CAAM Annual Report 2008 - 2009

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COV E R I M AG E C R E D I TS :LEFT TO RIGHT

Filmmaker Ang Lee (photo by Albert Chau)

FORGOTTEN WOMAN24 CITYTREELESS MOUNTAINTHE MOSQUE IN MORGANTOWNScreenwriter Alex Tse (photo by Albert Chau)

ADELA

I N S I D E COV E R I M AG E C R E D I T:FRUIT FLY cast at the Castro Theatre

The Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) is a non-profit organization dedicated to

presenting stories that convey the richness and diversity of Asian American experiences

to the broadest audience possible. We do this by funding, producing, distributing and

exhibiting works in film, television and digital media.

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TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S

2 FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND BOARD CHAIR

3 BOARD + STAFF

4 A CONVERSATION WITH DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL MEDIA MICHELLA RIVERA-GRAVAGE

6 CAAM SUPPORTS A NEW GENERATION OF ASIAN AMERICAN MEDIA MAKERS

7 CAAM PROJECTS 2008-2009

9 29 YEARS OF POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT BOTH PERSONAL AND GLOBAL

10 HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 27TH SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL ASIAN AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL

12 FINANCIAL SNAPSHOT

14 THANK YOU TO OUR SUPPORTERS

D E A R F R I E N D S ,Greetings and welcome to our 2008/2009 Annual Report! 2008/2009 was in several ways a remarkable year for us at the Center for Asian American Media, characterized by challenges, achievements, and above all, a reinvigorated commitment to our mission of presenting rich and diverse stories of Asian American experiences to the broadest audience possible.

As an organization premised on diversity, the election of Barack Obama as our President carried deep meaning for us. The makeup of America is dramatically shifting (in both demographic and symbolic ways), and theimportance of diversity as a core asset of America is being recognized more than ever before. We are hopeful and optimistic about the future as we witnessed the way younger generations became empowered by the election through social media and cultural activism in their communities. The commitment to embrace diversity as a core principle of our work requiresthat we engage more deeply with its complexity and provide America’syounger and more ethnically diverse audiences with rich and relevant content.

As the promise of America’s diversity has been reaffirmed by the recent general election, so too has the interconnectedness that we all share with the rest of the world in social, economic, environmental and cultural arenas. If there is a constant to this time of change, perhaps it’s simply that we look to our artists and storytellers to make sense of chaos, to remind us of wherewe’ve come from, and to chart the directions in which we’re headed.

Sincerely,

CAAM has always been committed to representing the diversity of AsianAmerican communities from some of the longest standing like the Chineseand Japanese Americans to the newer immigrant communities fromSoutheast Asia. Furthermore, CAAM strives to fund and present works thatbroaden perspectives of what it means to be Asian American. It is work suchas National Emmy Award winning SENTENCED HOME and Academy Awardnominated NERAKHOON: THE BETRAYAL, both funded by CAAM, wherevital Asian American stories can be told, recognized and heard within mediaand public broadcasting.

We invite you to look through this report and delve into CAAM’s many high-lights of the past year, including our successful 27th SFIAAFF, innovative digital media projects, our support of a new generation of Asian Americanmedia makers, Media Fund projects of compelling documentary films for pub-lic television, and our distribution service to schools and libraries nationwide.

For twenty-nine years, CAAM has worked to fund, produce, exhibit and distribute rich and diverse stories of Asian Americans, correct often distortedportrayals of them in mainstream media, and create opportunities for the fullparticipation of Asian American producers in public media. Looking ahead,there is still so much more to do. If you understand the importance of mediain shaping attitudes, opinions, and public policy and if you enjoy seeing filmsthat challenge the mainstream, join us and support a dynamic nonprofitorganization that is making a difference in the way that Asian Americans areseen and perceived. o

FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND BOARD CHAIR

Stephen Gong

E X E C U T I V E D I R E C TO R

Dipti Ghosh

B OA R D C H A I R

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C H A I R P R E S I D E N T Dipti GhoshV I C E C H A I R David LeiS E C R E TA R Y Johnnie GilesT R E A S U R E R Roger Kuo

John ChungGaurav DhillonLisa HsiaKen IkedaBill ImadaPhilomena KingGlenn OsakaSusie Jin PakParmila RamchandaniAnn Sung-RuckstuhlJean TsienFrance VianaMona Lisa Yuchengco

S T A F F

A D M I N I S T R AT I O N

E X E C U T I V E D I R E C T O R Stephen GongA D M I N I S T R AT I V E D I R E C T O R Kar Yin Tham

D I R E C T O R O F F I N A N C E Lui GonzalesO F F I C E M A N A G E R Nani Ratnawati

D E V E L O P M E N T

D I R E C T O R Rina MehtaM E M B E R S E R V I C E S & D O N AT I O N S M A N A G E R Shelly Kim

A S S O C I AT E Frances Pomperada

D I G I TA L M E D I A

D I R E C T O R Michella Rivera-GravageA S S I S TA N T Luis Mamayson

E D U C AT I O N A L D I S T R I B U T I O N

M A N A G E R Nicole TseA S S I S TA N T Misa Oyama

F I L M F E S T I VA L

D I R E C T O R Chi-hui YangA S S I S TA N T D I R E C T O R Vicci Ho

P R O G R A M & P U B L I C AT I O N S M A N A G E R Christine Kwon

M E D I A F U N D

D I R E C T O R Sapana SakyaA S S O C I AT E Ellen Park

P U B L I C B R O A D C A S T

D I R E C T O R O F P R O G R A M M I N G Donald Young

CAAM BOARD + STAFF



WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO GET INTO DIGITAL MEDIA?

In college at UC Berkeley, I developed a love for film and video, especially works that

grappled with themes of race, gender and sexuality. To learn more about storytelling

in different formats, I started working at the Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC).

