Blog

WELCOME TO THE SHOWCASE

FAAIM — Sun, 05 May 2013 16:12:51 +0000

It’s that time of the year again, and I’m not talking spring…it’s Asian American Showcase time @ the Gene Siskel Film Center! It feels like a long time coming though, as we have usually been in the first weekend in April. But I’m excited about being in May and to be part of APA heritage month. People have asked why we were in April and not in heritage month, and well, when we started in 1995, heritage month wasn’t fully realized or celebrated in Chicago, and I doubt when the Showcase started, nobody figured we’d last this long! But now heading strong into our 18^th year and being an important part of the Gene Siskel Film Center’s yearly programming, we couldn’t be happier or more excited about this years festival.

When we first put our updated website up, I immediately received a text from someone in LA, saying that our line up was strong, and looked like one of our best ever. I didn’t really think about it as a whole until it was mentioned, but yes, the films are all outstanding. Of the 8 films we are showcasing this year, 1 premiered at Sundance, 3 premiered at SXSW (South by Southwest) and the other 4 premiered at SFIAAFF (San Francisco International Asian American Film Fest), that’s impressive! Also 6 of the 8 directors have screened films with us in the past! And Speaking of films…

Feature Films:

Our Opening Night film is White Frog, directed by Quentin Lee. Quentin is one of our festival favorites, having have screened his past films: Shopping For Fangs, Ethan Mao, and The People I’ve Slept With, we are honored to present his latest, featuring an all-star cast of old and new talent – B.D. Wong, Joan Chen along with BooBoo Stewart (Twilight Series) and Harry Shum Jr. (Glee).

And Speaking of talented cast…our Closing Night Film, Sunset Stories, directed by Ernesto Foronda and Silas Howard, had won a best ensemble cast award - featuring Jim Parsons (Big Bang Theory), Sung Kang (Better Luck Tomorrow), Zosia Mamet (Girls), Michelle Krusiec (Saving Face), and Monique Curnen (Fast and Furious). Ernesto Foronda might seem familiar too…as he co-wrote Better Luck Tomorrow with Justin Lin!

Every now and then we’ll find a film that is a perfect fit for our festival, and The Crumbles, directed by Akira Boch, is one of them. Described as an indie rock slice-of-life tragic-comedy about two young female musicians struggling with the ups and downs of being in the world's greatest band - that no one's ever heard of. Music is important to our festival, as it was founded by Sooyoung Park, William Shin (both from the band SEAM) and Ben Kim (a music journalist). SEAM, during the 90’s was one of Chicago’s much heralded indie rock bands (along with the Smashing Pumpkins, Jesus Lizard and Liz Phair) and probably won’t be known for being fronted by an Asian American, but more appropriately

For shaping the slowcore sound, that influences band even today. And like a great rock band, The Crumbles was voted audience favorite at SFIAAFF!

Not knowing anything about it beforehand, Someone I Used To Know, directed by Nadine Truong, took me by surprised. The bittersweet drama had a lot of familiar faces – Brian Yang (Hawaii Five-O), Rex Lee (Entourage), Eddie Mui (Gone In 60 Seconds), West Liang (Hollywood Heights), it was Emily Chang who stood out for me. Although she’s been tearing up television lately (with appearances on Body Of Proof, NCIS, Bones, 90210), it was her time in Chicago during the late 90’s - early 2000’s that stand out for me. Emily, along with Anida Yoeu Ali, Marlon Esguerra, and Dennis Kim, were known as I Was Born With Two Tongues, the Asian American spoken word collective who became the seminal voice for the Asian Pacific Islander in the spoken word and performance movement. Besides seeing them perform numerous times (KA-WIN benefit, Yellow Technicolor 2000), we had them perform for the festival back in the day. She was also part of Mango Tribe, before she left town for NYC.

Documentary Films:

I’ll admit it; I’m a documentary junkie. There, I said it. Now can I move on to step 2 in my addiction program? Well, until then I probably can’t stop talking about how good, but also how timely our documentary selection is.

When I Walk, directed by Jason DaSilva, just recently had its world premiere at Sundance, and that’s all I should say, but Jason was a filmmaker who had screened with us in the past, and then seemed to have dropped off the face of the earth. Well, not really. He was diagnosed with MS (multiple sclerosis) at a time in his life (age 25) where most would seem invincible. As cruel as this sounds, as a skilled filmmaker, Jason was able to document his journey with MS, but also his unbreakable spirit.

Speaking about unbreakable spirit, Mr. Cao Goes To Washington, directed by S. Leo Chiang, follows the journey of the first Vietnamese American elected to the US congress, and is the only non-white House Republican of the 111^th Congress, and the only Republican to vote for President Obama’s Health Care Reform Bill. While politics are always going to be a hot topic, S. Leo Chiang does tell a compelling story and has directed some of our past favorite docs like To You Sweetheart, Aloha and A Village Called Versailles, which is where Rep. Joseph Cao is from.

Did I say hot topic? Seeking Asian Female, directed by Debbie Lum, could be called a documentary about Yellow Fever or even an unlikely love match, but it’s so much more and it more like unlearning stereotypes and the judgments that stem from them. Debbie’s work has been seen in our Showcase multiple times, not just as a director, but as an editor too, and now in her feature length debut she also becomes a character in the film having to translate for subjects in this complicated relationship. Don’t miss this movie… everyone will have something to say about it afterwards.

