2015 San Diego Asian Film Festival mini-guide

FESTIVAL MINI-GUIDE

130+ films, 15+ countries, 6 venues, 1 festival.

3HOW TO FEST2 #SDAFF2015

•Tickets for all shows are available at festival.sdaff.org

•Walk-up tickets for shows at UltraStar go on sale at the UltraStar Box Office starting Oct. 30th

•Walk-up tickets for shows at non-UltraStar locations are available at that venue’s box office one hour before showtime.

NON-MEMBERPRICESGENERAL ADMISSION $12

OPENING/CENTERPIECE/CLOSING FILMS $15

OPENING NIGHT FILM + AFTER PARTY (NOV. 5) $25

FESTIVAL 6-PACK $60

ALL FESTIVAL PASS $250

FREESCREENINGSFREE FILMS AT 4 All films at 4pm on weekdays of the festival are free

SHORTS FOR SHORTIES! A collection of international short films, free for kids 12 and under (Nov. 7, pg 19)

REEL VOICES World premiere of our high school documentary program (Nov. 8, pg 13)

ALL SCREENINGS AT UCSD ATKINSON HALL AUDITORIUM Free for UCSD students, faculty, and staff

MEMBER SCREENING North American premiere of Filipino drama SWAP; free for Pac-Arts members (Nov. 9, pg 27)

SPECIALEVENTSGALA AWARDS DINNER Mission Valley Marriott, November 7 $200 for Pac-Arts members / $250 for non-members. RSVP to [email protected]

MOVEFEST An 80s dance party and the official after-party of the Gala Awards Dinner 10PM - Midnight; free for passholders

PAC-ARTSMEMBERPRICESGENERAL ADMISSION $9

OPENING/CENTERPIECE/CLOSING FILMS $12

OPENING NIGHT FILM + AFTER PARTY (NOV. 5) $20

ALL FESTIVAL PASS $150

HOWTOFEST

BLASTTHEMUSICANDHANGUPTHESIGNS!

This year, the San Diego Asian Film Festival turns

16 and it’s gonna be sweet. The ten-day party is a

celebration of Asian and Asian American cinema’s

vitality and continued emergence. The host is

Pacific Arts Movement, the venues are throughout

San Diego County, and the partygoers are you:

the audiences, the members, the filmmakers.

Check out over 130 films from Asia and beyond.

Join us in paying tribute to legends like Tyrus Wong

and Kiju Yoshida, and new trailblazers like Ken

Jeong and the artists at BuzzFeed. Come for the

premieres and stay for the Q&As with filmmakers

and actors. Take the conversation from the

auditorium to the internet and elevate the national

conversation about Asian and Asian American

stories, politics, and representation. Our festival is

just the beginning of a celebration and movement

that is itching to get off the ground.

Periodical StatementSan Diego Asian Film Festival, Nov. 5-14, 2015, Issue No. 1Published annuallyAddress: Pacific Arts Movement, 2508 Historic Decautur Road #140, San Diego, CA 92106.

THESANDIEGOASIANFILMFESTIVAL

CLOSING NIGHT

GALA PRESENTERSSUSTAINING SPONSOR

MAJOR SPONSORS

MAJOR MEDIA SPONSORS

MAJOR GRANTS

GROUPTICKETSMINIMUM OF 10 $9 (general), $13 (opening/centerpiece/closing)

4 5SCHEDULE

3:55p SHORTS: ALL-STARS ONLY (72') ULTRA

4:15p THE ASSASSIN (104') UCSD

4:30p THE CASE OF HANA & ALICE (100') ULTRA

6:00p SEOUL SEARCHING (105') ULTRA

6:40p THE MASTER (80') ULTRA

7:00p OBON BROTHERS (107') ULTRA

8:20p COIN LOCKER GIRL (110') ULTRA

8:35p THE DARK HORSE (124') ULTRA

8:50p OFFICE (117') ULTRA

MONDAY,NOVEMBER9

4:00p OBON BROTHERS (107') ULTRA

5:30p MOUNTAINS MAY DEPART (131') ULTRA

6:00p LOVE & PEACE (117') ULTRA

6:20p SWAP (96') ULTRA

6:40p SHORTS: TALKING BACK (99') ULTRA

7:00p REUNIFICATION (85') UCSD

8:15p THE ROYAL TAILOR (127') ULTRA

8:30p THANATOS, DRUNK (106') ULTRA

8:50p LA LA LA AT ROCK BOTTOM (103') ULTRA

9:15p MYSTERY KUNG FU THEATER ULTRA

TUESDAY,NOVEMBER10

1:00p HAPPY HOUR (317') ULTRA

2:00p GO AWAY MR. TUMOR (128') ULTRA

4:00p I HAVE SEEN MY LAST BORN (79') ULTRA

5:20p BEING GOOD (121') ULTRA

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

VENUELEGEND

MCASD Museum of Contemporary Art,

Sherwood Auditorium

ULTRA UltraStar Mission Valley

UCSD UCSD Calit2 Atkinson Hall

Auditorium

MOPA Museum of Photographic Arts

PALOMA La Paloma Theatre

OPENING NIGHT

CENTERPIECE

CLOSING NIGHT

MISS INDIA AMERICA

SEOUL SEARCHING

MADE IN JAPAN

#SDAFF2015

THURSDAY,NOVEMBER5

7:00p MISS INDIA AMERICA (93') MCASD

FRIDAY,NOVEMBER6

4:00p SHORTS: FREE SAMPLES (87') ULTRA

5:00p DIGITAL PIONEER PANEL: UCSD BUZZFEED (60')