At BAVC, I was inspired by the intersection of art and technology. So I decided to

go after my master’s - an MFA in Digital Art and New Media. While earning my MFA,

I focused on social media by creating transmedia projects that were multi-vocal

and required community participation in order to be successful.

WHAT DO YOU FEEL IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF DIGITAL MEDIA, AND HOW DO YOU FEEL IT IS SIGNIFICANT TO CAAM’S WORK?

I see several major changes in the creation and consumption of media that impacts

CAAM’s work. Social media, including online video sharing, has really changed

the game when it comes to distributing indie media. CAAM’s mission is to present

Asian American stories to the broadest audience possible so it is only natural that

we would employ digital media tools that enable us to distribute video online, connect

to our communities via social networks and tell stories across different media

platforms. Our audiences and public participants are already interacting with these

types of media. They are already using twitter to connect at events, watching video

on their phones and playing digital games. That is where we need to be, too. As

we’ve seen video tools become more and more accessible over the last twenty-nine

years, we're now seeing mobile media, game development and transmedia pathways

become more available to indie makers. CAAM needs to be on the forefront of these

media strategies so we can reach people, guide our filmmakers and collaborate with

new media producers.

A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, CAAM RECEIVED A GRANT FROM THE WALLACE FOUNDATION. WHAT DOES THE GRANT ENTAIL, AND WHY IS IT SIGNIFICANT TO CAAM’S WORK?

One of the foci of The Wallace Foundation is to increase arts participation. We

proposed a strategy to use new media to facilitate arts participation by specific ethnic

groups – Filipinos, mixed race Asian American, and South Asians. We wanted to

increase the number of participants from these groups at our Festival. So we

challenged ourselves to see if we could use targeted new media projects to outreach

and engage these communities. We wanted to foster different types of engagement

as well as channel that interaction into participation in our Festival. We selected

these groups because, despite having large populations in California and the Bay

Area specifically, they were underrepresented in our Festival.

I think one of the really important connections we are measuring is the one between

digital interaction and in-person interaction. Can one type of interaction encourage

the other? That’s something that the Wallace grant has helped us think about. It

also allowed us to realize that there are other types of engagement. Butts in seats

MICHELLA RIVERA-GRAVAGE

IS CAAM’S DIGITAL MEDIA DIRECTOR,

DEVELOPING NEW MEDIA PROJECTS AND

MANAGING WEB ASSETS, VIDEO CONTENT,

SOCIAL MEDIA, ASIANAMERICANMEDIA.ORG

AND HAPAS.US.

A CONVERSATION WITH MICHELLA RIVERA-GRAVAGE

BY FRANCES POMPERADA & MICHELLA RIVERA-GRAVAGE


is one type of engagement, but then there are other types of engagement we can have

with people that could be strictly online but still meaningful and educational. We are

discovering, too, the right mix of brick and mortar events and online activities like

watching videos, sharing photos, participating in a digital game, etc. We need to

serve our constituencies through different media as holistically and comprehensively

as possible.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE KEY PROJECTS OR INITIATIVES THATCAAM HAS DONE SO FAR? WHAT DO YOU THINK HAS BEENIMPORTANT IN ENGAGING CONSTITUENTS WITH CAAM’S WORK?

We’ve done a combination of small and big projects. Last year, we launched

HAPAS.US, a media-sharing site for multiracial Asian Americans. It is a space where

representation and identity is multi-vocal and dynamic, where participants can share

about the mixed race experience in whatever medium they are most comfortable.

We designed the site so that it is very easy for the user to create videos. We

wanted to make it easy for people to tell their own stories. We’ve also provided

tools for festival-goers to record and share their experiences at our Festival and

then shared these videos online.

In the past year, we have really grown and organized our content on the web. Online

video is a way for people to find out about us, to keep up with what we are doing if

they already know about us, and a dynamic way to promote CAAM. We are still

trying to figure that out – how valuable that experience is in terms of how people think

about issues and how it engages people with CAAM. We try to have all the online

assets connected so people can plug into what they are most comfortable with easily.

If they become fans on Facebook, they might follow us on Twitter, watch web videos

or sign up for HAPAS.US. We've actually been involved with social media for a long

time – four to five years. But we sort of hit the ground running in the last two years,

being more active on Facebook, Twitter and coming up with ideas to get people to join

us and participate in physical spaces. In the nonprofit context, we're doing really well.

FINALLY, ANY LAST WORDS ABOUT DIGITAL MEDIA?

I think we need to be visible and dynamic in the current media landscape. People’s

relationships to media have changed, and for us to stay vital, we need to be on top

of these changes. And I’m not just saying we need to know about the technology.

As a public media organization, we need to be able to use new media in ways that

fit our mission, which is, first and foremost, about presenting the stories of our

communities in a meaningful and substantial way. Right now, we are in a really

good position to think through what is powerful, effective storytelling in a new media

context. o

*Be sure to visit the CAAM Channel at www.asianamericanmedia.org to see our latest

innovative videos and digital media projects.

P H OTO BY JAY JAO


WITH ITS LANDMARK PROJECT THE PRINCESS OF NEBRASKA,CAAM ADDED A SIGNIFICANT NEW FACET TO ITS PRODUCTIONREPERTOIRE: NARRATIVE FEATURES. PRINCESS paired iconic director

Wayne Wang with a promising young cinematographer/director named Richard

Wong, best known for festival hit COLMA: THE MUSICAL. On COLMA, Wong worked

with composer/actor H.P. Mendoza, whom CAAM chose to write and direct its next

major feature production, FRUIT FLY, also a musical that would be shot by Wong.

