2006 AAIFF : Press : Full Schedule

29th Asian American International Film Festival 2006

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For Immediate Release
Contact: Wellington Love/15minutes
207 W. 25th St, PH-West
New York, NY 10001
t: 212.366.4992

2006 ASIAN AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
JULY 13 - 21 MANHATTAN | AUGUST 3 - 6 LONG ISLAND
COMPLETE PROGRAM LINEUP BY DATE

THURSDAY, JULY 13

Opening Night Film & Gala
THU 7.13 l 6:30PM | ASIA SOCIETY
JOURNEY FROM THE FALL (VUOT SONG)
East Coast Premiere

Director Ham Tran's impressive feature film debut, "Journey from the Fall" is the first American film to capture the haunting fallout of the Vietnam War from a Vietnamese perspective. While most Hollywood films about the war are interested in the trials of white male protagonist's individual will and morality in the "heart of darkness," Tran portrays the irreversible psychic and physical refractions of a war on a collective people.

After the communist takeover of Saigon, Long Nguyen urges his wife to escape with his son and mother on one of the many boats that are attempting to leave the country quietly. Long's family must survive the dangerous voyage for the promise of a life in the U.S. Long stays in Vietnam with dreams of creating a democratic Vietnam which his family can one day return to, but those dreams are shattered, on the one hand by news of his family's death and on the other, by the perils of re-education camps in Vietnam.

This movie drives home that despite the official end of the war, the trauma continues beyond the violence and guns. There is no end to the dehumanization of a people. Beautifully photographed by cinematographers Guillermo Rosas and Julie Kirkwood, Tran's film contains many moments that capture the spectrum of humanity. It is neither overwhelmed by the epic- sized proportions of the story it is telling nor cheated into reaching for easy answers and weepy melodrama.

FRIDAY, JULY 14

Sun Sing Theater Retrospective
FRI 7.14 | 1:00PM | QUAD CINEMA
LEE ROCK II (WU YI TAN ZHANG LEI LUO ZHUAN II FU ZI QING CHOU)

Hong Kong superstar Andy Lau gives an award-nominated performance as the eponymous protagonist in this sprawling drama. Based on the legendary cop Lee Rock, the trilogy chronicles the rise and fall of the police officer against the chaotic times of Hong Kong from the 50s to the 70s. The middle part finds Lee rising to as he becomes the top gun in the police force. Complications ensue when the happily-married cop runs into his first love and- unbeknownst to him-their infant son and a looming anti-corruption drive threatens his job. Andy Lau is powerful and magnetic as the flawed character, which descends into corruption even as he tries to maintain his integrity in the system. He is credible as an aging man who is increasingly torn between holding on to his principles and his rank, while trying to be a father to his adult son, now an incorruptible cop. The fine supporting cast adds heft and some comic relief to the film, but it's Andy Lau's central performance that anchors the movie.

Sun Sing Theater Retrospective
FRI 7.14 | 3:30PM | QUAD CINEMA
CURRY AND PEPPER (GA LEI LAAK JIU)

Stephen Chow made CURRY AND PEPPER early in his career, but one can already see some bits of his signature "mo lei tau" (senseless) comedy style that would turn him into a huge star in Hong Kong. The winning chemistry between Chow and Cantopop superstar Jacky Cheung- Chow plays the loose-cannon, quick-tempered foil to Cheung's strait-laced ladies' man-lifts this film above the standard buddy cop fare. They play cops who inadvertently fall for the same woman, a pretty TV reporter who's covering them on the beat. But their strained friendship must take a back seat to their investigative work when they find themselves the target of an arms-dealing kingpin. The late Blackie Ko, one of the most solid action directors in Hong Kong and himself a stuntman, pulls off the pumping action sequences with panache.

Feature Program
FRI 7.14 l 6:00PM | QUAD CINEMA
INNER CIRCLE LINE (NAEBU SOONWHANSUN)
New York Premiere

Everyday, thousands of faces, lives and stories intersect on the Inner Circle Line, the subway system that circumscribes Seoul. In Eunhee Cho's compelling film, we follow the lives of two of these travelers; one, a subway conductor caught on the Inner Circle Line, the other, a DJ, dancing her nights away to a redundant techno beat. As they seek freedom from the burden of the past and the emptiness of the present, their lives converge with those of other people and eventually with each other's.

Although the film is shot entirely in DV, INNER CIRCLE LINE is nevertheless a vivid and thought-provoking experience. Cho skillfully articulates existential questions through the persuasive atmospheres and tones that she sets and the mind-bending twists that she injects into the plot. With her mastery over audience psychology, Cho ensures that the viewer is also always a participant. Followed by Q&A.

Feature Program
FRI 7.14 l 6:30PM | ASIA SOCIETY
PURITY
East Coast Premiere

Grace Kim has always been good. An exemplary Korean American Christian girl, she made her friends and family happy and proud, affirming their Christian beliefs with her faith and devotion. However, when her mother suddenly dies, Grace overwhelmed by grief undergoes a dramatic change. Shutting herself off from a world that she believes betrayed her, Grace exiles herself to the safe haven of her childhood home. She substitutes the purity that she sought in religion by obsessively cleaning and cooking elaborate meals for her minister father. As her doubt begins to outweigh her faith, Grace is no longer interested in appeasing the scrutiny of her father and the Korean community which attends his church and realizes that salvation comes not only by accepting the Lord but also from knowing one's own self and desires.

Backed by an award-winning Asian American soundtrack including local favorites Taiyo Na and Florence Yoo, director NaRhee Ahn's debut feature film presents a careful and intimate portrait of Korean American life that is both complex and human. In a world rife with religious differences, we are reminded of how religion can often separate us rather than guide us to understand the people around us and ourselves. Followed by Q&A.

Shorts Program
FRI 7.14 l 8:30PM | QUAD CINEMA
OPEN YOUR HEART

Family expectations can be a source of inspiration or a burden that weighs you down. Or, as these LGBT films so painfully point out, it can be a mixture of both. The protagonists of these films seek acceptance and connection, even as they struggle to explain an identity that they may not fully comprehend. By turns confessional, poignant and uplifting, the characters wear their hearts on their sleeves. But can the world embrace them as they are? Followed by Q & A.

LITTLE MARY
DIRECTOR: Andrew van den Houten
PRODUCERS: Patrick Wang, Andrew van den Houten
CAST: David Austin, Patrick Wang
USA | 2005 | 12mins | Beta SP | Color | English | Narrative
After being unceremoniously dumped by her boyfriend, Mary reflects on happier times with him - how they met, how they laughed together, how they loved each other. This bittersweet film will resonate with all those who have gone through THE break-up.

HAPPY HAMPTONS HOLIDAY CAMP
DIRECTOR: Greg Pak
PRODUCER: Kim Ima
CAST: Vin Knight, Kim Ina
USA | 2005 | 7mins | Beta SP l DVD | Color | English | Narrative
After arriving at a couples resort, the husband is suddenly afflicted with a seriously bad case of the hiccups. In their moment of crisis, the partners realize that this is a situation that won't be solved by holding their breath.

