientmedia.com ComiC Con BrAwL (pg. 107) cloogie64@hotmail.com dAiSy (pg. 58) ro@curiouspictures.com The dAy he ArriVeS (pg. 69) rkrivoshey@cinemaguild.com deATh Buy LemonAde (pg. 58) ckami85@gmail.com defeCTiVe deTeCTiVe (pg. 58) avnergeller@gmail.com digiTAL AnTiQuiTieS (pg. 113) jpchan@gmail.com diSorder (pg. 70) dan@dgeneratefilms.com donT go BreAKing my heArT (pg. 71) frederick_tsui@mediaasia.com eAST of mAin ST (pg. 107) info@jonathanyi.com enriQue wreCKS The worLd (pg. 58) davechai@earthlink.net eTerniTy (pg. 72) pramonda@gmail.com expoSure (pg. 73) mia@trachinger.com fATAKrA (pg. 113) sohamahos@gmail.com fuLLmeTAL ALChemiST: The SACred STAr of miLoS (pg. 74) Jackie.Smith@funimation.com gLoVe (pg. 75) wsshin@cj.net A greAT dAy (pg. 76) kc@woohoo.my guArd dog gLoBAL jAm! (pg. 58) Lindsay@plymptoons.com heArT (pg. 58) oshman84@gmail.com heLLo ghoST (pg. 77) yura@finecut.co.kr henryS gLASSeS (pg. 79) brendan.uegama@gmail.com hidden BooKS The ArT of Kumi Korf (pg. 79) samhampton@me.com hiding (pg. 78) justin@linkglobal.org huAn dAo (pg. 73) norbshieh@gmail.com
146

huBo (pg. 87) oshman84@gmail.com i Am (pg. 80) sonalifilm@yahoo.com i wAnT To Be A deSi (pg. 64) tong.allan@gmail.com im in The mood for LoVe (pg. 100) jasonkarman@shaw.ca in The fAmiLy (pg. 81) patrickbox@mac.com infLuenzA (pg. 88) cinema@jiff.or.kr ingrid piTT: Beyond The foreST (pg. 107) perryspreviews@gmail.com jiro dreAmS of SuShi (pg. 44) Magnolia Pictures KnoTS (pg. 82) roy@islandfilmgroup.com LAdy rAzorBACKS (pg. 120) lauralg@stanford.edu Le reTour (pg. 107) kanediep@gmail.com LefT By The Ship (pg. 83) emmarossilandi@gmail.com LiBAngBAng (pg. 59) robot77r@yahoo.com.tw
(CONT.)
mumuhug - iTS oKAy To Be BoLd! (pg. 87) karena.lin@sofastudio.com mumuhug - douBLe The BuBBLeS (pg. 87) karena.lin@sofastudio.com my nAme iS SeVen (pg. 73) dbcheng@gmail.com my wedding And oTher SeCreTS (pg. 86) rnolan@southpacificpictures.com new digS (pg. 58) sen.martin@gmail.com ni hAo, KAi-LAn And friendS (pg. 87) Melissa.Rothman@nick.com nighT fiShing (pg. 88) Magnolia Pictures ninjA KidS!!! (pg. 90) jkawaguchi@shochiku.co.jp no eV TrouBLe in LiTTLe ChinA (pg. 73) uscmike@juno.com
no more QueSTionS (pg. 59) mmillett@storycorps.org norwegiAn wood (pg. 91) frances@sodapictures.com oCeAn heAVen (pg. 92) crystal@wellgousa.com one miSTAKe (pg. 107) phil@boldmeasures.com open SeASon (pg. 93) llippold@ifpmn.org operATion TATAr (pg. 94) bujinlkham.d@nomadsgroup.mn oxhide ii (pg. 95) dan@dgeneratefilms.com pArAChuTe KidS (pg. 73) alleneho@gmail.com The piAno in A fACTory (pg. 96) rachel@filmmovement.com porTrAiT of Leonore (pg. 113) peterwjin@gmail.com The power of Two (pg. 98) poweroftwomovie@gmail.com
The LighThouSe (pg. 59) mmangoning@yahoo.com.tw LoST Thing, The (pg. 59, 87) sophie@passion-pictures.com.au LoVe in A puff (pg. 84) frederick_tsui@mediaasia.com LoVe in A Time of fLAnneL (pg. 107) jefe429@aol.com The LuLu SeSSionS (pg. 85) casper@oomedia.com LunChTime (pg. 100) skyyim@earthlink.net mAKing noiSe in SiLenCe (pg. 117) sonminat@yahoo.com mASALA mAmA (pg. 100) leong.huat.kam@gmail.com mirror imAge (pg. 100) charlesdkim@gmail.com
147