5:35p CEMETERY OF SPLENDOUR (122') ULTRA

5:50p WONDERFUL NIGHTMARE (123') ULTRA

6:30p LORNA (124') ULTRA

7:00p THE WONDERFUL WEDDING (104') UCSD

7:10p THE WHISPERING STAR (100') ULTRA

8:35p SNOW PATHS (100') ULTRA

8:55p MOUNTAINS MAY DEPART (131') ULTRA

9:05p CRUSH THE SKULL (83') ULTRA

9:20p COIN LOCKER GIRL (110') ULTRA

SATURDAY,NOVEMBER7

11:00a SHORTS FOR SHORTIES! (45') ULTRA

12:45p IT'S ALREADY TOMORROW ULTRA IN HONG KONG (79')

1:00p CHANGING SEASON: ON THE ULTRA MASUMOTO FAMILY FARM (57')

1:00p WE ARE FAMILY (107') UCSD

1:20p FULL STRIKE (108') ULTRA

1:35p OPERATION POPCORN (81') ULTRA

2:55p REUNIFICATION (85') ULTRA

Times and films are subject to change. Visit festival.sdaff.org for the latest info.

3:05p THE KIDS (90') UCSD

3:10p GETTING INTIMATE WITH ULTRA DR. KEN (60')

3:40p TYRUS (72') ULTRA

3:55p SOMEONE ELSE (72') ULTRA

4:50p THE BEAUTY INSIDE (127') ULTRA

5:10p THANATOS, DRUNK (106') UCSD

5:15p THE WHISPERING STAR (100') ULTRA

5:55p CEMETERY OF SPLENDOUR (122') ULTRA

6:05p LORNA (124') ULTRA

7:25p FEMALE PERVERT (62') ULTRA

7:35p SHORTS: ULTRA MOMMY QUEEREST (104')

8:25p THE LAST REEL (105') ULTRA

8:50p LA LA LA AT ROCK BOTTOM (103') ULTRA

9:40p DEADMAN INFERNO (108') ULTRA

SUNDAY,NOVEMBER8

12:00p REEL VOICES (120') ULTRA

1:00p LITTLE BIG MASTER (112') ULTRA

1:00p NO NO SLEEP (35') UCSD

1:20p SHORTS: DRUNK IN LOVE (98') ULTRA

2:00p SHORTS: ANIMATION: ULTRA THE ILLUSION OF LIFE (78')

2:10p FLOWERS OF TAIPEI (109') UCSD

2:40p WONDERFUL NIGHTMARE (123') ULTRA

3:25p OUT OF MY HAND (88') ULTRA

SCHEDULE

6 7SCHEDULE

VENUES

MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART, SHERWOOD AUDITORIUM 700 Prospect Street, La Jolla, CA 92037(NOV. 5, NOV. 13)

SAN DIEGO MARRIOTT MISSION VALLEY 8757 Rio San Diego Dr., San Diego, CA 92108(NOV. 7)

ULTRASTAR CINEMAS MISSION VALLEY 7510 Hazard Center Dr. #100, San Diego, CA 92108

MUSEUM OF PHOTOGRAPHIC ARTS 1649 El Prado, San Diego, CA 92103(NOV. 11-12)

UCSD CALIT2 ATKINSON HALL AUDITORIUM9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA 92093(NOV. 6-8)

LA PALOMA THEATRE 471 S. Coast Highway 101, Encinitas, CA 92024(NOV. 14)

We are 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.

(619) 499-8300 or 1-800-359-2002sharphealthplan.com

#SDAFF2015

OPENING & CLOSING NIGHTS

GALA AWARDS DINNER & MOVEFEST

MAIN VENUE

KIJU YOSHIDA SPOTLIGHT

TAIWAN SHOWCASE

SDAFF COMES TO NORTH COUNTY

TUESDAY,NOVEMBER10

5:45p OFFICE (117') ULTRA

6:15p AN (113') ULTRA

6:40p MISSING PEOPLE (81') ULTRA

7:55p FULL STRIKE (108') ULTRA

8:15p TWENTY (115') ULTRA

8:40p THE GRIEF OF OTHERS (103') ULTRA

8:55p ATOMIC HEART (93') ULTRA

WEDNESDAY,NOVEMBER11

1:00p HAPPY HOUR (317') ULTRA

3:20p THE WONDERFUL WEDDING (104') ULTRA

3:40p ZINNIA FLOWER (96') ULTRA

4:00p RADHE RADHE ULTRA

5:20p GO AWAY MR. TUMOR (128') ULTRA

5:35p THE BEAUTY INSIDE (72') ULTRA

5:50p LOVE & PEACE (117') ULTRA

6:30p EROS + MASSACRE (202') MOPA

6:40p SHORTS: ULTRA DEARLY DEPARTING (90')

8:00p BEING GOOD (121') ULTRA

8:20p THERE IS A NEW WORLD ULTRA SOMEWHERE (103')