RELATIVE DISTANCE
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Cathy Begien
CAST: Cathy Begien, Jennifer Randolf
USA | 2005 | 14mins | Beta SP | Color | English | Narrative
In this experimental documentary, the filmmaker records her relatives as each gives her a 2-minute message. Juxtaposed with split-screen footage of her daily activities, this film reminds us how difficult it can be to understand someone, all the more so if you love them.

LONG DISTANCE
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Shu-Ling Hsieh
CAST: Shu-Ling Hsieh, Davina Winaudy
USA | 2005 | 8mins | DVD | Color | Japanese w/ES | Narrative
Away from home, a young woman explores the choices that she never had. However, as time passes and her mother grows more and more worried, she finds herself torn between her responsibilities to her family and a secret love.

STILL
DIRECTOR: Lucky Kuswandi
PRODUCERS: Jason Woo, Lucky Kuswandi
CAST: Jason Woo
Indonesia/USA | 2005 | 15mins | Beta SP | Color | English | Narrative
A man who can love is a man who is lonely. A young man wanders the city searching and hoping for a cure to his loneliness. As he drifts quietly through the streets, hallways and sidewalks, he begins to realize that companionship is much more than a warm body.

HONORABLE SON
DIRECTOR: Jay Esguera
USA | 2006 | 5mins | DVD | Color | English | Documentary
"Just as long as you don't do it in public." A young, gay man listens as his father sets the rules on how to be gay and acceptable in the family. With clever superimposition of direct and metaphorical images on the conversation, this short goes behind the veil of ignorance and unearths the pains and hopes of being Asian American and gay.

A GIRL NAMED KAI
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Kai Ling Xue
Canada | 2004 | 9mins | Beta SP l DVD | Color | Experimental
One young woman attempts to explain her life and how it has changed - from her childhood in Asia to her new love affair in London - to her distant parents. Using real footage from her life, this filmmaker creates a silent autobiographical film that sends a powerful message of courage and hope.

MODERN DAY ARRANGED MARRIAGE
DIRECTOR: Rehana Mirza
PRODUCER: Rohi Mirza Pandya
CAST: Debargo Sanyal, Poorna Jagannathan, Tyler Pierce
USA | 2005 | 5mins | DVD | Color | English | Narrative
In today's fast-paced world, even marriage is just a click away. Two singles meet in a restaurant to check their compatibility. Even though they meet each other's requirements, it becomes clear that love isn't what they are looking for.

Feature Program
FRI 7.14 l 9:00PM | ASIA SOCIETY
TRAIN MAN: DENSHA OTOKO
New York Premiere

For Otaku, a 22-year-old computer engineer whose online persona is Densha Otoko (Train Man), life in a fantasy world is easier and more interesting than life in reality. More comfortable interacting with fictional characters than with real people, Otaku has little reason to reach out to reality-that is, until he meets her. After a fateful encounter on a train, Otaku falls in love and sets out on a mission to get his dream girl, with guidance and encouragement from his online community.

Complete with awkward conversations, She's All That-style makeovers and nerdish passion, TRAIN MAN re-imagines the familiar teen romantic comedy about the loser and the prom queen, substituting the diverse American high school with the equally multicultural world of Tokyo. Based on a popular Internet thread that was turned into a best-selling novel and manga series, TRAIN MAN reminds us that no one is more charming than the underdog. Despite our obsession with computers, screen names, cell phones and gadgets, TRAIN MAN is a testament that the desire to find true love and make human contact is still at the core of our existence.

SATURDAY, JULY 15

Shorts Program
SAT 7.15 l 12:30PM | ASIA SOCIETY
FOR YOUTH BY YOUTH

Home is where the art is. It certainly is for the newest generation of culture originators. From Brooklyn to Korea, school cafeterias and online chat rooms, to music videos and documentaries, these curious and creative shorts represent the best of youth culture, expression and resistance! Followed by Q&A and panel discussion.

This collection of shorts will be shown on Manhattan Neighborhood Network's Youth Channel as a special program. Look out for it in fall 2006!

CHANGES
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Winston Lu
USA | 2005 | 9mins | DVD | Color | English/Mandarin w/ES | Documentary
Join Xialong Nu aka "Small Dragon" in his adventures from Chinatown to Brooklyn, as he forges explores his new hometown with his "handsome friends," forging through unknown territories of beef patties and chocolate milk and finds inspiration at the corner store. Ultimately, Xialong Nu overcomes the temptation to play pool and hang out and decides to study hard and fulfill his dreams of success in his new home.

AN EXTRATERRESTRIAL GIRL WHO IS ON EARTH BY MISTAKE
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Min-ji Oh
Korea | 2006 | 10mins | DVD | Color | Korean w/ES | Narrative
Oh Min-ji's family does not understand her extra-terrestrial, instant-messenger slang. Will Min-ji's sister reveal her alien status and ruin her chances to "mit dat guy" from her favorite on-line novel? Find out "watz up" in this short comedic interpretation of youth Internet and cell phone culture.

DREAM OF THE INVISIBLES
DIRECTORS/PRODUCERS: Mugeeb Sweileh, Osman Sesay, Thierno Diallo, Wei Quan, Johan Forero, Jonathan Lopez, Luis Forero
USA | 2005 | 3mins | DVD | Color | English | Narrative
Through honest words, this eloquent and graceful poem speaks to the American experience of racism and immigrant criminalization. To experience America is to experience this hypocrisy-this ironic twist is at the heart of this poignant short film.

THICKER THAN WATER
DIRECTORS/PRODUCERS: Jennifer Miller, Ricky Sim, Zoubin Tang, Long Tran, Lusheena Warner
USA | 2005 | 11mins | DVD | Color | English/Mandarin w/ES | Documentary
Blood is supposed to be thicker than water - this short documentary tests this old aphorism as it takes an inside look at three families and their stories of coming out within the family. Honest, provocative and engaging, these intergenerational stories will appeal to viewers of various ages.

BLACK BOX
DIRECTORS/PRODUCERS: Gabriella Da Silva, Jordan Mueller, Amanda Moscoso, Anthony Marrero, Gabriel Duah, Alexander La Salle, Tatiana Lam, Ronny Jaramillo
USA | 2005 | 6mins | DVD | Color | English | Narrative
A disconnected family. A family legacy. A TV dinner. An act of resistance. Watch as all these come together in this provocative short, which will have you wanting to press rewind when it all comes to a tumultuous climax.

ISLANDS
DIRECTORS: Calvin Sun, Brian Foo
CAST: Hoang Tang, Matther Glasser, Allie Feldberg
USA | 2005 | 12mins | DVD | Color | English | Narrative
Entrenched between skyscrapers walls and dazzling lights, Hoang Tang navigates the city streets, searching for her past and her future in New York City. Can she find here home here amidst this sea of honking cars and rude people or will she always yearn for her youth in Singapore?

ANIMATRONIC TITO PUENTE
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Jimmy Chorng
USA | 2006 | 3mins | Color | Music Video
This eccentric, playful music video will tease your curiosity with a mysterious blindfold and the vision that it brings. "Bad dudes" in suits pursue a fleeing blindfold-wearer. What are they seeking? Truth? Or just a good time? Maybe it's whatever you want it to be-happy chasing!