Premiering at the 27th San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival,

FRUIT FLY is an unabashed love letter to San Francisco and a frenetic musical

celebration of 21st century multiculturalism: gay, straight, Filipino, white or - to use

two of the film’s more colorful terms - versatile bottom or fag hag. The film, which

features many CAAM staff members on both sides of the camera, confirms Mendoza

as one of the most unique voices in the indie cinematic landscape. It also reunites

him with COLMA’s lead actress and his longtime friend, L.A. Renigen, a worthy muse

for Mendoza and his irreverent aesthetic vision. When the two share the screen,

which they do quite often in FRUIT FLY, they demonstrate a genuinely loving rapport

that any director would dream about.

CAAM recently found a new platform for this rapport: LALA, a Mendoza-directed

series of shorts for the web and Comcast on Demand that is, above all, a showcase for

Renigen's boundless charisma. It is also an exploration of Asian cuisine, primarily

in and around Los Angeles, where Renigen now lives. Mendoza and producer E.S. Park,

who is CAAM's Media Fund Associate, join Renigen to sample foods as diverse as

stinky bean, jellyfish, beef liver sashimi, and Korean barbecue tacos. Boasting the

same whimsical playfulness that COLMA and FRUIT FLY radiate, LALA is a

celebration of a contemporary Asian American culture that honors tradition while

embracing experimentation and ethnic cross-pollination.

Asian cuisine also plays a prominent role in a series of documentaries that CAAM

produced for Comcast on Demand during APA Heritage month in 2009. They range

in subject from Chinese restaurants in Istanbul and South Africa to a Hawaiian

watercress farm and a treasured annual event in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district,

when the Asian Chefs Association hosts a dinner for hundreds of homeless people.

On the surface a collection of short comedic episodes, the CAAM original web series

ON THE CLOCK uses humor to spotlight creative Asian Americans and celebrate

culturally vibrant trends. One episode shows photographer RJ Lozada competing in

the Mr. Hyphen contest, while another follows a confused intern (ON THE CLOCK’s

protagonist) to a screening of the cult hit KAMIKAZE GIRLS, where he learns what

the term “Lolita” means to Japanese fashionistas.

Written, shot, edited, and starring CAAM staffers and interns, ON THE CLOCK

is testament to the tremendous creative energy found within the CAAM family.

Through its work producing web programming and larger projects such as FRUIT FLY,

CAAM is supporting and inspiring the next generation of Asian American media

makers, who are taking their cameras to depict and shape the world around them. o

CAAM SUPPORTS A NEW GENERATION OF ASIAN AMERICAN MEDIA MAKERS

BY JONATHAN L. KNAPP

H P M E N D OZ A P H OTO BY M U H A M M A D A S R A N U R

F R U I T F LY


A H E A D O F T H E M A J O R I T Y By Kimberlee Bassford

AHEAD OF THE MAJORITY is a one-hour documentarythat explores the life and times of the late U.S. Repre-sentative Patsy Takemoto Mink (1927-2002), the firstwoman of color in Congress anddriving force behind Title IX, the landmark legislation thatmandated genderequity in education.

BROADCAST 2009FESTIVAL 2009FUNDED 2008

A M O M E N T I N T I M EBy Ruby Yang

In the distant past, there was a moment in time whensix movie theaters in San Francisco’s Chinatown crystallized the memories, beliefs, sorrows, aspirations,and experience of Chinese immigrant families throughthe films they loved – from Cantonese opera toWesterns. These Chinese movies reduced elders to tears, challenged the young to find out how theycould be American and Chinese at the same time, and helped to bridge the gap between generations.

DISTRIBUTION 2009FUNDED 2003

A S O N G F O R O U R S E LV E SBy Tadashi Nakamura

During the 1970swhen Asians inAmerica were invisibleto the country, the late Chris Iijima’smusic provided thevoice and identity anentire generation hadbeen in search of.Through animated photographs, intimate home movies,archival footage and Chris’ own songs, this documentaryshows how Iijima’s music unleashed the contagiousenergy of the Asian American Movement with an unrelenting passion for social justice and a life well lived.

DISTRIBUTION 2009FESTIVAL 2008FUNDED 2008

A V I E W F R O M A G R A I N O F S A N DBy Meena Nanji

Told through the eyes of three Afghan women - a doctor,teacher and women’srights activist - thisdocumentary tells the story of how war,international interfer-ence and the rise ofreligious fundamental-ism has strippedAfghan women of rights and freedom. Together with rarely seen archivalfootage, their powerful stories provide illuminating con-text for Afghanistan’s current situation and the ongoingbattle women face to gain even basic human rights.

BROADCAST 2009FUNDED 2004, 2006

B O L I N AO 5 2 By Duc Nguyen

In 1988, a group of Vietnamese boat people attemptedto flee their country in search of freedom. Once at sea,the boat’s engine died leaving over 100 people strandedin the ocean. What happened next was an unbelievablestory of perseverance that changed the lives of the survivors forever.

BROADCAST 2009FUNDED 2006

D E L A N O M A N O N G S By Marrissa Aroy

DELANO MANONGS tells the unknownstory of a group of Filipino farm workers who toiledunder the yoke ofracism for decades,then rose up as oldmen to fight for fairwages and humane work conditions. The Manongs instigated one of the finest hours of the American labormovement, the Great Grape Strike of 1965, which led to the formation of the internationally recognized United Farm Workers Union and made Cesar Chavez a household name.


H I G H T E C H , LOW L I F E By Stephen Maing

HIGH TECH, LOW LIFE follows the evolution of a young vegetable seller into one of China’s first citizenreporters as he challenges the boundaries of free speechby reporting on China’s censored news stories. At 26, Zhou Shuguang - known to his internet community as Zola - helped mobilize thousands of supportersthroughout China, marking the beginning of his new life as a roving citizen reporter.