8:35p THE ASSASSIN (104') ULTRA

8:55p TBA ULTRA

THURSDAY,NOVEMBER12

4:00p THE MASTER (80') ULTRA

5:30p AN (113') ULTRA

5:55p TBA ULTRA

6:10p THE WINNING GIRL (68') ULTRA

6:30p COUP D'ETAT (110') MOPA

6:45p TAXI (82') ULTRA

7:55p ZINNIA FLOWER (96') ULTRA

8:15p TBA ULTRA

8:30p TWENTY (115') ULTRA

8:45p SNAKESKIN (105') ULTRA

FRIDAY,NOVEMBER13

7:00p MADE IN JAPAN (90') MCASD

SATURDAY,NOVEMBER14

1:00p LITTLE BIG MASTER (112') PALOMA

3:20p OFF THE MENU: PALOMA ASIAN AMERICA (56')

5:15p THE LAST REEL (105') PALOMA

7:30p DEADMAN INFERNO (108') PALOMA

SCHEDULE

VENUELEGEND

MCASD Museum of Contemporary Art,

Sherwood Auditorium

ULTRA UltraStar Mission Valley

UCSD UCSD Calit2 Atkinson Hall

Auditorium

MOPA Museum of Photographic Arts

PALOMA La Paloma Theatre

8 9SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS

The feature presentations of this year’s San Diego Asian Film Festival include

celebrations of youth, tributes to living legends, and an appreciation of an Asian

American filmmaker who passed too soon.

MISSINDIAAMERICA

RAVI KAPOOR / USA / 2015 / 93’

Lily is a college-bound valedictorian with a gilded future, so beauty pageants are way below her. But when a case of sass strikes, she finds out what she’s not above: some good ol’ fashioned competition. Thanks to a wily script and Tiya Sircar’s knockout comedic performance, nobody is safe from Lily’s schemes.

THURS 11/05 7:00p MCASD

OPENINGNIGHT

SEOULSEARCHING

BENSON LEE / USA / 2015 / 105’

Don’t you forget about 1986, when the Latin Lover collided with the punk and the pastor’s daughter on a Seoul summer camp for overseas Korean youth to discover their roots. And by roots, we mean soju, laughs, and that weird science of young love.

SUN 11/08 6:00p ULTRA

CENTERPIECE

GETTINGINTIMATEWITHDR.KEN

60’

Join us for a probing, awkwardly intimate conversa-tion with everyone’s favorite doctor-turned-comedian Ken Jeong, star of Community, the Hangover films, and the new ABC sitcom Dr. Ken.

SAT 11/07 3:10p ULTRA

PANELDISCUSSION

DIGITALPIONEER:BUZZFEED

60’

The website BuzzFeed has become not only one of the most formidable presences on the internet, but also one of the most significant platforms for Asian American artists. We welcome BuzzFeed producer and performer Eugene Lee Yang to talk about Buzz-Feed Motion Pictures, changing demographics, and new opportunities for filmmakers.

THESEASONOFSEX+POLITICS

In the annals of the Japanese New Wave, Kiju Yoshida is one of the most towering, but also one of the lesser known. Join us for a special tribute to the radical director and his equally-legendary actress Mariko Okada, who will both be present for screenings of two rare classics on 35mm: EROS + MASSACRE (1969) and COUP D’ETAT (1973).

FRI 11/06 5:00p UCSD

EROS + MASSACRE WED 11/11 6:30p MOPA

COUP D'ETAT THURS 11/12 6:30p MOPA

PANELDISCUSSION

MADEINJAPAN

JOSH BISHOP / USA, JAPAN / 2015 / 90’

Howdy neighbors! So says Tomi Fujiyama to her friends in the U.S. who are about to discover just what kind of neighbor she is. With cowboy hat and guitar, she’s determined to re-take the Grand Ole Opry stage, where in 1964, she became the country music institution’s first Japanese star.

FRI 11/13 7:00p MCASD

CLOSINGNIGHT

TYRUS

PAMELA TOM / USA / 2015 / 72’

You may not have heard of Tyrus Wong, but you’ve seen his work in classic films like Bambi and Rebel Without a Cause. This enchanting documentary follows the Chinese American pioneer from his art school beginnings during the Depression to his years as a production illustrator leaving indelible brushstrokes on Hollywood history.


LIFETIMEACHIEVEMENTAWARDHONOREE

WED 11/11 4:00p ULTRA

RADHERADHE:RITESOFHOLI

PRASHANT BHARGAVA / USA, INDIA / 2013 / 35’

The peerless Prashant Bhargava was only 42 when he passed away this May. We pay tribute to him with one of his final works, a short celebration of vitality in spirituality, chaos, color, and dance, and a celebration of spring in collaboration with jazz luminary Vijay Iyer.TRIBUTETO

PRASHANTBHARGAVA

SPECIALPRESENTATIONS

FOCUSONKIJUYOSHIDA

#SDAFF2015

10 11ASIAN AMERICAN PANORAMA

CRUSHTHESKULL

VIET NGUYEN / USA / 2015 / 83’

Chris Dinh and Katie Savoy are in love, but they need fast cash. Luckily, they’re professional thieves. Unluckily, they break into a house with no exit and no cell phone reception and no explanation for the torture pit they discover there. Luckily for us, their hapless misadventures are sheer comic gold.

FRI 11/06 9:05p ULTRA

FEMALEPERVERT

JIYOUNG LEE / USA / 2015 / 62’

Jiyoung Lee is back and the sleaze is as bemused and awkward as ever! This time we follow Phoebe, designer of video games of unappreciated genius and the lone champion of casual, mundane perver-sion, as she surveys the manscape while throwing shade at its petty intellectualism. Hilarious, screwy, enchanting.