SLIP OF THE TONGUE
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Karen Lum
USA | 2005 | 4mins | DVD | Color | English | Narrative
In Oakland, CA, growing your "roots" does not mean letting your hair dye grow out. With tongue-twisting clarity, check out this bus-stop story about a female rhymester dropping knowledge to her misinformed brother about misconceptions of beauty.

FISH BOWL
DIRECTOR: Kayo Hatta
PRODUCER: Linda Barry
CAST: Mie Omori, Billy Lam, Jordan Mukai, Bill Olgivie
USA | 2005 | 28mins | Beta SP | Color | Narrative
Based on Lois-Ann Yamanaka's short story collection Wild Meat And the Bully Burgers, FISHBOWL tells the coming of age story of Lovey and Jerry on a Hawaiian plantation circa 1975.

Feature Program
FRI 7.15 l 1:00 PM | ASIA SOCIETY
THE JOURNEY OF VAAN NGUYEN
New York Premiere

The notion of home has always eluded Vaan Nguyen. The daughter of Vietnamese refugees in Israel, she's alienated in the country of her birth where she is forced to explain and justify her existence to a society that refutes her as much as tries to assimilate her. When her father decides to travel to Vietnam to search for family properties abandoned during the war, Vaan accompanies him, hoping to find refuge in the country of her ancestors. In Vietnam, Vaan enjoys the comfort of seeing people who look like her, but comes to realize the difficulty of being accepted by the Vietnamese, who consider her more a tourist than a citizen. She also becomes increasingly frustrated with her father's passivity in claiming their lost property. Thus, Vaan's fantasies of finding a home collide with the discomforting reality that nothing might grant her reparation for her sense of loss and displacement.

Narrated through intimate family scenes as well as compelling archival footage that documents the Israeli government's condescending education of Vietnamese refugees, JOURNEY OF VAAN NGUYEN articulates how even despite the interconnectedness of the world, neither land nor national, racial or ethnic affiliations can provide us the sense of belonging that we seek from them. JOURNEY OF VAAN NGUYEN forces us to reckon with the impossibility of ever discovering home.

Sun Sing Theater Retrospective
SAT 7.15 | 1:00PM | QUAD CINEMA
HAPPY GHOST II (KAI XIN GUI FANG SHU JIA)

The HAPPY GHOST series was one of the most successful series in Hong Kong cinema, spawning all of four sequels. Its winning blend of teenybopper appeal, clean family-oriented humor and supernatural special effects struck gold repeatedly at the box-office. In this second installment, the titular Happy Ghost (Raymond Wong), a disgraced Qing dynasty scholar, is now reincarnated as a teacher at an all-girls high school. The sole male teacher at the school, he falls victim to endless pranks set up by his unruly class. But all's well that ends well, when he uses his magical powers to lift his cranky girls out of trouble and win them over with his kindness. Raymond Wong was one of the founders of the mini-studio Cinema City, a multi- hyphenate talent who churned out family-oriented fare that was popular in HK then.

Seminar
MEET THE FUNDER: JEROME FOUNDATION
SAT 7.15 l 2:00PM | ASIA SOCIETY

Join us for an intimate conversation with Robert Byrd, Senior Program Officer at the Jerome Foundation, who will discuss the Foundation's grant programs for film and video artists.

Feature Program
SAT 7.15 l 3:30PM | ASIA SOCIETY
THE SLANTED SCREEN
New York Premiere

If American television and film were the only places where one saw Asian faces, what a slanted perception it would be. Hollywood's images of the Asian male have often depicted caricatures that are usually asexual, unattractive, devious and predatory. Can we forget William Hung?

From the 1920s silent film star Sessue Hayakawa to HAROLD & KUMAR GO TO WHITECASTLE, THE SLANTED SCREEN explores the experiences of actors who have had to struggle against ethnic stereotyping and limiting roles. Director and writer Jeff Adachi weaves together archival footage with thoughtful interviews from veteran actors such as Mako, James Shigeta, Dustin Nguyen, Jason Scott Lee, comedian Bobby Lee, producer Terence Chang and many others. The film creates a history that delves into the politics of race and media, which have changed very little since the dawn of cinema. Revealing and insightful, the documentary not only offers a primer on Asian American film history, but an inspiring look at its future.

Preceded By:
BUNNY AND CLYDO
DIRECTOR: Rocky Jo
PRODUCERS: Damon Chang, Arnie Reyes

Wildly in love and looking for trouble, Bunny and Clydo are a contemporary Asian American couple running rampant through the city streets stealing manga comics and popsicles. Their latest robbery could very well be their last as they find the past catching up with them and the long arm of law about to grab them. Will this be the end of this notoriously cute duo?

Sun Sing Theater Retrospective
SAT 7.15 | 3:30PM | QUAD CINEMA
ALL ABOUT AH LONG (A LANG DE GUSHI)

Famous for his action spectacular, prolific Hong Kong Johnny To shows in this film, one of his earliest works, that he is just adept at spinning melodrama as staging a shootout. Loosely based on KRAMER VS. KRAMER, this heart-wrenching family saga was nominated for seven awards at the Hong Kong Film Awards in 1990 and won Chow Yun-Fat the Best Actor statuette (as well as a Golden Horse nod). Former motorcycle racer Long (Chow Yun-Fat) supports his young son Porky working as a lowly construction worker. Though they struggle to get by, they live happily. One day, Porky's mother Sylvia (Sylvia Chang) shows up suddenly. A successful ad exec now living in the US, she wants to take her son back with her. But Porky resists and vows to help his father restart his racing career. The tragic ending will leave not a single dry eye in the theater.

Panel
SAT 7.15 l 4:00PM | ASIA SOCIETY
THE DISTRIBUTION MATRIX

While filmmakers always dream of a theatrical release myriad opportunities abound in the marketplace, which offers filmmakers a host of options for getting their films seen. This panel will bring participants up close and personal with decision-makers who are shaking up the standard business model. From the art house to broadcast to home video to education - explore a range of possibilities. There's more to distribution than you think.

Shorts Program
SAT 7.15 l 5:30PM | ASIA SOCIETY
A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE MORGUE

Death is an encounter that is inevitable, either in our own life or in those of others. For some, death is a finale while for others it is a beginning. And for yet others, it is merely another episode in the long continuum of existence. Humor, shock, anger, inconsolable sadness - these are just some of the ways in which the sons, daughters, husbands, wives and whole families face death in this shorts program. Followed by Q & A.

QUIETLY
DIRECTOR: Jit Fong Oon
PRODUCERS: Jit Fong Oon, Jackie Stone
CAST: Ed Ikeda, Tokio Paris, Mariko Takai, Tatsuo Ichikawa
USA | 2006 | 9mins | Beta SP | Color | Japanese w/ES | Narrative
How does a pebble make waves? Convinced that his family has become "frogs in a well," an elderly grandfather leaves them an important departing message. This calm, peaceful film will spark thoughts about the wisdom of the aged and the beauty of death.

TIME AND THE HOUR RUN
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Samir R Patel
CAST: Kristen Mehta, Samrat Chakrabarti, Manish Patel, Rajika Puri
USA | 2005 | 15mins | Beta SP | Color | English/Hindi w/ES | Narrative
How long should we hold onto those we love? After losing his beloved wife, a hotel manager begins to experience vivid hallucinations - much to the sorrow of his remaining family members.