FUNDED 2009

H O L LY WO O D C H I N E S E By Arthur Dong

HOLLYWOODCHINESE is a captivating revelation on a little-knownchapter of cine-ma: the Chinesein American feature films.From the firstChinese film produced in 1916, to Ang Lee’s triumphant BROKEBACKMOUNTAIN almost a century later, HOLLYWOOD CHINESE brings together a fascinating portrait of actors, directors, writers, and iconic images to show how the Chinese have been imagined in movies.

BROADCAST 2009FUNDED 2001, 2005, 2006

H O U S E O F S U H By Iris Shim

The HOUSE OF SUH deconstructs the complex dynamics of a family torn apart. As the history of the Suh family unfolds, issues of cultural assimilation,gender inequity, traditional values and justice are examined, raising questions of guilt, innocence and the illusive gray area in between.

FUNDED 2009

K I P F U L B E C K : S E L E C T E D V I D E O S , VO LU M E S O N E & T WOBy Kip Fulbeck

Spanning over a decade of creative, thought-provoking,and humorous work, Kip Fulbeck’s two-volume shortfilm compilation addresses Hapa identity issues andAsian American media portrayals from many angles.Featuring a total of thirteen shorts, notable titles includeBANANA SPLIT, SOME QUESTIONS FOR 28 KISSES, and GAME OF DEATH among others.

DISTRIBUTION 2009

M A D E I N I N D I A By Rebecca Haimowitz & Vaishali Sinha

MADE IN INDIA is about the humanexperiences behindthe phenomena of “outsourcing” surrogate mothers to India. The filmlooks at couplesacross the US whose struggle with infertility has ledthem to seek a surrogate mother to carry their child and the surrogates who choose to carry their fetuses for a fee. What unfolds is a complicated clash of families in crisis, reproductive technology and out-sourcing played out across cultures and countries.

FUNDED 2009

N E W M U S L I M CO O L By Jennifer Maytorena Taylor

Puerto Rican-American rapperHamza Pérezpulled himselfout of drug dealing andstreet life andbecame aMuslim. Hemoved toPittsburgh’stough North Side to start a new religious community, rebuild hisshattered family and take his message of faith to otheryoung people through hard-hitting hip-hop music. NEW MUSLIM COOL takes viewers on Hamza’s ridethrough streets, slums and jail cells, following his spiritual journey to some surprising places in an America that never stops changing.


CAAM PROJECTS 2008 - 2009


N I N OY By Tom Coffman

The Philippines’Benigno Aquino,from a stance ofdefending constitu-tional governmentagainst martial law,was subjected toeight years in prison. In the process he evolved from a “Boy Wonder” politico into a deeply thoughtful andeffective practitioner of nonviolent resistance. At a time when the vast majority of people everywhere were saddled with dictatorships, he became the archetype for using nonviolence as the method for driving out national dictators and strengthening the cause of constitutional government.

FUNDED 2009

OA K PA R K S TO RY By Valerie Soe

OAK PARK STORYrecounts the journeysof three families whocome to live at a low-income apart-ment complex inOakland, California,encountering dailylife in America’sunderclass. Parents

raised their children amidst drug dealing, gang violenceand prostitution. Yet their worst problem was their land-lord, who raised rents even when El Nino rains floodedtheir units. They join forces to sue their landlord and the film follows their struggle for justice.

FUNDED 2009

O N E I N A B I L L I O NBy Geeta Patel

ONE IN A BILLION humanizes the common and quietstruggle of millions of first-generation Americans whostruggle with the idea of not marrying within one’s traditional religion and culture. The film takes us inside the world of the Indian-American semi-arranged marriage industry and addresses questions at the heartof the American immigrant experience: is ‘cultural sameness’ a prerequisite to a good marriage, cultural preservation, and true love?

Funded 2009

R O OT S I N WAT E RBy Stuart Yamane

The Sumida watercress farm in Hawai’i is a multi-generational organicfarm that steadfastlyrefused to give up their values or busi-ness. For owner DavidSumida, it’s also hometo his punk musicianalter ego ‘Beano Shots.’ ROOTS IN WATER is a warmand touching personal story that covers family, identity, land use, green farming, and sustainability issues.

DISTRIBUTION 2009

S O M A G I R L S By Nandini Sikand

SOMA GIRLS is a half-hour documentary short whichexplores the lives of several girls (ages 6 to 17) who livein a home in Kolkata, India. Their mothers live and workin Kalighat, one of the largest red light districts in thecity. Each girl is painfully aware of their individual circumstances but yetthey play, dance andstudy and speak of wanting to grow up, tobecome independent andfind a way to get theirmothers out of the trade.

FUNDED 2008, 2009

T H E B E T R AYA L ( N e ra k h o o n ) By Ellen Kuras & Thavisouk Phrasavath

Filmed over 23 years, THE BETRAYAL is the AcademyAward®-nominated directorial debut of renowned cinematographer Ellen Kuras in a unique collaborationwith the film’s subject and co-director, Thavisouk(“Thavi”) Phrasavath. After the U.S. government waged a secret war in Laos during the Vietnam War, Thavi'sfather and thousands of other Laotians who had foughtalongside American forces were abandoned and left toface imprisonment or execution. Hoping to find safety,Thavi’s family made a harrowing escape to America,where they discovered a different kind of war.


T H E G O L D E N S P I K EBy Amy Y. Chan & Jim Choi

Although over10,000 Chineseimmigrantshelped build the western half of theTranscontinentalRailroad, theircrucial contribu-tion was largelyoverlooked for almost a century. The story of these forgotten workers is told with photographs, paintings,and political cartoons from the period. Even thoughthese workers were absent from the famous photographof the completion of the railroad at Promontory Summit,their strength and courage are clear from what theyaccomplished.

FUNDED 2005DISTRIBUTION 2009

T H E M O S Q U E I N M O R G A N TOW N By Brittany Huckabee

A small university town in West Virginia becomes theunlikely battleground for the soul of Islam in Americawhen Asra Nomani fights for the right of women to pray alongside men in the local mosque. THE MOSQUEIN MORGANTOWN is a thoughtful, even-handed documentary about a community struggling with change while trying to hold itself together.