THEGRIEFOFOTHERS

PATRICK WANG / USA / 2015 / 103’

A death in the family paralyzes but also reveals connections and their consequences, especially upon the unexpected arrival of a visitor. With an exquisite condolence wrapped in loving humor and an active style that envelops and hugs, director Patrick Wang unites characters and audiences in a fertile grief that belongs to all.

TUES 11/10 8:40p ULTRA

The best of Asian American cinema in all of its colors – from short film programs and

animation, to documentaries about the famous and infamous, to feature-length tales

of woe and humor.

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IHAVESEENMYLASTBORN

SAMUEL GRAY ANDERSON, LEE ISAAC CHUNG / USA, RWANDA / 2015 / 79’

This affecting documentary follows Rwandan film-maker Jean Kwezi and his commitment to building a relationship with a teenage daughter he abandoned years ago. With a spirit of openness and responsibil-ity, Jean and the filmmakers emanate hope, regret, and love for family.

IT’SALREADYTOMORROWINHONGKONG

EMILY TING / USA, HONG KONG / 2015 / 79’

Real-life couple Jamie Chung and Bryan Green-berg play Americans finding their ways in the streets of Hong Kong – only to find themselves in a precarious web of flirtation. Emily Ting’s debut breezily captures expats’ now-whats and what-ifs in a sparkling Hong Kong.



ASIANAMERICANPANORAMA


CHANGINGSEASON:ONTHEMASUMOTOFAMILYFARM

JIM CHOI / USA / 2015 / 57’

Nothing is forever, and certainly not on the Masu-moto family farm. Despite the peach farm’s renown, age and a depleting water table threaten its longev-ity. Enter Nikko: daughter, hapa, queer, and person-ification of the farm’s changing season as well as its enduring spirit.


#SDAFF2015

12 13

MISSINGPEOPLE

DAVID SHAPIRO / USA / 2015 / 81’

Decades after her brother’s unsolved murder, Fili-pino American art gallery director Martina Batan becomes strangely obsessed with the violent work of a black New Orleans artist. A trip to the artist’s hometown sparks questions of cultural appropria-tion and the dual demons that have brought these worlds together.

OFFTHEMENU:ASIANAMERICA

GRACE LEE / USA / 2015 / 56’

Asians. Taking Pictures. Of food. Add documentarian Grace Lee to that list and you get more than delecta-ble soft-focus close-ups, but also fascinating portraits of Asian Americans and their relationships with the meals they cook, serve, eat, and sell, from Hawaii to Texas to Oak Creek, Wisconsin.

OPERATIONPOPCORN

DAVID GRABIAS / USA / 2015 / 81’

After fleeing Laos as refugees, a squadron of mili-tary-minded Hmong men in California plot to stage a coup in their embittered homeland with the help of the US government and its AK-47s. Filled with wily characters and pixelated evidence, this is both a documentary about secret wars and an edge-of-your-seat mystery.

OUTOFMYHAND

TAKESHI FUKUNAGA / USA, LIBERIA / 2015 / 88’

When Cisco and his fellow rubber workers go on strike, it feels both inevitable and insufficient. When he turns instead to driving a cab in New York City, he’s still haunted by the same forces of captivity. Takeshi Fukunaga’s stirring tale of tenacity is an essential portrait of a transnational Liberia.

ASIAN AMERICAN PANORAMA


SAT 11/14 3:20p PALOMA



REELVOICES

USA / 2015 / 120’

Twelve high school students from San Diego create documentaries based on subjects in their own lives.


REUNIFICATION

ALVIN TSANG / USA, HONG KONG / 2015 / 85’

In the early 1980s, Alvin’s family decided to move from Hong Kong to the United States. His mom and sister went first. But when he and his dad arrived a few years later, Alvin discovered that his family could never be the same again.


MON 11/09 7:00p UCSD

SHORTS:ALL-STARSONLY

72'

It’s shirts vs. skins in this feisty set of shorts about the unexpected superstars of music and sports.


SHORTS:ANIMATION:THEILLUSIONOFLIFE

78'

The magic of animation comes alive in this collection of short films.



#SDAFF2015


14 15ASIAN AMERICAN PANORAMA

SHORTS:FREESAMPLES

87’

Everyone likes free samples. Whet your appetite on this assortment of flavors, emotions, and the best things in life.


SHORTS:MOMMYQUEEREST

104’

From mama drama and a possessed phone to an off-the-rails dinner party, the queer life sometimes veers over the top.


SHORTS:TALKINGBACK

99’

Filmmakers turn their cameras on their parents and grandparents, inciting conversation, chas-ing tough memories, and refusing the paralysis of silence.

MON 11/09 6:40p ULTRA

SOMEONEELSE

NELSON KIM / USA / 2015 / 72’

A law internship brings the studious Jamie to New York City, but it’s the seduction of women and night-life that really commands his attention. Or is it? Nelson Kim’s sinuous drama of doubles and family rivalries tackles expectations of good and bad Korean American men with twisty glee.


THEREISANEWWORLDSOMEWHERE

LI LU / USA / 2015 / 103’

Stuck in a dead-end arts job, Sylvia escapes with a handsome stranger who invites her on a road trip through the Deep South. An adventure of romance, risk, and validation, Li Lu’s debut feature tantalizes with the deeply-felt charge of a woman taking bold strides to define her own future.