6 FT IN 7 MIN
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Rafael Del Toro
CAST: Yousef Gaffary, Naheed Khan, R.N. Rao, Rajiv Surendra, Mohammed Chaudury
USA | 2005 | 15mins | Beta SP | Color | English | Narrative
If you had seven minutes to live, what would you do? A young boy has been surrounded by death all his life. On his nineteenth birthday, he'll finally find out why.

PUBLIC BATH
DIRECTORS: Tak Hoon Kim, In Pyo Hong
PRODUCER: Tak Hoon Kim
USA/South Korea | 2005 | 9mins | Beta SP l DVD | Color | Animation
In a public bathhouse, a curious toddler peers into a foggy mirror and sees a reflection of his future self - and his aged father. This computer animated short reminds us that life, especially those of our loved ones, should never be taken for granted.

SHOUT
DIRECTOR: Lillian Wang
PRODUCER: Thyrale Thai
CAST: Sarah Figoten, Allen Bloomfield, Barry O'Neil
USA | 2005 | 18mins | Beta SP | Color | English | Narrative
Stuck in more ways than one, a high school student struggles with her fear of change, as well as the burden of tending to her handicapped grandfather. She learns however that her sickly grandpa has much more to offer than a grumpy shake of the head.

5x90: THE WAKE
DIRECTOR: Samuel Kiehoon Lee
PRODUCERS: Samuel Kiehoon Lee, Alyx Park
CAST: Janvier Neil Efondo, Jonathan Kidney, Jerry Lee, Mary Lee, Krista Moore
Canada | 2005 | 11mins | DVD | Color | English/Korean w/ES | Experimental
After your death, how will you be remembered? This film follows many conversations that are taking place simultaneously as relatives and friends discuss the man who is no more but still remembered.

WAKE
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Keun-Pyo Park
CAST: Sung Mi Kim, Eun Jee Wang, Ji-Won Kang
USA | 2005 | 17mins | Beta SP | Color | English/Korean w/ES | Narrative
"Mommy's still sleeping." After waking up one morning, a young child is forced to realize the love she has for her mother. Based on a true story, this short takes a haunting and heartbreaking look at the devotion of a child.

Feature Program
SAT 7.15 l 6:00PM | ASIA SOCIETY
EVE & THE FIRE HORSE

If Jesus and Buddha dance in the moonlight, who will lead? For imaginative young Eve, such questions are of paramount importance. Growing up as second generation Chinese Canadian in the suburbs of Toronto, Eve seeks to get rid of the bad luck of her birth year, that of the troublesome and rebellious Firehorse. In the hope that by adding the most ingredients she can make the best dish, Eve mixes the superstitions of her relatives with the mystical orders of the Bible and awaits a higher enlightenment.

EVE AND THE FIREHORSE brings new insights and intelligence to the genre of films that discuss immigrant lives and generation gaps. Cleverly exploiting the melancholy clichés that saturate melodramas about Chinese culture, EVE AND THE FIREHORSE manages to reveal and mock the stereotypes that it uses. The end result is a film with a refreshing honesty-the kind that only a child possesses. Followed by Q&A.

Shorts Program
SAT 7.15 l 6:00PM | QUAD CINEMA
MUSIC VIDEO SHOW

The music video is an art form separate from its sister, cinema. Music video directors explore visual expressions of sound and shape popular culture. This year's music video lineup not only showcases the talents of Asian American musicians but also the vision behind them that gives this medium its unique shape - the directors.

We are excited to welcome back the latest creations of last year's returning directors: Todd Angkasuwan, Monkmus, Evolution Jackson, Patricio Ginelsa and last year's award winner Rik Cordero. The new candidates for this year's Best Music Video Award range in style from indie to mainstream. From Canada we have co-directors Richie Mehta and Stuart McIntyre, the West Coast brings us the colorful visions of Lana Kim and Andy Bruntel, AV Club, Artificial Army, Ravi Dhar and Joseph Kahn.The East Coast is well represented with Chris Deaner, George Su, Francisco Aliwalas, Steve E. Mallorca and Aaron Stewart-Ahn. Europe's Deeyah and Luis Briceno and the abstract vision of Japanese director Koichiro Tsujikawa make the group truly international. Followed by Q&A.

ALL ROADS LEAD TO HERE - Gurpreet & Jugular
DIRECTOR: Richie Mehta + Stuart McIntyre

HOLLA HEY - Far-East Movement
DIRECTOR: Todd Angkasuwan

STEAL THE BLUEPRINTS - +/-
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Chris Deaner

LOVE SONG ON THE RADIO - Johnny Hi-Fi
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: George Su

I WILL FOLLOW YOU INTO THE DARK - Death Cab for Cutie
DIRECTOR: Monkmus

TONE TWILIGHT ZONE - Cornelius
DIRECTOR: Koichiro Tsujikawa

I'VE BEEN LOST - +/-
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Rik Cordero

MICRONOMIC - Lali Puna
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Luis Briceno

BABY C'MON - Stephen Malkmus
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Lana Kim + Andy Bruntel

A BRIGHTER DAY - Kevin So
DIRECTOR: Francisco Aliwalas

GOT ME LIKE - P.I.C.
DIRECTOR: Steve E. Mallorca

SWEET LUCY ASLEEP - Invid
DIRECTORS: Patricio Ginelsa + A.J. Calomay

16 MILITARY WIVES - The Decemberists
DIRECTOR: Aaron Stewart-Ahn

IRISH BLOOD ENGLISH HEART - Morrissey
DIRECTOR: AV Club

THE WIDOW - The Mars Volta
DIRECTOR: Artificial Army

DEKODER - Viva K
DIRECTOR: Ravi Dhar

WHAT WILL IT BE? (METAL VERSION) - Deeyah feat. Young Maylay
DIRECTOR: Deeyah

WESTERN - Far-East Movement
DIRECTOR: Evolution Jackson

GET YOURSELF HIGH - The Chemical Bros. ft. K-OS
DIRECTOR: Joseph Kahn

Shorts Program
SAT 7.15 l 8:00PM | ASIA SOCIETY
THE MISEDUCATION OF SUZY WONG

Will the real Asian Americans please stand up? From rocket scientists to take-out deliverymen, dirty restrooms to blacktop battlegrounds, protests to radio PSAs, this short film program illustrates the un-televised stories of Asian Americans as they attempt to earn their place in America. Followed by Q&A.

AIR
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Patti Sakurai
USA | 2005 | 5mins | DVD | B/W | English | Documentary
What's that on the radio? A racist incident on radio leads to a mobilization of Asian American social consciousness. Thereafter, the activist voice floods the airwaves with a message of unification.

RISING UP: THE ALAMS
DIRECTOR: Konrad Aderer
PRODUCER: Third World Newsreel
USA | 2005 | 11mins | Beta SP | Color | English | Documentary
Why intern someone when you can deport them? In this revealing documentary, we follow the Alam family as they, along with their community, struggle against "voluntary registration" and its severe aftereffects.