T H E T I M E I S R I G H T F O R M E EBy Foung Heu

In January of 2002, Mee Moua became the first Hmong American to be elected to a statewide political office for the first time in United States history. This documentary details Moua’s historic and whirlwind campaign to become Minnesota State Senator as she navigates a competitive political field and mobilizes her immigrant Hmong community to become registered voters, all the while involving everyone in the great American political process.

DISTRIBUTION 2009FUNDED 2002

W I N G S O F D E F E ATBy Risa Morimoto & Linda Hoaglund

What were Japanese Kamikazes thinking just beforecrashing into their targets? When Risa Morimoto

discovered that her beloved uncletrained as a Kamikaze pilot in his youth, she wondered thesame thing. Throughrare interviews with surviving Kamikazepilots, Morimotoretraces their journeysfrom teenagers todoomed pilots andreveals a complex history of brutal training and ambivalent sacrifice.


WO A I N I ( I LOV E YO U ) M O M MY (PREVIOUSLY WHITE STORK HOTEL) By Stephanie Wang-Breal

For the past eight years, China has been the leadingcountry for U.S. international adoptions. WO AI NI (I LOVE YOU) MOMMY is a 60-minute documentary aboutChinese adopted girls,their American adop-tive families and theChinese political andcultural pressures thatled to their abandon-ment. The charactersand events in this story challenge our traditional notions of family, culture and race.

FUNDED 2009

X M A S W I T H O U T C H I N A By Tom Xia

News reports slamming China drove proud immigrantTom Xia to challenge his American neighbors to doChristmas without Chinese goods. The Joneses down the street accept eagerly. What follows is a humorousand surprising intercultural exchange that reveals themisunderstandings, bravado and yearnings of Americansin a world of great change and shifting identities.

FUNDED 2009

CAAM PROJECTS 2008 - 2009


One such PBS program is Kimberlee Bassford’s 2008 documentary PATSY MINK:

AHEAD OF THE MAJORITY, which traces the remarkable life of the first woman of

color in the United States Congress. Born in Maui, Hawaii, to Japanese American

parents, Patsy Mink entered politics shortly after she graduated from the University

of Chicago’s prestigious law school but struggled to break into the male-dominated

law field. By 1964 Mink had risen through the ranks of Hawaii’s Democratic party

to land a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Here, she quickly gained notoriety

as a tireless advocate for women, children, and the underrepresented.

A onetime presidential candidate and an outspoken opponent of the Vietnam War,

Mink refused to play by other people’s rules and, as such, endured great opposition

throughout her career – both from obvious opponents on the right and from

supposed allies on the left. Bassford’s documentary deals directly with this adversity

and presents Mink as the American treasure that she is: a rare politician who refused

to compromise her beliefs and a role model for Hawaiians, women, Asian Americans,

and progressives of all stripes.

While PATSY MINK celebrates an important historical figure, another CAAM

production, PROJECT KASHMIR (2008), strives to inspire dialogue in one of the

world’s most disputed, and misunderstood, regions. Directed by Indian American

Geeta Patel and Pakistani American Senain Kheshgi, PROJECT KASHMIR seamlessly

melds the personal with the political. The film follows Patel and Kheshgi as they

discover how their respective ethnic and religious identities (Patel is Hindu, while

Kheshgi is Muslim) affect their perception of highly polarized Kashmir, where a Hindu

minority rules over a Muslim majority.

Lest one think that Kashmir’s situation can be easily summed up by the equation

“minority oppresses majority,” Patel and Kheshgi also discover the horrible suffering

of Hindu villagers, who fled the territory to save their lives. As a fearless, well-

connected Muslim journalist explains to them, “This country is not simple.” He adds

that Kashmir’s unrest is “not senseless violence.” To the contrary, the insurgency is

carefully orchestrated and deeply passionate; outsiders have difficulty understanding

its complexities. Through their elegant and beautiful film, Patel and Kheshgi

hope to move toward an understanding.

PROJECT KASHMIR embodies key elements of CAAM’s mission. At once a nuanced

exploration of the identities of two different Asian American women, the film also

engages with one of the world’s most complicated conflicts. It and PATSY MINK

show how political engagement and ethnic identity so often go hand in hand. o

29 YEARS OF POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT BOTH PERSONAL AND GLOBAL

PATSY M I N K : A H E A D O F T H E M A J O R I T Y

P R OJ E C T K A S H M I R

BY JONATHAN L. KNAPP

FOUNDED IN 1980 AFTER THE CORPORATION FOR PUBLICBROADCASTING (CPB) BEGAN ACTIVELY SUPPORTING THE CREATION OF ETHNIC MEDIA, CAAM HAS A RICH HISTORY OF SOCIAL AND POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT. The organization has

frequently found an outlet for this through the Public Broadcast Service (PBS), where

it has presented hundreds of hours of programming, beginning with the anthology

series “Silk Screen,” which shed light on a variety of Asian American issues between

1982 and 1987. Today, CAAM is one of five minority public broadcasting consortia

designated by the CPB to provide programming to PBS.

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IN ITS 27TH YEAR, THE SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL ASIANAMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL (SFIAAFF) ATTRACTED OVER 25,000ATTENDEES, INCLUDING OVER 200 FILMMAKERS, ACTORS ANDINDUSTRY GUESTS.

The Festival presented over 100 films and videos over its eleven-day span at Castro

Theatre, Sundance Kabuki Cinemas, and other San Francisco venues as well as locations

in Berkeley and San Jose. More than half of the Festival’s screenings were sold-out and

the program featured six world premieres, one North American premiere and three U.S.

premieres of feature length films.