THEWINNINGGIRL

KIMBERLEE BASSFORD / USA / 2014 / 68’

16-year-old Teshya is a 125-pound judo and wrestling champion who dreams to be world champion. But her journey, followed across four years in this sensitive documentary, shows the physical and economic costs for a tenacious teen and her supportive family in Hawaii.

THURS 11/12 6:10p ULTRA

SHORTS:DRUNKINL0VE

98’

In these shorts, getting home while under the influence of love is going to take some unusual maneuvering.


#SDAFF2015

SHORTS:DEARLYDEPARTING

90'

Road trips and journeys home bring family together and pave the paths for self-discovery.



16 17ASIA POP!

Films to make you laugh, cry, and cheer, featuring Korean hotties, badminton

buddies, imperial intrigue, cute kindergartners, and women you do not want to

mess with.

THEDARKHORSE

JAMES NAPIER ROBERTSON / NEW ZEALAND / 2014 / 124’

Whale Rider’s Cliff Curtis stars as Maori chess legend Genesis Potini, an outsider in life who nonetheless stands up for underprivileged youth by creating opportunities for them through chess. Based on a true story, this raw and inspiring drama stokes passion that transcends class and disease.

DEADMANINFERNO

HIROSHI SHINAGAWA / JAPAN / 2015 / 108’

A crew of washed-up yakuza are about to hang up their coats until ZOMBIES ATTACK!! With the help of a high-kicking daughter, a reggae-loving fisherman, a questionable cop, and absolutely zero help from the authorities, they rediscover their calling in Japan’s most pitch-perfect horror-comedy in years.

COINLOCKERGIRL

HAN JUN-HEE / S. KOREA / 2015 / 110’

Dickens meets Godfather when Il-Young, abandoned in a coin locker as a baby, grows up as a fierce daugh-ter in a family of loan sharks. But teenage rebellion turns deadly when she starts to battle her adopted mother, the intimidating, coiffed-for-murder matron of the Chinatown underworld.

THEBEAUTYINSIDE

BAEK JONG-YEOL / S. KOREA / 2015 / 127’

Imagine waking up every morning with a different face. Now imagine falling in love with somebody, only to know that their first impression will be the last. In the grand tradition of Korean romantic fantasy, THE BEAUTY INSIDE turns this premise into a lush exploration of amorous and cinematic surfaces.








FULLSTRIKE

DEREK KWOK, HENRI WONG / HONG KONG / 2015 / 108’

A down-and-out ex-badminton champ shakes off her shuttlecock to reclaim her family honor from a trio of conniving thieves. Only in Hong Kong can this sports redemption tale play out with the lunacy of a thriller and the hysterical charms of a goofy comedy.



ASIAPOP!

GOAWAYMR.TUMOR

HAN YAN / CHINA / 2015 / 128’

A plucky 30-year-old artist is hospitalized, but while friends fret about her health, she finds herself pleas-antly distracted by her gorgeous doctor played by Daniel Wu. Gracefully personifying the manic spirit and emotion of the original web comic, actress Bai Baihe proves why she’s China’s new box office queen.




#SDAFF2015

18 19ASIA POP!

TWENTY

LEE BYEONG-HEON / S.KOREA / 2015 / 115’

Three buds may be entering their twenties, but they are by no means men, at least as evidenced by their skirt-chasing and general shirking of responsibility. But the circling women force them into adulthood, a ride fuelled by soju, awkward laughter, and above all, a bond to survive any decade.



THEROYALTAILOR

LEE WON-SUK / S. KOREA / 2014 / 127’

Court politics get tangled in this farce about an emperor, his personal tailor, and a cocksure young designer who has wild ideas about fashion, spinning the city asunder. From one of Korea’s best comedy directors comes sexy period intrigue with a distinctly modern twist.


SHORTSFORSHORTIES!

USA, TAIWAN, INDIA, JAPAN, SOUTH KOREA / 45’

Kid-friendly animated and live-action short films about resilience, childhood, acceptance, and friendship.

SAT 11/07 11:00a ULTRA

OBONBROTHERS

AKIRA OSAKI / JAPAN / 2015 / 107’

A struggling director moves in with his sick brother after his wife’s divorce threats send him packing. On top of that: a forced double-date that’s no good for anybody. But in honor of the follies of fate, OBON BROTHERS spins calamity into gentle observation and wry, cool comedy.



LITTLEBIGMASTER

ADRIAN KWAN / HONG KONG / 2015 / 112’

Miriam Yeung plays a star school principal who can get any job she wants, but opts instead to save a struggling kindergarten from closing on its five students. With uncommon sincerity and a moun-tain of cuteness, this family-friendly Hong Kong hit fights class inequality with the fervor of principle.



LORNA

SIGRID ANDREA BERNARDO / PHILIPPINES / 2014 / 124’

Lorna, 60, has men in her midst: the ex-husband, the smooth-talker, the overseas boyfriend, the rock star with a stoned smile. Love should come easy, but as Lorna quickly learns, it doesn’t get easier with age. Shamaine Buencamino and Lav Diaz steal the show in this retro, dashing comedy..