AGENT YELLOW, NOT CHINAMAN'S CHANCE
DIRECTOR: Christine Choy
PRODUCER: Spring Wang
USA | 2006 | 28mins | DVD | English/Mandarin w/ES | Documentary
Before Wen Ho Lee, there was Tsien Hsue Shen, a brilliant rocket scientist who made great contributions to the American missile program. Unfortunately for Shen, he was Chinese. This doc takes a look at xenophobia in the McCarthy Era and how it's happening again... and again.

PORT AUTHORITY INCIDENT
DIRECTOR: Evelyn Lee
CAST: E.B. Brooks, Arsene De Lay, Frederique, Du Mont Blanc
USA | 2005 | 3mins | Beta SP | Color | English | Animation
How can one be bad at being racist? In this lyrical animation, a Korean American girl educates a snarling old woman about the finer differences of racist terminology in a dirty Port Authority bathroom.

VICTORY (JEET)
DIRECTORS/PRODUCERS: Paras Chaudhari, Chrysoralantis Stamelos
CAST: Paras Chaudhari, Khaled, Ghulan, Anaam, Shaidur Rebman, Alisaza Williams, Nuwan
USA | 2006 | 4mins | DVD | Color | Narrative
On a basketball court in Astoria, Queens, two rival crews meet for the ultimate showdown. Without the tights and ballet fighting, these Sharks and Jets settle the score in a rather surprising fashion.

RUSHING RIVER
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Michelle Chai
CAST: Erick Khor, Patrick Wang, Lei Zhou, Annie Nguyen, Lung-Fong Chen, Simon Wong
USA | 2005 | 14mins | Beta SP | Color | English/Mandarin/Cantonese/Japanese w/ES | Narrative
Flat tires, hard rain and bad directions can't stop Ho Gong (or "Rushing River" in Chinese) as he makes deliveries for a Chinese restaurant. This short film offers a poignant look at one man's will to keep on pedaling despite his unfulfilled dreams.

THE MUSHROOM CLUB
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Steven Okazaki
USA | 2005 | 34mins | DVD | Color & B/W | English/Japanese w/ES | Documentary
Steven Okazaki's 2005 Academy-nominated film examines the city of Hiroshima sixty years after the dropping of the first atomic weapon. Stories from the dwindling community of survivors paint an appalling picture of the devastation that the rest of the world seems to have forgotten.

Feature Program
SAT 7.15 l 8:30PM | ASIA SOCIETY
BEAUTY REMAINS (MEI REN YI JIU)
New York Premiere

"There's a moment before a soul is born when two paths are presented. Some become men. I don't know why, but some become women." So intones the impassive female narrator as the film begins. The audience is immediately thrust into Qingdao, China, 1948. The Communists are coming and the entire country is on the brink of tumultuous change. The narrator turns out to be Fei (Zhou Xun, one of China's biggest stars), a young beautiful girl whose past finally catches up with her and pulls her into a vortex of sibling rivalry, riches and desire.

Her estranged half-sister Ying (The Last Emperor's Vivian Wu) has come looking for her and invites her back to the family fold years after Fei and her maid mother were banished from the household. Fei learns that Ying will inherit their father's fortune only if Fei returns home. Thus begins a battle of wits and pride between the two sisters who have more in common than they would admit. Their clash of wills threatens to strip them of everything that they own including the man they both love-Ying's suave fiancé, Huang.

With spectacular use of light, shadow and space, Hu carefully delineates the complexity of the sisters' love-hate relationship, while drawing out their interior world against the upheavals around them. Working with a mixed crew of Chinese and Americans, Hu has crafted a sumptuous and highly polished film that weaves together the intimate and the epic. Followed by Q & A

Feature Program
SAT 7.15 l 8:30PM | QUAD CINEMA
COLMA: THE MUSICAL
East Coast Premiere

In the first Asian American musical since "Flower Drum Song" (1961), COLMA: THE MUSICAL is an impressive and ambitious debut feature film by director Richard Wong. The musical follows three recent high school graduates as they attempt to make the most out of their lives in Colma, a San Francisco suburb where the dead outnumber the living. While best friends Rodel, Maribel and Billy are listless in the confines of their humdrum hometown, they do the best to enjoy their newfound freedom by crashing parties and using their fake IDs to get drunk. Despite the good times they share, they realize that their future aspirations leave them at conflict with each other and with their friendship.

The catchy music and witty lyrics by the talented H.P. Mendoza, who also plays Rodel in the film, is well orchestrated with Wong's insightful direction, cinematography and editing in portraying the emotional life of young adults. Rather than churning out another cliché teen angst Sundance coming-of-age film, Wong and Mendoza provide a refreshingly original and affectionate look at suburban malaise which will make you want to sing, dance, applaud and cry...sometimes all at the same time. Bucking the current trend in films to rely on irony rather than genuine feeling and get-go, Colma reminds us how musicals might be the last form of earnestness left in American culture. Followed by Q&A.

SUNDAY, JULY 16

Shorts Program
SUN 7.16 l 1:00PM | ASIA SOCIETY
72 HOUR SHOOTOUT

In the third annual 72 HR FILM SHOOTOUT, winning teams showcase shorts written, shot, edited and produced in 72 hours around the theme of Obsessive/Compulsive. Did pressure and time constraints get to them? Followed by Q & A.

Sun Sing Theater Retrospective
SUN 7.16 | 1:00PM | QUAD CINEMA
CURRY AND PEPPER (GA LEI LAAK JIU)
SEE ABOVE FOR DETAILS

Shorts Program
SUN 7.16 l 2:00PM | ASIA SOCIETY
DOMESTIC DISTURBANCE

Home - where the biggest battles and pettiest squabbles are fought. Yet home is where we seek strength and stability. What happens when those fundamental needs are not met? The following short films examine what happens when the definition of home is jeopardized and where we land after the turbulent storm. Followed by Q & A.

JANIE
DIRECTOR: Christine Shin
PRODUCERS: Christine Shin, Judith Fernando
CAST: Blaine Saunders, Tanner Maguire, Deborah Quayle, John Miailovich
USA | 2005 | 18mins | Beta SP | Color | English | Narrative
Janie has a perfect life as the only daughter in a loving family. This life is completely shattered when Ben, the little brother whose existence she did not know of, shows up unexpectedly to live with her family.

ROCK BOTTOM
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Susan Chiu
CAST: Yan Xi, Andrew T. Lee
USA | 2005 | 19mins | Beta SP l DVD | Color | English/Mandarin w/ES | Narrative
With her mother in the hospital and a husband who she suspects is in love with another woman, trying to stop smoking is not easy for Andrea Ng. Sometimes, the only thing to do when the world comes to an end is to start again at the very beginning.

WHAT REMAINS
DIRECTOR: Eric Lin
PRODUCER: Cherry Montejo
CAST: Lloyd Suh, Tim Kang, Jo Yang
USA | 2005 | 15mins | Beta SP | Color | English | Narrative
When their van breaks down in the middle of nowhere en route to a funeral home to deliver a dead body, two brothers are forced to confront the distance between them. How does one measure the space between family members?

THE MANSION (MANSYON)
DIRECTOR: Joel Ruiz
PRODUCER: Margie Templo
CAST: Roselyn Perez, Jess Evardone
Philippines | 2005 | 23mins | Beta SP | Color | Tagalog w/ES | Narrative
Dolores, a housemaid and her husband Ambo, a gardener, are hired to maintain a beautiful yet lonely mansion while its owners are away on a long vacation. Distant yet together, the two discover intimacy within the walls of someone else's home.

