We here at Film School Rejects are big fans of film festivals. You’ve seen our coverage of SXSW, Fantastic Fest, Sundance, and this year we’re hoping to add a few new festivals to our roster. First up is the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, or SFIAAFF. As FSR’s resident foreign film columnist (and Asian film enthusiast) I’m pretty damn excited to catch some of the exciting new talents coming out of those parts of the world. I plan on attending and covering as many of the films as possible, and thanks to the fine folks at the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) I’ll also be taking a look at several of the movies in advance (so look for my reviews to start soon).
The official synopsis for the fest is here:
The Center for Asian America Media presents the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival (SFIAAFF) every March. The SFIAAFF is the nation’s largest showcase for new Asian American and Asian films, annually presenting approximately 120 works in San Francisco, Berkeley and San Jose. Since 1982, the SFIAAFF has been an important launching point for Asian American independent filmmakers as well as a vital source for new Asian cinema.”
The theme of the fest is fairly evident in its name, but what many people don’t realize is that the term ‘Asian films’ includes more than just the big five of Japan, Korea, China, Hong Kong, and Thailand. Other Asian countries represented at this year’s festival include Iran, Taiwan, Philippines, Cambodia, Vietnam, India, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, and Palestine. The cinematic output of several of these countries is fairly foreign to me (pardon the pun), so I’m thrilled to finally get a taste of what they have to offer.
The festival runs from March 11th-21st this year and will be showcasing films at theaters in San Francisco, Berkeley, and San Jose. Check out the festival trailer (below) and the official SFIAAFF 2010 site for more details, and let us know if you’re planning to attend… I just might see you there!