THELASTREEL

SOTHO KULIKAR / CAMBODIA / 2014 / 105’

The rebellious Sophoun is milling about a crumbling movie theater when something catches her eye: a picture of her mother from decades ago. Digging into her mom’s history unearths an entire catalogue of glamour from the golden years of Cambodian cinema, inspiring Sophoun to bring the past back to life.



#SDAFF2015

WEAREFAMILY

JIM WANG / TAIWAN / 2015 / 107'

Three slacker roommates who can barely take care of themselves are put to the test when an old friend arrives with a baby, a wad of cash, and a plea for help. Now, the trio must get creative to keep the crying baby happy and secret from prying eyes.

SAT 11/07 1:00p UCSD

ASIAPOP!

20

21ASIA POP!

THEWONDERFULWEDDING

HUANG CHAO-LIANG / TAIWAN / 2015 / 104’

A cranky Taiwanese dad gets the dreaded news that his precious daughter is marrying a mainlander, setting off a cross-cultural comedy of reluctant in-laws and pre-marital hijinks. Fuelled by love and a sense of fun, this box-office hit impressively balances genuine anxiety with straight-up silliness, a fitting allegory for cross-straits relations.

FRI 11/06 7:00p UCSD


ZINNIAFLOWER

TOM SHU-YU LIN / TAIWAN / 2015 / 96’

They say it takes 100 days to mourn a death. Director Tom Lin, who made the gripping ZINNIA FLOWER to cope with his wife’s own passing, gifts us the story of two strangers who lose their loved ones in a car crash and discover that mourning takes more than time, but an unexpected, liberating journey of solitude.



WONDERFULNIGHTMARE

KANG HYO-JIN / S. KOREA / 2015 / 123’

In this touching comedic fantasy, the city’s top attor-ney dies in an accident, but is given a second chance at life if she can trade places with an ordinary mother for one month. Leave it to actress Uhm Jung-hwa to take no prisoners – even when locked-up in her own suburban cell.



#SDAFF2015

ASIAPOP!

22 23MASTERS

THECASEOFHANA&ALICE

SHUNJI IWAI / JAPAN / 2015 / 100’

In this animated prequel to Shunji Iwai’s 2004 hit, we find out that the titular high schoolers first met when they whimsically started looking into the famed murder surrounding a classmate. Their amateur sleuthing becomes a teenage dance of friendship, illuminated by the gentle hues of youth.

LALALAATROCKBOTTOM

YAMASHITA NOBUHIRO / JAPAN / 2015 / 103’

An amnesiac awakens knowing nothing about himself except that he can sing! His process of self-discovery, enabled by an ambitious teen at a recording studio, brings him face-to-face with buried demons and a talent that can lift him to redemption. From the director of Linda Linda Linda.

Fresh from Cannes, Berlin, and other prestigious international film festivals, these are

premieres and rediscoveries of works by the world’s best directors.

AN

NAOMI KAWASE / JAPAN / 2015 / 113’’

A pastry chef gets an unusual applicant to be his assistant: a 76-year-old woman with a special mastery of the red-bean filling for his pancake confections. But with the secret recipe comes secrets about the woman’s background, and the chef is brought to rethink his inspiration.

THEASSASSIN

HOU HSIAO-HSIEN / TAIWAN / 2015 / 104’

The great Hou Hsiao-hsien’s long-awaited martial arts adaptation is a masterpiece of the wuxia spirit. An assassin is ordered to kill her cousin but then scales away from a life of violence. Intricately ordered and immaculately detailed, but always profoundly naturalistic, Hou stuns with a treatise on beauty and justice that is beyond words.




SUN 11/08 4:15p UCSD


CEMETERYOFSPLENDOUR

APICHATPONG WEERASETHAKUL / THAILAND / 2015 / 122’

Apichatpong Weerasethakul casts another spell on his characters and audience, this time watching over a hospital full of soldiers with a mysterious sleeping sickness. Past worlds – a school, ancient ruins – animate strange states of longing and dreams held in suspension..



FLOWERSOFTAIPEI:TAIWANNEWCINEMA

HSIEH CHINLIN / TAIWAN / 2014 / 109’

Some of the world’s most famous directors and curators debate, reminisce, and celebrate “Taiwan New Cinema,” the film movement that reshaped cultural dialogue in 1980s Taiwan and introduced groundbreaking new talents like Hou Hsiao-hsien and Edward Yang.




MASTERS


Pacific Arts Movement Holland America Line is proud to support

#SDAFF2015

24 25MASTERS

THANATOS,DRUNK

CHANG TSO-CHI / TAIWAN / 2015 / 106’

The aptly-named Rat crawls through a subcultural, emotionally subterranean world left to him by an alcoholic mother and shared with a brother who has just returned from the United States. Chang Tso-chi’s despairing, shockingly-felt drama plays like a woozy dream interrupted by bouts of emotional acuity.



THEWHISPERINGSTAR

SION SONO / JAPAN / 2015 / 100’

A delivery-robot travels from planet to planet drop-ping off packages for human clients. Perched behind her intergalactic console, she starts to wonder about the worlds of humans, so far apart in space, so far away in each other’s memories.



NONOSLEEP

TSAI MING-LIANG / TAIWAN, JAPAN, CHINA, HONG KONG / 2015 / 35’

Tsai Ming-liang’s walker drifts from the Tokyo streets into the lush quiet of a bath house. No one truly sleeps alone under Tsai’s somnambulistic spells. Preceded by Midi Z’s immigrant dream dance THE PALACE ON THE SEA.