BLACKBERRIES
DIRECTOR: Nicolas Panoutsopoulos
PRODUCER: Sonya Chi
CAST: Jose Galvin, Yeniffer Behrens, David Carreno
US | 2005 | 17mins | 35mm | Color | English | Narrative
With a dreamer father and a realist mother, little Alejandro learns that money can change everything after a bittersweet afternoon adventure picking berries by the Los Angeles river.

FAMILY SIZE PIZZA
DIRECTOR: Gim Gyungmi
PRODUCER: Jo Min Seok
CAST: Soyoung Lee, Hyun Ah Kim, Jung Min Kwon
Korea | 2006 | 11mins | Beta SP | Color | Korean w/ES | Narrative
When two and two do not make four, a child learns to listen to her instinct. Soyoung runs into her father driving around with a woman from his old high school. What do the hair clips in the back seat mean?

Panel
SUN 7.16 l 3:00PM | ASIA SOCIETY
THE FUNDING MIX

Meet representatives from leading foundations that award some of the most coveted grants in the field. Panelists will report on the changing landscape of media arts funding. Don't miss this opportunity get a first hand account of what funders are looking for and helpful tips on successful grant applications.

Feature Program
SUN 7.16 l 3:30PM | ASIA SOCIETY
AMERICAN FUSION
East Coast Premiere

Frank Lin takes a comedic look at the complexities of family, love and racial politics in this feature film that won the Hawaii International Film Festival's Audience Award. Set in California, AMERICAN FUSION concerns a divorced forty-something Chinese immigrant, Yvonne, played by the beautiful Sylvia Chang (ALL ABOUT AH LONG, see SUN SING THEATER retrospectives) who feels that the best of her days are behind her.

Yvonne's latest writing assignment lands her in the dental office of Dr. Jose (NYPD BLUE's Esai Morales), a handsome and single Mexican American. But her narrow-minded mother injures her back in a massage accident and uses her suffering to emotionally blackmail her children into doing her bidding. In order to find true happiness, Yvonne must overcome her three demanding siblings and her ultra-conservative mother.

Showcasing an incredible cast of memorable characters that includes Fabio, James Hong, Eddie Shin and the late great Pat Morita in one of his last appearances, Lin's feature debut goes out of its way to make you laugh and cringe. AMERICAN FUSION affirms that happiness comes out of accepting people and situations as they are.

Feature Program
SUN 7.16 l 3:30PM | QUAD CINEMA
GRASSROOTS RISING
New York Premiere

GRASSROOTS RISING explores the lives and struggles of the Asian Pacific Islander working class as they seek their place in America. Winn's exploration ties together personal tales of exploitation and strife with shots of powerful political murals and the spoken word poetry of Alison de la Cruz.

The documentary shows both sides of multilingual Los Angeles - the sweatshop capitol of the United States as well as home to some of the largest communities of Asian immigrants outside of their home countries. Despite the hardships and threats of deportation, these working families strive for justice though interethnic alliances and community-based campaigns dispelling commonplace stereotype of the model minority.

These people are not passive victims, but brave individuals that are reshaping the city though their activism. This moving documentary comes at a time when xenophobia and immigration issues are at the forefront of the political landscape.

In 1974, the notorious Symbionese Liberation Army kidnapped heiress Patricia Hearst. A month later, SLA members and Hearst robbed a bank in San Francisco and fled to rural Pennsylvania where they met Wendy for the first time.

Shorts Program
SUN 7.16 l 4:30PM | ASIA SOCIETY
TWILIGHT MYOPIA

The act of looking is never as simple as it seems. Who owns the gaze? The camera or the audience? Male or female? What finally registers on the conscience has often been refracted through the prisms of desire, preconception and long-held belief. These films consider different ways of looking. Whether it is looking at yourself in the mirror or catching a movie in a dilapidated theater, these films prove that WYSINWYG. Followed by Q & A.

EXPERIMENT (JIKKEN)
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Lowell Douglas Ing
CAST: The Aono Jikken Enemble, Dr. Aaron Gerow, Dr. William Gardner
USA | 2005 | 17mins | Beta SP | Color | English w/ES | Documentary
The Aono Jikken Ensemble (Japanese for "blue field experiment") is a multi- disciplinary performance group that creates, among its many innovative works, original live scores for classic Asian silent films. This documentary finds them taking on A PAGE OF MADNESS, Teinosuke Kinugasa's 1926 silent masterpiece. The result is a perfect marriage of the mind-boggling images on the screen and the highly textured, unconventional score played live.

BLUSH
DIRECTOR: Jerome Austria
PRODUCER: Tana Sarntinoranont
CAST: Samantha Grossman, Michelle Glick
USA | 2005 | 17mins | Beta SP | Color | English | Narrative
The cat simply will not leave Sara's apartment. When Sara gazes into the mirror, she sees a younger, much younger version of herself. In fact, she sees a little girl with too much make-up. In this hall of mirrors, Sara flips between the real and the imaginary in search of her own identity. Woman or child? Maybe the cat can tell.

TWO GIRLS
DIRECTOR: Ming Kai Leung
PRODUCER: Brent-Jorgen Perlmutt
CAST: Yenti Chu, Kate Reilly, Billy Caleo
USA/Hong Kong | 2005 | 15mins | DVD | Color | English/Mandarin w/ES | Narrative
Two girls - one Chinese, one White- randomly meet at a New York City street corner in the middle of the night. Here they share a phone booth, a stoop, the nicotine in the air and a moment of grieving together. Tonight, both of them have said the same thing to their loved ones.

THE MODE OF DISAPPEARANCE
DIRECTOR: Kih-Hoon Kim
PRODUCERS: Kyung-Sub Lee, Chang-Hwan Kim
CAST: Jea-Myung Lyu, Byung-Jun Kim
Korea | 2005 | 21mins | Beta SP | Color | Korean w/ES | Narrative
Sangcheol wakes up one morning to find a stranger staring back at him from the mirror. His face has inexplicably changed into someone else's! Plunged into a state of existential crisis, he begins searching for "himself" and bumps into a man who looks very familiar...

MUSIC PALACE
DIRECTOR: Eric Lin
PRODUCER: Kam Lau
CAST: Ho Ying Pang, Jian Bang Wang, David Butterman
US | 2005 | 9mins | Beta SP | B/W | English/Cantonese w/ES | Documentary
Nominated for a Student Academy Award, this film takes a lingering look at the last days of the Music Palace, New York City's last Chinatown movie theater. Once a central part of communal life, the theater is now all dilapidated and deserted. But even as its caretakers ruefully look back at the life that was, the faithful few in the audience remain transfixed to their seats, entranced by the chopsocky images on screen.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION (GONG SA JOONG)
DIRECTOR: Hyung-Suk Lee
PRODUCER: Tai-yong Kim
CAST: Kyung-deok Ra, Tae-jung Kim, Moon-soo Song
Korea | 2005 | 22mins | 35mm | Color | Korean w/ES | Narrative
It is the worst nightmare of every New Yorker: a landlady who refuses to fix up the apartment. This film is a deadpan comedy about the battle between a landlady and her tenant, who finally see the human side of each other. Winner of Best Asian Short at the 2006 Bangkok International Film Festival.

