Lia Chang: 33rd Asian American International Film Festival Shorts Film Program Lineup

The 33rd Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF10), presented by AsianCinevision (ACV), takes place from July 15th through July 24th at various venues throughout New York City including Chelsea Clearview Cinema, the Quad Cinema, and the Museum of Chinese in America. The shorts film program lineup consists of a total of 71 short films that have been divided into 10 presentations. The short films admitted to this year’s festival showcase the latest works by filmmakers of Asian descent as well as films that explore themes and issues prevalent to the Asian community. The selection includes two International Premieres, one U.S. premiere, four East Coast premieres, and five New York premieres. Tani Ikeda’s Turn of Harvest, which will be making its World Premiere at the AAIFF10, is one of the seven short films up for the Excellence in Short Filmmaking Award.

Tani Ikeda's Turn of Harvest

“We have received an especially strong group of submissions this year that explore a range of genres including comedy, science fiction, and documentary,” says Martha Tien, the AAIFF10 Program Manager. “This year’s festival also consists of three unique short film programs which pay tribute to their respective countries in the manner of New York, I Love You and Paris J’Taime. Two of the programs are composed of films entirely from Taiwan and one is comprised of films from Malaysia.” The two short film programs from Taiwan, Eye on Taiwan and Taipei 24 H, are part of a special joint presentation on New Taiwanese Cinema between ACV and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO).

In addition to its international titles, the AAIFF10 short film programs also draws from a very strong pool of local filmmakers, including J.P. Chan’s Empire Corner and Greg Pak’s Mister Green. A special youth program will also feature the works of filmmakers under the age of 21. The AAIFF10 will run July 15 through July 24 in New York City. Short films will screen at various venues including Chelsea Clearview Cinema, the Quad Cinema, and the Museum of Chinese in America. The full short film program line-up is as follows. More details can also be found on the festival website.

Oh Family, Where Art Thou? (7)
Films that remind us of the complex dynamics that make each family so singularly fascinating and unique.
Mochi directed by Chung Li (Taiwan)
In Space directed by Visra Vichit-Vadanka (Thailand)
Daughters directed by Chloe Zhao (USA)
Hide and Seek directed by Asako Ushio (USA)
Unrest directed by Christina Rubenstein (USA)
Puncture Wounds directed by Jason Ho (USA)
The Hirosaki Players directed by Jeff Sousa (USA)

It’s a little bit funny… (5)
Films that offers unexpectedly humorous takes on the lives of its characters.
Kilo directed by Kiel Murray and Phil Lorin (USA)
Father Sister directed by Soyeon Kim (South Korea)
Lychee Thieves directed by Kathleen Man (USA)
Empire Corner directed by JP Chan (USA)
Wu is Dead directed by Rich Wong (USA)

Back to the Future (6)
Films that dabble with the myriad ways time shapes the courses of our lives.
Fish in Barrel directed by Randall Okida (Canada)
Boond directed by Abhishek Pathak (India)
Once More directed by Hiroo Takoaka (USA)
Mr. Green directed by Greg Pak (USA)
Memento Mori directed by Yohko Shiraishi (USA)
Transparent Movement directed by Soyeon Kim (South Korea)

The First Kiss (6)
Films that explore one of the most prevalent themes in storytelling — one of the certainties in life besides death and taxes, love is never easy!
Lovers directed by Do-yeon Kim (South Korea)
The Queen directed by Christina Choe (USA)
Gareeb Nawaz’s Taxi directed by Ritesh Batra (USA)
Tall Enough directed by Berry Jekins (USA)
Works of Art directed by Andrew Pang (USA)
Poi Dogs directed by Joel Moffett (USA)

Eye on Taiwan (4)
Happy Ending directed by Wei Chen Chang (Taiwan)
Sleeping with Her directed by Chih Yi Wen (Taiwan)
Letting Off directed by Hung Ju Chang (Taiwan)
Ketchup directed by Wen Chung Lu (Taiwan)

Untold Stories (5)
Documentary films that cover a range of topics from all corners of the world.
Memory of Forgotten War directed by Deann Borshay Liem and Ramsay Liem (USA)
Born Sweet directed by Cynthia Wade (Cambodia)
Mr. Shanbag’s Shop directed by Asha Ghosh (USA/India)
Turn of the Harvest directed by Tani Ikeda (China)
Fine Threads directed by Adele Pham (USA)