OFFICE

JOHNNIE TO / CHINA, HONG KONG / 2015 / 117’

Megastars Chow Yun-fat and Sylvia Chang engage in power-plays, sideline deals, and other dubious games of high finance. In any other hands, this would be a routine takedown of corruption. In John-nie To’s, it’s a high-flying musical with pop stars and living legends spinning corporate intrigue to dizzying heights.

TAXI

JAFAR PANAHI / IRAN / 2015 / 82’

Jafar Panahi’s third film while banned from film-making is a shocker of unwavering mastery. With an almost cheeky love of the camera, Panahi mounts several camcorders in a taxi he drives around town, interacting with passengers and brazenly putting to the test the ethics of cinema in urban Iran.





MASTERS

MOUNTAINSMAYDEPART

JIA ZHANG-KE / CHINA / 2015 / 131’

A poignant epic spanning decades and continents, Jia Zhang-ke’s latest masterpiece follows a love triangle from its dance-infused beginnings to its jet-set millennial melancholy. Jia explores China’s past, present, and future as only he can: with a canto-pop heart and a bleeding love for ordinary people strewn apart.



LOVE&PEACE

SION SONO / JAPAN / 2015 / 117’

From the warped mind of Sion Sono comes one of his most entertaining films to date. An office nerd has glam-rock dreams but only his pet turtle gives him any encouragement. Things blow up (literally) when a magic spell turns the sewers and the city into a musical fantasy-world.



#SDAFF2015

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SNAKESKIN

DANIEL HUI / SINGAPORE, PORTUGAL / 2014 / 105’

In 2066, the remaining member of a cult looks back on its history when he discovers film footage of its pre-founding in 2014. Altogether strange and death-defying, this is an alternative history of Singapore told from the future, showing racial and cultural fault lines manifesting as a nation’s ghosts-in-the-making.

From Asia’s most innovative and thought-provoking filmmakers come new stories

and new ways of telling them.

BEINGGOOD

MIPO O / JAPAN / 2015 / 121’

A teacher has about had it with his rowdy students. A mother realizes she hasn’t a clue on how to discipline her young daughter. Director Mipo O captures the anxiousness of childcare with paralyzing effect, but also a realist’s take on adults’ desires – even incli-nations – for doing the right thing.



HAPPYHOUR

RYUSUKE HAMAGUCHI / JAPAN / 2015 / 317’

The precious balance holding together four best friends is tested when one announces that she will be divorcing her husband. With a grandeur and detail afforded by its running time, HAPPY HOUR explores that balance through a feat of fortitude and the poise of simply “being there” between friends.



ATOMICHEART

ALI AHMADZADEH / IRAN / 2015 / 93’

Decked out in dyed hair and rhapsodizing on life in their twenties, a pair of partiers cruise the Tehran streets and along the way encounter a chic old friend and a charmer with a devilish side. Without a doubt the most surreal new Iranian film is also the coolest.


THEKIDS

WEI-SHAN YU / TAIWAN / 2015 / 90’

Bao-Li and Jia-Jia meet in middle school and become forever connected in this remarkable debut by Sunny Yu, who structures her document of youth as a mystery with overlapping revelations. As money problems, the pressure of family, and the seduction of redemption mount, so does the film’s willful sympathy.


THEMASTER

NAWAPOL THAMRONGRATTANARIT / THAILAND / 2014 / 80’

Thai filmmakers and critics reminisce on the neatly-kept corner stall of a bustling market, where in the 1990s, a shadowy entrepreneur sold lovingly-smuggled works of world cinema on VHS, and inadvertently transformed the face of Thai cinema forever.




DISCOVERIES

DISCOVERIES

SNOWPATHS

KIM HEE-JUNG / S. KOREA / 2015 / 100’

An alcoholic checks into a forest convent for rehabili-tation, but has an icy relationship with the nuns – that is, until he meets one with an other-worldly obliga-tion to him. Their connection is just one of many enigmas in a film blurring religious and secular, burning passion and the cold of winter.


SWAP

REMTON ZUASOLA / PHILIPPINES / 2015 / 96’

Staged in a magnificent single take while zipping in time and shifting breathlessly across locations, SWAP follows a young couple as they confront the unimaginable: the kidnapping of their son. The film’s theatrics foreground a thrilling game of cat-and-mouse, while the ghosts of social upheaval loom behind the curtains.


#SDAFF2015

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Without a Heart, it’s just a machine.So in 1971, a little heart built a different kind of airline—one that

made sure everyone could fly.

Everyone has important places to go. So we invented low-fares to

help them get there.

To us, you’re not 1A or 17B. You’re a person with a name, like Steve.

Here, we think everyone deserves to feel special, no matter where you

sit or how much you fly.

And with all the places we’re going next, we’ll always put you first,

because our love of People is still our most powerful fuel.

Some say we do things differently.

We say, why would we do things any other way?

Without a Heart, it’s just a machine.

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You are part of agreater community

©2015 MUFG Union Bank, N.A. All rights reserved. Member FDIC. Union Bank is a registered trademark and brand name of MUFG Union Bank, N.A.

Union Bank® believes in the power of partnerships. That’s why we partner with communities and organizations to make a positive di� erence in the places where we work and live. To us, building a strong community is the most valuable investment of all.