Feature Program
SUN 7.16 l 6:00PM | ASIA SOCIETY
BE WITH ME
New York Premiere

Young or old, rich or poor, lovers are alike. They all burn with the same passion and longing. But in each case, it manifests itself in a completely different way. The security guard who is in love with the fashionable young executive, the teenager who is experimenting with her sexuality, the grieving widower, the powerful and energetic teacher who will not let her handicaps prevent her from living life fully - Eric Khoo's characters are memorable in themselves and in relation to the others. Based on the unpublished memoir of Theresa Grace Chan who plays herself in this movie, the film explores the way love changes the lives of the people who love. As one generation bonds over food, another uses instant messaging to find and eventually lose, each other.

At the same time, the film is also a tribute to Theresa Grace Chan and documents her remarkable ability to survive odds and inspire other people. Though handicapped doubly at an early age, she went on to travel, teach and write, motivating everyone she met on her journey. Without speaking much, she becomes the narrator of the film and the lessons of her life-hope and faith-become the underlying themes in all the parallel stories.

With superb mastery over his material, the filmmaker gives us small pieces of plot and character that leaves us wanting for more. The movie feels like a jigsaw puzzle that we slowly put together as the lives of the characters interconnect and a ripple in one life becomes a wave in another. This masterpiece film, which opened the Directors' Fortnight at 2005 Cannes, touches on the drama, tragedy and poetry of love.

Shorts Program
SUN 7.16 l 6:00PM | QUAD CINEMA
CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?

Can one moment change your whole life? Crucial experiences and the epiphanies that follow can affect our memories and aspirations. The films in this program follow their protagonists who range from a contract killer to a wandering monk to several grumpy old men, as they reflect on their lives and decide what they need to find - or leave behind. Followed by Q&A.

DRY CLEAN ONLY
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: J.P. Chan
CAST: Aaron Yoo, Debargo Sanyal, Kavi Ladnier
USA | 2005 | 6mins | DVD | Color | English | Narrative
No one hides more secrets than a dry cleaner. A disillusioned dry cleaner has his night interrupted by a blood-covered couple who demand a late night cleansing. What the couple doesn't know is that this young man has seen more than his fair share of dirty laundry.

HIGH WINDS
DIRECTOR: Vanessa Ly
PRODUCERS: Vanessa Ly, Mark Ansorge
CAST: Freddy Ly
France/US | 2005 | 17mins | Beta SP | Color | French w/ES | Narrative
After carrying out a contract, a killer and his dog take a long road trip through the American Midwest. This scenic short combines elements from the genres of film noir and the road movie to ask the question: how do you escape from yourself?

CALL IT A DAY
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Jason A. DaSilva
CAST: Steve Girardi, Suheir Hammad
USA | 2006 | 6mins | DVD | B/W | English | Experimental
Shot in gritty black and white, this experimental short ponders the significance of everyday actions. Combined with a simple piano score and a voiceover in spoken word, the filmmakers achieve a contemplative and haunting essay on existence.

TEA DATE
DIRECTOR: Mina Park
PRODUCER: Iris Ng
CAST: Mark Barkan, Doona Bae, Marc Bryan Solomon, Kathy Ford
USA/Korea | 2005 | 21mins | Beta SP | Color | English | Narrative
Nothing soothes the soul like a warm cup of tea, especially if it is accompanied by good companionship. For the widowed Mr. Ed, the solution to his loneliness has come in the form of SunHee, a bubbly exchange student. A comical look at bad brownies, hot tea and the power of friendship.

LOST SOLE
DIRECTOR: Sanif Olek
PRODUCERS: Sanif Olek, Barry Sampey, Sunny Yong
CAST: Mahadi Shor, Aidli 'Alin' Mosbit, Sani Hussin
Singapore | 2005 | 18mins | DVD | Color | Malay w/ES | Narrative
Sometimes, the best way to find something is to lose something. After prayer at mosque, a grumpy old man discovers that his favorite sandals are missing. As he wanders the city barefoot, he begins to realize that he has lost touch with the world around him and his own spirituality.

SAME TIME LAST YEAR
DIRECTOR: Peter Phan Long-Cuu
PRODUCER: Jon Judelson
CAST: Chris Nguyen, Kathy Nguyen
USA | 2005 | 15mins | Beta SP | Color | English | Narrative
"In a perfect world, there would be no second chances." After letting his girlfriend go on a yearlong trip, a young man realizes that he has made an irreversible mistake.

STATIONERY
DIRECTOR: Monica Rho
PRODUCER: Michael Fukushima
CAST: Sandra Oh (voice)
Canada | 2005 | 5mins | Beta SP | Color | English | Animation
What does it take to get ahead? For one ambitious young woman, it means heeding her boss's strict preference for paper clips over staples. As she spends her day seeking perfection, she begins to realize that it'll take much more than a paper clip to hold her life together.

Seminar
SUN 7.16 l 7:30PM | ASIA SOCIETY
SCREENPLAY READING: HOMELAND

From the barracks of her internment camp, Beth Matsumoto is faced with a question of loyalty-her country's to her.

A staged reading of Maikiko James's screenplay HOMELAND, the winner of the fifth annual Screenplay Competition produced and directed by Pan Asian Reparatory. Followed by Q&A and discussion.

Feature Screening
SUN 7.16 l 8:30 PM| ASIA SOCIETY
RIGODON
New York Premiere

Three Filipino immigrants in New York City encounter racism and alienation during the immigration crackdowns after 9/11. Each breaks down in a different way, exposing the bleakness that awaits thousands of newcomers to the country, whose legal status is tied to every step they take. Dante the poet has to choose between his own future and the safety of those whom he has given refuge to, by forging new identities for them. Salome prays for a blue-eyed blonde child. Amado fails his family in their time of need despite his best efforts to support them. Along with the active presence of these characters, the frames are people with those absent and their unhappiness. Mohsen who has been detained by the INS while his family waits desperately for news and Lourdes who appears in Amado's yearnings for home become as real for us as for the family members who have been deprived of them.

Moving between dream, theater and reality and often mixing the three in a surreal combination of fears and hopes, RIGODON manages to be politically charged and philosophical at the same time. Each frame is composed with great care and one is often reminded of Impressionist paintings. The marvelous sensuality that imbues each moving image is at its best in the scene where Amado and Salome find themselves in each other's arms in a consummation of not just desire, but also memory.

RIGODON raises very important questions about the validity of the immigrant dream in the face of inhuman, unethical and manipulative anti-immigration policies. Equally importantly, it does this in an artistic and poetic way. Followed by Q&A.

Feature Program
SUN 7.16 l 8:30PM | QUAD CINEMA
I FOR INDIA
New York Premiere

Yashpal Suri was just looking for a better way to communicate when he bought two video cameras and tape recorders, one for himself and his family in Darlington, England, the other for his parents and siblings in Punjab. The tapes traveled between the continents, carrying railway stations, snow, marriages and birthday parties. His daughter, director Sandhya Suri cleverly juxtaposes the images and news in these unique home movies with footage from BBC documentaries on "colored people" and anti-immigration rallies and interviews with family members to paint a complete picture of the immigrant dilemma. On the one hand, the extended family back home yearns for the return of the prodigal son, on the other hand, the successes and comforts in the new country are too tangible to dismiss. In a land where his name is mispronounced again and again, Yashpal Suri manages to establish his career, whereas in the land of his birth, there are no opportunities for him to shine.