The Festival opened with Lee Yoon-ki’s MY DEAR ENEMY and closed with So Yong Kim’s

TREELESS MOUNTAIN, tracing an arc of new Korean/American cinema. In between,

highlights included a boisterous, sold-out Centerpiece screening of H.P. Mendoza’s

musical FRUIT FLY at the Castro Theatre, a retrospective of acclaimed Japanese director

Kiyoshi Kurosawa, who was on hand to present many of his films, and special on-stage con-

versations with Ang Lee, and WATCHMEN screenwriter Alex Tse.

At the Festival, CAAM also launched its new media sharing website, HAPAS.US, which

brings together the multiracial Asian American community online. A number of films

also explored the multiracial Asian American experience, including an archival screening

of Guy Green’s fascinating Hawaii-set, 1963 film DIAMOND HEAD.

27th SFIAAFF JURIED COMPETITIONS WINNERS AND AUDIENCE AWARDS:

N A R R AT I V E CO M P E T I T I O N1 BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE:

HALF-LIFEDirected by Jennifer Phang

2 SPECIAL JURY AWARD:CHILDREN OF INVENTIONDirected by Tze Chun

D O C U M E N TA RY CO M P E T I T I O N3 BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE:

THE MOSQUE IN MORGANTOWNDirected by Brittany Huckabee

4 SPECIAL JURY AWARD:DIRTY HANDS: THE ART AND CRIMES OF DAVID CHOEDirected by Harry Kim

CO M C A S T AU D I E N C E AWA R D S5 NARRATIVE FEATURE:

FRUIT FLYDirected by H.P. Mendoza

6 DOCUMENTARY FEATURE:PATSY MINK: AHEAD OF THE MAJORITYDirected by Kimberlee Bassford

Some of the guests who graced the Festival were: actors Joan Chen (24 CITY), Leonardo

Nam and Julia Nickson (HALF-LIFE), James Kyson Lee, Lynn Chen and Hiroshi Watanabe

(WHITE ON RICE), Kavi Ladnier and Barnali Das (KARMA CALLING); and filmmakers

Takahiko Iimura (subject of Festival Spotlight), Tze Chun (CHILDREN OF INVENTION),

Christopher Wong (WHATEVER IT TAKES), Senain Keshgi and Geeta Patel (PROJECT

KASHMIR), Jeff Adachi (YOU DON’T KNOW JACK: THE JACK SOO STORY) and Ed

Radtke (THE SPEED OF LIFE). o2 31

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 27TH SFIAAFF

WORDS FROM STUDENT DELEGATES OF THE 27TH SFIAAFF

“The great part about documentaries is

that the stories aren’t over when the films

are over. Hearing about where the people in

the films are now gives the screenings today

a vitality unique to the documentary style.”

“I’m super new to this film festival ordeal.

The only ways I’ve experienced movies are

in regular theaters, on a small screen with

a few friends, or as a topic of discussion

in a classroom.

KARMA CALLING

was the kind of

screening that

really makes the

festival setting win

my heart - the

audience was so

enthusiastic during

the movie, cheer-

ing the hardest

during the opening and closing credits. And

then the actor who played Peter stood up in

front of me and Lauren for the Q&A to join all

the other people who were part of the film at

the front of the room. Okay, considering I had

no idea that most of the people I just saw on

the screen were actually in the theater sitting

very close to us, I was kind of starstruck.”

— LAURA THATCHER, STUDENT

University of California, Davis

“I can’t even begin to express how amazing

this whole experience was and how much

I feel like I’ve grown in just this short time.

I’m so inspired to make films now; I can

barely contain it. Especially after seeing

THE SPEED OF LIFE, which I ended up seeing

twice and probably would have gone a third

time if it showed again. Something in it

resonated with me and I know it’s a film that

I’m going to carry with me for a long time.

I only hope my films can evoke the amount

of emotion that Ed Radtke was able to achieve

in that film. Meeting him also made it seem

so reasonable, like filmmaking is not some

magic goal that only a couple of people

can aspire to. If you are driven and passionate

and believe in your

work, you can have

it made.”

“To say I have been

looking forward to

the SFIAAFF would

be a grand under-

statement. I can

think of few things

more exciting than

to be able to view high-quality Asian

American cinema and have in-depth

discussions with others who feel just as

passionately as I do about the importance

of this medium.”

— LAUREN WINSOR STENMOE, STUDENT

Academy of Art University, San Francisco

“I really liked the energy of the Castro

Theatre, and remembering back to the

Comcast representative’s quick speech,

I realize that the audience tonight was really

a community that was fueled by film and

that this energy comes only from such

a strong community. The long lines for

tickets, the pictures, film crew, and finding

a seat, all of it was an experience. Also,

of course one of the best parts was

meeting all the other delegates and excitedly

chatting before the film!”

— TRACY WANG, STUDENT

University of California, Berkeley

5 64

LAURENLAURA TRACY

C A A M A N N U A L R E P O R T 0 8 | 0 9 1 1

AIMED TO ENGAGE STUDENTS WITH ASIAN AND ASIANAMERICAN CINEMA, SFIAAFF’S STUDENT DELEGATEPROGRAM STRIVES TO CULTIVATE THE NEXT GENERA-TION OF SCHOLARS, ARTISTS, ADMINISTRATORS AND ACTIVISTS INVESTED IN THE FIELD OF ASIANAMERICAN MEDIA.