purpLemAn, A (pg. 59) Hyungkee Lee, popupanimation@ gmail.com rAKenroL (pg. 102) quarkhenares@gmail.com rememBer o goddeSS (pg. 117) lee.yoonjung@gmail.com ring LAiLA (pg. 120) anurrana@hotmail.com room #11 (pg. 113) manseekong@gmail.com ruBBudS (pg. 58) jan.j.chen@gmail.com SALAd dAyS (pg. 106) jeff_mizushima@hotmail.com SAVASAnA (pg. 120) gerry_curtis@yahoo.com A SCene AT The SeA (pg. 113) cellavi@hotmail.com Senior yeAr (pg. 108) jerroldtarog@gmail.com SeTh And mAriA (pg. 58, 107) sam@sdaff.org ShAoLin (pg. 109) crystal@wellgousa.com
(CONT.)
TALeS of The wAriA (pg. 112) kathyhuangfilms@gmail.com ThiS dreAm of ourS (pg. 79) contact@yusukesatodp.com TiCK ToCK (pg. 73) milkyway2009@hotmail.com Timmy The poSSeSSed SiAmeSe Twin SoCK puppeT wiTh ToureTTeS, A LoVe STory (pg. 121) rob@onairpromos.com To whom iT mAy ConCern: KA ShenS journey (pg. 114) brian@redwindproductions.com TooTh LiST (pg. 107) rommel.andaya@gmail.com Tree fALLS in The foreST (pg. 117) bao.minh.nguyen@gmail.com TrouBLemAKer (pg. 115) geeta@shetanifilms.com TSuyAKo (pg. 79) mitsuyo.m@gmail.com Tu And eu (pg. 117) eddieshieh@gmail.com udAAn (pg. 116) vinitha.vinayachandran@utvgroup.com
V SomeThing (pg. 120) asacats@gmail.com ViA TexT (pg. 46) lynninla@yahoo.com Viewer diSCreTion AdViSed (TApe 96) (pg. 100) drew@rdmstudios.com Vigour (pg. 58) escagdfma@hotmail.com VirTueS of Corned Beef hASh (pg. 79) ekberk@aol.com whATS for dinner? (pg. 70) simon@brightergreen.org whATS up in The fuTure! (pg. 73) twu@ltsc.org where Are you TAKing me? (pg. 118) livia@icarusfilms.com The whiTe meAdowS (pg. 119) jeremy@globalfilm.org yAKuzA weApon (pg. 121) marcwalkow@sushi-typhoon.com
ShoeS AKA KidS TheSe dAyS (pg. 107) joemangat@gmail.com SiAmeSe dAd (pg. 113) goodrandall@hotmail.com SKeTChi (pg. 58) sketchi@gmail.com SLAying The drAgon: reLoAded (pg. 60) elizaychan@hotmail.com Sour: Tone of eVerydAy (pg. 58) mercyk1015@gmail.com The STooL pigeon (pg. 110) crystal@wellgousa.com Summer pASTure (pg. 111) Aida La Perla, al@visitfilms.com SurrogATe VALeTine (pg. 46) tigerindustryfilms@gmail.com SynC (pg. 117) jeremywball@gmail.com TAKe A muLLigAn (pg. 73) vince@thealphacompany.com
148
Innovating tomorrow.
At Sony, we are dedicated to improving lives through technological innovations and passion for our community. A neighbor in the San Diego community for more than 35 years, Sony Electronics Inc. supports charitable organizations with a focus on education and eco/green activities. Our commitment to create a better tomorrow starts with making a difference today.
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Notes/Autographs
158
Experience the 12th San Diego Asian Film Festival like you have never before with CHRONICLR!
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12

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