It’s That Time of Year Again…

Courtesy of CAAM

Well, this year the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) is celebrating the 26th year of the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival. I’ve been coming to this shindig for 12 years now, and it never ceases to amaze me how much talent there is in the Asian indie film circuit. It also makes it painfully obvious how Hollywood has no idea how much talent they’re passing up in the Asian American community…

But I digress…

This year’s lineup is in my opinion, the strongest it’s been in over five years, which really excites me. There are many great films to check out and shows that still have tickets available. Here are some that are generating buzz…

“Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay” – I hate even mentioning this one, but I guess I gotta. The damn show’s already sold out! Your only hope is additional screenings that may be added or the rush line for last minute tickets.

“A Battle of Wits” – This one stars Hong Kong’s Tom Cruise, Mr. Andy Lau. He’s a real dynamo when it comes to Cantopop and badly dubbed over Cantonese movies. This one, however, is an epic drama and looks pretty good.

Spotlight on Filmmaker Wayne Wang – I had the pleasure of meeting Wayne a few years ago, and I’m glad to finally see him being celebrated at the Festival. He will be giving a talk and they’ll have screenings of a few of his films including “Joy Luck Club,” “Life is Cheap But Toilet Paper is Expensive,” “Princess of Nebraska,” and his new film, “A Thousand Years of Good Prayers.” He may have gone mainstream, but he’ll always be the king of indie Asian American cinema to me 🙂 .

“The Killing of a Chinese Cookie” – I had to mention the documentary about food! This film takes an interesting and funny look at the origins and evolution of the beloved (and very American) fortune cookie.

There are tons more documentaries, films from America and abroad, short films, lectures, and even celebrities! Check out the schedule of films and find out how you can be a part of this fantastic event.

The Festival runs from Thursday, March 13th through Sunday, March 23rd in San Francisco (two locations), Berkeley, and San Jose. www.asianamericanmedia.org