Beautifully ironic, I FOR INDIA, which screened at Sundance 2006, does not merely stop with presenting this story but rather establishes it as part of an endless cycle. The new generation has to leave behind what the older ones know and find comfort in. When Yashpal's daughter moves to Australia, the same emotional upheaval repeats itself. Technology however has progressed in the meantime and the two generations can videoconference with each other. But the gulf remains the same.

I FOR INDIA is graceful and honest even in terrains where grace and honesty are rare - namely, history and memory. The personal becomes the truly universal in this story that connects the immigrant story with the dilemma of all parents who have to let go. And old Bollywood songs snake through it all, adding another layer of meaning and emotion to the images.

NALINI BY DAY, NANCY BY NIGHT is a documentary on outsourcing of American jobs to India. Told from the perspective of an Indian living in the US, the film journeys into India's call centers, where telemarketers acquire American names and accents to service the telephone support industry of the US. The film incorporates animation, live action and archival footage to explore the complexities of globalization, capitalism and identity.

MONDAY, JULY 17

Shorts Program
MON 7.17 l 1:00PM | QUAD CINEMA
A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE MORGUE
SEE ABOVE FOR DETAILS

Shorts Program
MON 7.17 l 3:30PM | QUAD CINEMA
THE MISEDUCATION OF SUZY WONG
SEE ABOVE FOR DETAILS

Feature Program
MON 7.17 l 6:00PM | QUAD CINEMA
TRAIN MAN: DENSHA OTOKO
SEE ABOVE FOR DETAILS

Feature Program
MON 7.17 l 8:30PM | QUAD CINEMA
JOURNEY FROM THE FALL (VUOT SONG)
SEE ABOVE FOR DETAILS

TUESDAY, JULY 18

Feature Program
TUE 7.18 l 1:00 PM | QUAD CINEMA
EVE & THE FIRE HORSE
SEE ABOVE FOR DETAILS

Feature Program
TUE 7.18 l 3:30 PM l QUAD CINEMA
ANGEL II

Three high-kicking, gun-toting Angels cross path with a megalomaniacal terrorist to explosive ends in this sequel to the action thriller hit ANGELS. The Angels in question-two girls and one guy - belong to a secret crime-fighting organization. After scoring a mission, they take off to Malaysia for a well-deserved vacation and to catch up with friends. Unbeknownst to them, one of the friends is a Fascist psychopath who has formed a guerrilla army to overthrow the government. Which leaves the Angels no choice but to don their combat slacks and infiltrate the terrorist base to thwart his plans - along with some high-octane action and heart stopping fight sequences. The ANGELS series (there was a third installment) was one of the first few films to popularize the "girls with guns" genre that Hong Kong is famous for.

Feature Program
TUE 7.18 | 6:00PM | QUAD CINEMA
COLMA: THE MUSICAL
SEE ABOVE FOR DETAILS

Shorts Program
TUE 7.18 l 8:45PM | QUAD CINEMA
TWILIGHT MYOPIA
SEE ABOVE FOR DETAILS

WEDNESDAY, JULY 19

Shorts Program
WED 7.19 l 1:00PM | QUAD CINEMA
CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?
SEE ABOVE FOR DETAILS

Feature Program
WED 7.19 l 3:30 PM | QUAD CINEMA
PURITY
SEE ABOVE FOR DETAILS

Feature Program
WED 7.19 | 6:00PM | QUAD CINEMA
ALL ABOUT AH-LONG (A LANG DE GUSHI)
SEE ABOVE FOR DETAILS

Feature Program
WED 7.19 l 8:30PM | QUAD CINEMA
AMERICAN FUSION
SEE ABOVE FOR DETAILS

THURSDAY, JULY 20

Feature Program
THU 7.20 | 1:00PM | QUAD CINEMA
THE THIRTY MILLION RUSH

The prolific director/producer/writer/actor Karl Maka was one of the co-founders of Cinema City, a mini-studio that churned out many immensely popular films in 80s Hong Kong. Behind the very successful ACES GO PLACES series, Cinema City almost rivaled Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest in terms of box-office clout. Maka directed and acted in this star-studded madcap caper, in which a bank employee gathered a motley crew of buddies to steal over 30 million HK notes from the bank. As they race against time to carry out their get-rich scheme, little do they realize that they have to reckon with a well-meaning nun-Brigitte Lin in a rare light role - who thinks nothing of bashing heads in order to save souls.

Feature Program
THU 7.20 l 3:30PM | QUAD CINEMA
RIGODON
SE ABOVE FOR DETAILS

Feature Program
THU 7.20 l 6:00PM | QUAD CINEMA
BEAUTY REMAINS
SEE ABOVE FOR DETAILS

Shorts Program
THU 7.20 l 8:30PM | QUAD CINEMA
MUSIC VIDEO SHOW
SEE ABOVE FOR DETAILS

FRIDAY, JULY 21

Closing Night Award Ceremony
FRI 7.21 l 6:30PM l ASIA SOCIETY
The AAIFF will present awards for the following categories: Emerging Director Award; Excellence in Short Filmmaking; Best Music Video Award, One to Watch For Youth by Youth Award; Michelob Light Music Video Award; V-Clip Competition winner.

Closing Night Reception
FRI 7.21 l 7:30PM l ASIA SOCIETY
The AAIFF congratulates and celebrates the winner from this year's festival competitions.

Closing Night Film
FRI 7.21 l 8:30PM l ASIA SOCIETY
TBA

THURSDAY, AUGUST 3

Feature Program
THU 8.03 l 1:00PM | STONYBROOK
EVE & THE FIRE HORSE
SEE ABOVE FOR DETAILS

Feature Program
THU 8.03 l 7:00PM | STONYBROOK
RIGODON
SEE ABOVE FOR DETAILS

FRIDAY, AUGUST 4

Feature Program
FRI 8.04 l 7:00PM | STONYBROOK
PURITY
SEE ABOVE FOR DETAILS

SATURDAY, AUGUST 5

Feature Program
SAT 8.05 l 3:00PM | STONYBROOK
BE WITH ME
SEE ABOVE FOR DETAILS

Feature Program
SAT 8.05 l 7:00PM | STONYBROOK
I FOR INDIA
SEE ABOVE FOR DETAILS

Preceded By:
NALINI BY DAY, NANCY BY NIGHT
SEE ABOVE FOR DETAILS

SUNDAY, AUGUST 6

Feature Program
SUN 8.06 l 7:00PM | STONYBROOK
JOURNEY FROM THE FALL (VUOT SONG)
SEE ABOVE FOR DETAILS

Download this press release as a PDF document.

ACCREDITATION

FESTIVAL RELEASE

CLOSING NIGHT

COMPLETE LINE-UP

FULL SCHEDULE

PANELS

AWARDS

JULY

AUGUST