FINANCIAL SNAPSHOT

E X P E N S E S

S U P P O R T + R E V E N U E

41.1 %

11.7 %

8.1 %

6.5 %

13.2 %

10.8 %

Digital Media 257,984

Public Television 291,100

Media Fund 239,989

Festival 908,927

Special Productions 72,707

Film Distribution 143,756

Administration 178,825

Fundraising 119,584

Total 2,212,872

Government Awards 86,100

Foundation Grants 117,200

Corporation for Public Broadcasting 921,363

Corporate Support 124,137

In-kind Contributions 184,263

Contributions & Memberships 145,642

Film Distribution 114,526

Festival Ticket Sales 182,040

Other 16,702

Total 1,891,973

9.6 %

6.1 %

7.7 %

9.7 %

6.2 %

4.6 %

6.6 %

48.7 %

0.9 %

3.3 %

5.4 %


30-SEPT-09 30-SEPT-08

Cash + Cash Equivalents 485,451 533,991

Accounts Receivable 438,759 940,133

Prepaid Expenses 13,605 14,886

Property + Equipment 28,755 25,943

Investments 377,717 377,717

Notes Receivable 418,084 418,084

Accounts Payable 41,186 116,341

Grants Payable 273,051 431,380

Other Liabilities 6,186 186

Unrestricted Net Assets 816,680 754,419

Temporarily Restricted Net Assets 625,268 1,008,428

Total Net Assets 1,441,948 1,762,847

CAAM fiscal year ending September 30, 2009.

Financial statements and Form 990s available upon request.

A S S E T C H A N G E S


FOUNDATIONS & GOVERNMENT Corporation for Public BroadcastingGrants for the ArtsNational Endowment for the ArtsThe Academy FoundationThe Fleishhacker FoundationThe Ford FoundationThe Japan FoundationThe Koret FoundationThe San Francisco FoundationThe Wallace Alexander Gerbode FoundationThe Wallace FoundationThe William & Flora Hewlett FoundationUnion Bank of California Foundation

CAAM COMMUNITY PARTNERS4Fifteen ClothingAcademyXAll About CuteAudreyDr. Kim Makoi, D.C., C.Ad.Encore ExpressEnterprise Rent-A-CarFitzgerald HotelHyphenIndie IndustriesJubiliKaya PressKearny Street WorkshopKirin Brewery of AmericaKoreAm JournalLe SoleilLolonis WineryLost Weekend VideoMaharani RestaurantNob Hill HotelNumi Organic TeaPoleng LoungeZaza Nail Spa

VISIONARY GOLDBill ImadaDavid and Linda Lei

ADVOCATEDenis BouvierRavi ChandraJohnnie D. GilesRoger Kuo

BENEFACTORDesmond D. ChinGary ChouKai FujitaStephen Gong and Susan AvilaJohn C. and Chara C. HaasChristopher Hollstein and Samantha EldredgeMichael and Tonia HsiehBernadette Kim and Len ChristensenA. MoyParmila RamchandaniJean TsienMona Lisa Yuchengco

DIRECTOR’S CIRCLEAnonymousLalit BalchandaniM. Lucey BowenDerek ChungYi-Lun DingDavid and Cheryl JacksonDai Sil Kim-GibsonAmy K. LeeJennie Lew and Cary FongThuy NguyenLeroy and Claudia QuanSumit RoyCalvin and Emma YeeLaura and Wallace Young

PATRONFrank ChanEunice CheeDoug Chin, in Memory of Janice SakamotoWillard M. ChinHeather DonnellGrace EngLeon HartwigAmy Lee and Steve HomTakuji and Harumi KasamatsuLawrence KimJyhchi KoStefani KomaruSylvia Komatsu and George StoneEdward Lee and Cindy LiuRussell and Sherlyn LeongDeann and Paul LiemPeter R. McGrath and Han Y. WangDr. Dennis M. Ogawa/Nippon Golden NetworkSteven Okazaki/Farallon FilmsAdolph RosekransArthur RothsteinDr. Marvin SommerVictoria S. TaketaDiane TokugawaHo Chie Tsai & TaiwaneseAmerican.orgBob and Yvonne UyekiAnna Whittington and Eddie WongBryan YagiErik Young

SUPPORTERAnonymousTony AnChristopher Au and Cindy LeeTerry BautistaMatthew BrictsonConstance ChanJames Q. ChanDarrin ChangTom and Dorothy Chin, in memory of JaniceSakamotoCharles Y. Choi, Ph.D.Celia ChungCrosby & KanedaAnna DangGlenn Davis and James TakagiTom Donald

THANK YOU TO OUR SUPPORTERS


Maria FedelNetta F. FedorThomas FujisakaKay GamoSue Jean HalvorsenJayasri M. HartLiz Hoadley and Marsha GaleKathy ImDoug InouyeDon JoeSisi KappLewis KawaharaDr. Peter N. KiangYoko KnoxKen KoppBonnie KwongCalvin and Helen LangJalyn Tani LangStephen LawsonFrancis LeeJoyce LeeWaty MakmurPamela MatsuokaNadine MayPaolo MeleHarry MokGrace MuraoJim NawrockiNoel and Penny NellisMike Hoa NguyenTony Van NguyenOakland Film OfficeEdmund W. OwTheresa OwyeongJiro and Yasue OyamaCaren ParkChristina PehlArmando and Renee Tajima-PenaJean PfaelzerGlenn RamsdellNani RatnawatiSharon RoseRaymond and Maia SiuIndigo Som and Donna OzawaAnthony St. GeorgePeter L. SteinEarlene TaylorJanet TomWayne Wada

Morrie WarshawskiStephen B. Wilson, JrChristopher WongWynnie WongMargaret Yamamoto and Mark HopkinsDaniel YuPhil YuLaDonna Yumori-Kaku

FRIENDAnonymous (6)Calvin AbeMelissa AbramsMarissa Aroy and Niall McKayDoug AuVivian BejarinChas BelovMichael BerkowitzE.B.S. BockrathMaurizio BronzettiChris Bucoy BrownTecoah and Thomas BruceJonathan CarterMay-Lee ChaiClaire ChangMitzi ChangTom and Jeanette ChangPratap ChatterjeeEd and Janet ChenJau-Jiun ChenJames Chen and Wendy NguyenCorey ChengMichael ChengBrian CheuPreet and Surjit ChhokarS. Leo ChiangArthur ChinKevin ChinMichael ChinAndrey ChowDeborah ClearwatersMark DecenaMichael DeLongWilliam DereMichelle Dimapasoc and Michael AdelsheimLorraine DongIris EremLiza Marie S. Erpelo