Union Bank is proud to sponsor the San Diego Asian Film Festival.

unionbank.com

Celebrating 150 years

Making Health Care Better for Everyone

California Schools VEBA proudly supports the Pacific Arts Movement and the . . .

16th annual SAN DIEGO ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL

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FDV_Promo Card_2.4x3.5.pdf 1 9/4/15 9:56 AM

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Proudly supports the Pacific Arts Movement and the . . .

SAN DIEGO ASIAN FILM FESTIVALNOVEMBER 5-14, 2015

PRINT AD - McGREGOR.indd 1 8/13/2015 4:02:23 PM

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oct. 21, 7 pm

CALLITHUMPIAN CONSORT nov. 20, 7 pm

STEPHANIE RICHARDS nov. 24, 7 pm

RED FISH BLUE FISHconrad prebys concert hall

nov. 14-21

IONESCO’S RHINOCÉROS nov. 18-21

WAR OF THE WORLDSnov. 28-dec. 5

CHEKHOV’S THE CHERRY ORCHARD joan and irwin jacobs theatre district

percussionist ross karreuc san diego alumnusvisual arts & music

department of theatre & dancetheatre.ucsd.edu

department of musicmusic.ucsd.edu

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34 #SDAFF2015

ABOUTPACIFICARTSMOVEMENTOur mission is to present Pan Asian media arts for San Diego residents and visitors in order to

inspire, entertain and support a more compassionate society.

OURPROGRAMSFrom our award-winning high school documentary program Reel Voices, to Youth Day, bringing

artists to schools, and internships, we are dedicated to nurturing a new generation of creative

leaders. We share powerful stories with audiences year-round through the San Diego Asian Film

Festival, Spring Showcase, Spotlight Screenings, Outdoor Screenings, and Film Forums.

MOVING PICTURES, MOVING MINDS

WewelcomeyoutojointheMOVEMENTinawaythat'smeaningfultoyou!www.pacarts.org • [email protected] • 619.400.5911

34 SDAFF16

BECOMEAMEMBERMOVING PICTURES, MOVING MINDS

34

As a non-profit organization, we rely on the support of sponsors, grants, donors, and members to fulfill our mission.

YOUTHDAY: A free day of youth-oriented film screenings to culturally educate, enlighten, and enhance students’ film literacy skills.

SPRINGSHOWCASE,COMINGAPRIL2016: An 8-day presentation of the best of Asian and Asian American cinema on the other side of the calendar year.

REELVOICES: A 12-week spring and summer documentary program training local high school students to become socially conscious digital storytellers.

OUTDOORCINEMA: We take movies to the great outdoors throughout San Diego County.

FILMFORUM: For Pacific Arts Movement members interested in learning how to watch film with a critical eye.

Becomeamemberorrenewonlineatpacarts.org/membershipContactMembership Manager VICTORIA MCKELLIPS at [email protected] or 619.499.5910

STUDENT/SENIOR/MILITARY (must show ID) $40 • Invitation to FREE Members-only events• Discounts on Tickets, Passes and Merchandise

FRIEND $60 • Invitation to FREE Members-only events• Discounts on Tickets, Passes and Merchandise• Two (2) vouchers to year-round screenings

DONOR $100• FriendLevelbenefits• Recognition as a member in the Festival Booklet*• Two (2) ticket additional vouchers to year-round screenings

SUPPORTER $250 • DonorLevelbenefits•One (1) Asian Film Festival All-Fest Pass

PATRON $500 • DonorLevelbenefits• Two (2) Asian Film Festival All-Festival Passes• Two (2) 2015 Asian Film Festival T-shirts

PRODUCER $1,000 • PatronLevelbenefits• Two (2) Standard Seats to the Awards Gala*

DIDYOUKNOW that members get discounted tickets and exclusive invitations to screenings and events? Your membership allows us to bring the world’s best cinema to San Diego, and it helps sustain our year-round programs and operations. As a 501 (c) (3), memberships are partially tax-deductible.

BENEFACTOR $2,500 • ProducerLevelbenefits•One (1) Spring Showcase All-Access Pass

DIRECTOR $5,000 • ProducerLevelbenefits• Two (2) Spring Showcase All-Access Passes

LEGACY $10,000• ProducerLevelbenefitsfor15years• PriorityandReservedticketingforyear-roundscreenings• Recognition in our 2015 Festival program booklet & website

CORPORATE $1,000• Company logo on website• Facebookmention(10,000+followers)• Company logo on a group page in the 2015 Film Festival

program book• SpaceforyourbusinesscollateralonourCorporate

member table at SDAFF• 20Voucherstobeusedforfilmscreeningsthroughout

the year

*ready in November

C0NNECT WITH US!

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DEADMAN INFERNO pg 16 MADE IN JAPAN pg 8

LOVE & PEACE pg 24 ATOMIC HEART pg 26

SHORTS: ALL-STARS ONLY pg 13 MOUNTAINS MAY DEPART pg 24

SNOW PATHS pg 27IT’S ALREADY TOMORROW IN HONG KONG pg 11

The ASSASSIN pg 22RADHE RADHE: RITES OF HOLI pg 11

WONDERFUL NIGHTMARE pg 19TWENTY pg 19

www.pacarts.org

/SDAsianFilm

@PacArtsMovement

@PacArtsMovement

#SDAFF2015

2015 San Diego Asian Film Festival mini-guide

Documents

Transcript of 2015 San Diego Asian Film Festival mini-guide