CUNY Shorts (7)
AAIFF10 teams up with returning collaborator Asian American / Asian Research Institute of the City University of New York (CUNY) to showcase a range of narrative, documentary and experimental short films from students in CUNY system.
Antithesis directed by Jon-Carlos Evans (USA)
Behold the swelling scene directed by MunJong (Arckii) Kim (USA)
Boundary directed by Pyeunghun Baik (USA)
Ball directed by Jung Eun Kim (USA)
Nurturing the Hybrid Identity directed by Sudip Shakya (USA)
Struggle for Existence directed by Laurie Sumiye (Filiak) (USA)
Undocumented Hope directed by Tanvir Toy (USA)

Youth Shorts (8)
Young filmmakers under the age of 21 experiment with film to sound off on matters important to them
Beauty and the Box directed by Chrystian Rodriguez (USA)
I’m Not Even That directed by Asatha Vohra, Wendy Yuan Zhang, Michelle Kwong, Claudia von Nostitz (USA)
Not That Different directed by Junia Zhang (USA)
Skye directed by Yoomi Park (USA)
Chinese Antique directed by Anthony Ma (USA)
The Prodigy directed by Adam Lee (USA)
White Night directed by Teresa Lee (USA)
My New York directed by Derek Horton (USA)

Taipei 24 H (8)
Taipei 24H invites eight directors to employ their innovative styles and distinct perspectives to create a filmic essay of Taipei City.
Share the Morning directed by Cheng, Feng-feng (Taiwan)
Just A Little Run directed by Niu, Cheng-zer (Taiwan)
Summer Heat directed by Debbie Hsue (Taiwan)
Save the Lover directed by Cheng, Hsian-tse (Taiwan)
Somke directed by Lee, Chi-yuam (Taiwan)
Dream Walker directed by Chen, Ying-jung (Taiwan)
Owl Service directed by An, Je-yi (Taiwan)
Remembrance directed by Lee, Kang-sheng (Taiwan)

15 Malaysia
Uncensored and bold, the fifteen filmmakers featured in this collection speak out on the societal taboos of sex, race, religion and politics in Malaysia.
Potong Saga directed by Yuhang Ho (Malaysia)
Chocolate directed by Yasmin Ahmad (Malaysia)
The Tree directed by Auir Muhammad (Malaysia)
House directed by Linus Chung (Malaysia)
Halal directed by Liew Seng Tat (Malaysia)
The Son directed by Desmond Ng (Malaysia)
Lumpur directed by Kamal Sabran (Malaysia)
One Future directed by Chui Mui Tan (Malaysia)
Slovak Sling directed by Ming Jin Woo (Malaysia)
Gerhana directed by James Lee (Malaysia)
Meter directed by Benji and Bahir (Malaysia)
Duit Kecil directed by Johan John (Malaysia)
Healthy Paranoia directed by Khairil Bahar (Malaysia)
Lollipop directed by Nam Ron (Malaysia)
Rojak! directed by Suleiman Brothers (Malaysia)

About AAIFF
The Asian American International Film Festival is the first and longest running festival in the country devoted to showcasing films created by media artists of Asian descent and about the Asian community. Founded in 1978, AAIFF harbors a unique curatorial vision. More than an expression of collective identity, the festival is anchored by the distinct contributions of its members. It is a platform for filmmakers of all backgrounds to develop the constructs of Asian cinema and cultivate the next generation of talent. 33 years after its inception, AAIFF continues to be a leading showcase for Asian American film and video, placing a substantial focus on local and independent works and working to enrich New York’s Asian cultural community.

About ACV
Asian CineVision, Inc is a not-for-profit national media arts organization dedicated to the development, promotion and preservation of film and video arts by and about people of Asian descent. Founded in 1976 ACV began as a social service media activist organization in New York City’s Chinatown. The organization continues to serve the Asian American community by presenting, promoting and preserving the works of Asian and Asian American mediamakers, and providing a window to the diverse experiences and livelihoods of the Asian diaspora.