Rosanne S. EstwanickMargaret FajardoSherman FanSteve FongCandice Fukumoto-DunhamBernard FungRoger Garcia and Lydia TanjiPhan Quoc Thai and Janet GardnerPaul GarlowYvonne GeeTomio GeronJohn F. GhizzoniAlex GinR.L. GumnitCari GushikenMichael Haimovitz and Paula ForsellesBrent HallDarrell Y. HamamotoRasheed and J.B. HanifRita HaoDr. David B. HashGrace HingJohn HoffmanYunah HongLawrence Hsu and Linda TengElva HuangJennifer HuangJolene HueyTommy HuieGregory C. HunterSatsuki InaChristopher IngRestu IsmailCynthia IwanagaClark JenMelissa JosueKeith KamisugiHiroshi KashiwagiDana KawanoJeanie KimAlbert LaiShu Lai and Angeline YangJesus LaraBetty LeeMarjorie LeeJim KeefeMark and Jacqueline LeslieSandra LiJohn Lin


Lillian LinMatt LinSandy LinMichael LingMiriam and Belvin LouieFrancis Lu, M.D.Kim MakoiSheila MalkindJulie MallozziJoshua Maremont and Irene LoeMaimounah MasudiSusan McCabeCher MinAtsushi MuraseMona NagaiRobert Nakamoto and Colleen Tani NakamotoJason NouSusan ObataBetty OenEric OhwaKent A. OnoM H and H M OsbournYen PangSusan Parini and Stefan GruenwedelJames ParkDave ParksDeepak PateriyaDavid P. PerlinEdward A. RadtkeRamey RamziMichael ReillyJennifer SatoKaren SchillerKen SchneiderGail SilvaWilliam SmockJoseph SmookeSonJulie D. SooMichael SoonRobert StantonTess TaftRobynn TakayamaMabel M. TampincoChris TashimaMon ThaiChing ToJennifer TsanBenito VergaraJason WienerBenson Wong

Jason M. WongJune Woo WongPearl Wong & Chil KongPeter WongKaifu WuCary Yagemangayle k. yamadaRobert Yamauchi and Barbara ParkynJ.B. YeeJennifer Terng Yin

STUDENT/SENIORAnonymous (2)Argentina AndoniGlenn AquinoKatie BirchardLinda BlackabyBonita BradleyHanley ChanMichael ChaoDr. Art CharlesAlexander ChengDerek ChinJeffrey ChinAmelia ChuaDiana B. ChunJeff ClarkLynne ConnorJasleen DhillonAnthony EstradaEleanor M. FarrellAudrey FongMaxine FongMaryan and Bill GongMarvin J. HalpernKathryn HashimotoDebra Hatanaka and Edwin EndowEllen HelferdGeorge A. HeymontStephen HorowitzDieu HuynhAdrienne IwanagaMei JouAngela KauranenAsian Americans for Community InvolvementSheilan KhailanyJane KimSue KimDong Kingman, Jr.Leanne Koh

Le Roy LatigueCaroline LeHao Anh LeLisa LeeWenia LeeConnie LevyYangjun LiTy LimCharles LinSheening LinMonica LonigroVera Wing LuiJilma MarshallDaniel MartJing MuMaxine NeidichMatthew NelsonEmiko OmoriJimmy G. S. OngAdam PachterVincent PhamHongshu QianChristine QuanJoseph RameloHestia SanderMimi SasakiBill SatoEpifanio SilvaSilvermanFannie SiuTanya SleimanBrandon SugiyamaRoselyne SwigCalvin TajimaMy TangMichael ThomsonMary TranMichael TranTimothy TsaiUrmila VenkateshPeggy WangStephen WedgleyBenji WongTamiko and Peter WongChristopher WoonAnna WuCindy WuFrank Yee Jr.Ryan E. YipMike Zimmerman

THANK YOU TO OUR SUPPORTERS

E D I TO R S : Stephen Gong, Debbie Ng, and Frances PomperadaP R O D U C T I O N : Frances Pomperada

D E S I G N : Sharon Bäden, Bäden Design | BADEN [email protected]

I N S I D E B AC K COV E R I M AG E C R E D I T:Japantown Peace Plaza Screening of KAMIKAZE GIRLS

B AC K COV E R I M AG E C R E D I T:HIGH TECH, LOW LIFE

REPORT

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C E N T E R F O R A S I A N A M E R I C A N M E D I A

145 Ninth Street, Suite 350

San Francisco, CA 94103

T 41 5 . 8 6 3 .0 8 1 4

F 41 5 . 8 6 3 .74 2 8

I N F O @ A S I A N A M E R I C A N M E D I A . O R G

W W W. A S I A N A M E R I C A N M E D I A . O R G

REPORT

In 2008-2009, CAAM

presented 22 hours of public television programming,

reaching over 10 million viewers nationwide.

distributed 789 titles through our Educational Distribution program,

reaching thousands of individuals, students and groups.

funded 12 projects:3 Indian, 3 Chinese, 2 Filipino, 1 Korean, 2 Pan-Asian and 1 international series.

exhibited over 100 films at the

27th San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival

over an eleven-day span in San Francisco, Berkeley and San Jose.

launched Hapas.us, a collaborative multimedia storytelling

project that enables multiracial Asian Americans to share their experiences

about race and identity.

CAAM Annual Report 2008 - 2009

Documents

Transcript of CAAM Annual Report 2008 - 2009