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Lia Chang: Raymond Red’s Manila Sky Kicks Off the 33rd Asian American International Film Festival at the Chelsea Clearview Cinema on July 15; Festival Continues through July 24

Raymond Red’s Manila Sky Kicks Off the 33rd Asian American International Film Festival at the Chelsea Clearview Cinema in New York on July 15, 2010.

Renowned Filipino director Raymond Red’s Manila Sky is the Opening Night Presentation of the 33rd Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF10), presented by Asian CineVision, at the Chelsea Clearview Cinema in New York on July 15, 2010. The Festival takes place from July 15th through July 24th at various venues throughout New York City including Chelsea Clearview Cinema, the Quad Cinema, and the Museum of Chinese in America. The full feature lineup includes 23 feature films that showcase the latest works created by filmmakers of Asian descent in addition to films that explore new constructs of Asian and Asian-American cinema. The AAIFF10 includes selections from both a national and international pool of filmmakers, including works from Taiwan, South Korea, Malaysia, and the Philippines.

“This year, the AAIFF10 looks especially forward to bringing several Southeast Asian films to our audience,” states Martha Tien, Program Manager of the AAIFF10. “Southeast Asia has such a dynamic cinematic community, but its movies still tend to be underrepresented in most film festivals.”

Red, considered to be a pioneer of contemporary Filipino cinema, will be in attendance after the screening for a special Q+A session. Other Southeast Asian selections include Malaysian filmmaker Yuhung Ho’s dramatic feature At the End of Daybreak and Thai director Kongkiat Khomsiri’s thriller Slice.

In addition to the international titles, the AAIFF10′s programming also includes a strong pool of features from Asian American filmmakers including Filipino-American Gerry Balasta’s Mountain Thief.

Arvin Chen's Au Revoir Taipei

Taiwanese-American filmmaker Arvin Chen’s Au Revoir Taipei will screen as the Centerpiece Presentation on July 17th at 9:30 p.m. while Quentin Lee’s romantic comedy The People I’ve Slept With will close the festival on July 21, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. All special presentations will screen at the Chelsea Clearview Cinema.

Quentin Lee's The People I've Slept With

For more information on the AAIFF10 full feature line up, visit http://www.aaiff.org/2010.

About AAIFF
The Asian American International Film Festival is the first and longest running festival in the country devoted to showcasing films created by media artists of Asian descent and about the Asian community. Founded in 1978, AAIFF harbors a unique curatorial vision. More than an expression of collective identity, the festival is anchored by the distinct contributions of its members. It is a platform for filmmakers of all backgrounds to develop the constructs of Asian cinema and cultivate the next generation of talent. 33 years after its inception, AAIFF continues to be a leading showcase for Asian American film and video, placing a substantial focus on local and independent works and working to enrich New York’s Asian cultural community.

About ACV
Asian CineVision, Inc is a not-for-profit national media arts organization dedicated to the development, promotion and preservation of film and video arts by and about people of Asian descent. Founded in 1976 ACV began as a social service media activist organization in New York City’s Chinatown. The organization continues to serve the Asian American community by presenting, promoting and preserving the works of Asian and Asian American mediamakers, and providing a window to the diverse experiences and livelihoods of the Asian diaspora.

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2010 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. for permission, please contact Lia at liachang@hotmail.com.

Lia Chang © Tami Chang

Lia Chang is an actor, performance and fine art botanical photographer and an award-winning multimedia journalist. Lia’s portraits and performance photos have appeared in Vanity Fair, Gourmet, German Elle, Women’s Wear Daily, The Paris Review, VIBE, TV Guide, Daily Variety, Interior Design, American Theatre, Life & Style, OUT, New York Magazine, InStyle, Timeout.com, Villagevoice.com, Playbill.com, Theatermania.com, The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, USA Today, The Boston Globe, New York Times and Washington Post. A former syndicated arts and entertainment columnist for KYODO News, Lia is the New York Bureau Chief for AsianConnections.com. She writes about culture, style and Asian American issues for a variety of publications and this Backstage Pass with Lia Chang blog. As a photographer and videographer, Lia is frequently tapped to collaborate with artists, organizations and companies in establishing their documentary photo archive. She has been documenting her colleagues and contemporaries in the arts, fashion and journalism since making her stage debut as Liat in the National Tour of South Pacific, with Robert Goulet and Barbara Eden.

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