Another timely film is Xmas Without China, directed by Alicia Dwyer. China seems to be in the news almost every other day. Whether it’s about politics, finance or manufacturing, China is so misunderstood in American media. These misunderstanding are further explored when a Chinese immigrant challenge his neighbors to celebrate the Christmas season without any Chinese Products. What sounds like a consumer mission-impossible soon becomes a deeper journey to understand the complexities of the divided loyalties between the US and China.

Hopefully this little overview will give you some insight to the films but also get you excited about the upcoming 18^th Annual Chicago Asian American Showcase.

Come out and celebrate APA heritage month with us!

Tim Hugh

Festival Director

FIVE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT: IN THE FAMILY AND DIRECTOR/ACTOR PATRICK WANG.

FAAIM — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 17:57:09 +0000

In The Family - Chip (Sebastian Brodziak) and Joey (Patrick Wang)

IN THE FAMILY is one of the most highly anticipated films of the year. From this dramas epic length, to the filmmakers and critics praises, and the heart-wrenching performances, everyone is talking about this being one of the "must-see" films of the festival.

5 things you should know about…IN THE FAMILY and director/actor Patrick Wang

By Kevin Lim

1) In the Family is a remarkable achievement not only because it is such a compelling and heartfelt story but also because you directed and acted in the film as well. How did you manage on set, juggling your responsibility as both an actor and the director?

I had about 10 months of pre-production to sort out my thoughts as director and about five months of acting rehearsal with myself before I started working with the other actors. Without all this preparation time, I don't think I could have managed both of these roles. On set, I felt I had two major responsibilities as director: (1) figuring out our perspective for watching the scene and the field of view; and (2) guiding performances. Preparation went a long way to lightening both of these loads during photography, but I also relied on a number of different feedback mechanisms on set: watching playback, my DP's thoughts, the crew as audience, and my experience being in the scene.

2) At the In the Family screening at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, a programmer told the audience before the screening that the film has been passed on by over 30 film festivals. Consequently, the film and you took home both the Best Narrative and Emerging Filmmaker awards! Could you tell us about the difficulties you’ve had in getting this film screened? Did these festivals that passed on the film ever share with you why they didn’t like the film?

No, like many filmmakers, I either got a form rejection letter or no response at all. What amazes me is that after we opened in New York and started getting great reviews, festivals got in touch to request that we submit. We did. Then we never heard from them--we're still getting rejected! I have no way of knowing how any individual festival makes its decisions, but I think overall something is broken. I don't know if it is in the process or the people, but something is not working. I would say the same thing for distribution. But great things can come of these difficulties. You get matched up with the right festival like the San Diego Asian Film Festival, who were the first to accept the film and the first to publicly speak in support of it. And you get to fight for your film's place in the world. It can be brutal at moments, but I'm having the time of my life. And we're finding our audience and getting more and more theatrical bookings.

3) There are several moments in the film where you make an aesthetic choice to obscure or omit the faces of characters from view. Could you tell us about your directorial decision to do this?

I think conventional coverage can sometimes miss the really interesting information in a scene. For example, when a character speaks, the audio alone can sometimes tell a pretty complete story of what they're thinking. However, the visual of the other character is necessary to see how they are processing this speech, how they make the decision to speak or not to speak, and how they are relating to the speaker. I think mystery and not showing the audience what they expect to see can a tool for engagement if used in moderation. Also, because Joey is an unusual Asian American lead with a southern accent, I feel a need to manage, particularly early in the movie, the visual/sonic dissonance I know a lot of audiences will experience.

4) The buzz going around about this film often includes a disclaimer that the film is long, it runs almost 3 hours. Indeed, there are moments in the film, where you forgo cuts and hold shots for a relatively long time. Could you tell us about your editing style and why you chose to pace the film this way?

A pace for the film's scenes kept emerging in shooting and in editing. My first instinct was to fight it, but in the end I am very glad that I decided to protect it. While it will make the film a harder sell, the long takes and the fewer than 300 cuts that make up the film are necessary for an honest portrayal of this particular domestic life. While the rhythm is less familiar as film, it is very familiar as life. It also gives you the opportunity to actively discover details in the shot and the space to think about your own family and experiences alongside the film's story. There is a deeply personal and cathartic reaction many audiences members have to the film, and it wouldn't happen if the timing did not invite it.

5) Your son in the film, Chip (Sebastian Banes), was an integral part of the film’s narrative and was wonderfully executed by Banes. Could you tell us about your director-actor relationship with Banes and how you were able to get such a wonderful performance out of him? Could you also tell us about the film’s casting process and specifically how you casted for the Chip character?

Except for Brian Murray and Park Overall, all the other roles were cast from sessions conducted by our wonderful casting director Cindi Rush and her associate Michele Weiss. I spent some time with them discussing the script and my taste in actors so that they could put together a smart pre-selection. We didn't see all that many actors for each role, so it gave me a chance to research each one and spend more time with each one in the audition room. There are few physical descriptions of the characters in the script, so one of my favorite memories of auditions is how incredibly diverse the pool of actors was for a single role. For the Chip character, we saw talented actors ranging from age six to nine. With Sebastian, he's that rare person I encounter from time to time who feels immediately familiar and comfortable. He felt the same way, and that goes a long way towards selling our relationship in the film. However selling the scene requires real skill on his part. He is able to take direction while still being very free and inspired. He also is very tuned in to what his scene partner is doing and will adjust his performance to play with them. We rehearsed a lot. We went on outings to the aquarium and to the Lego store. I made up some games to help him with his character and his accent. In the end, I'm not sure which of us had more fun.

Patrick Wang will be present for a Q&A!

Sat, Apr 14th at 7:30pm

IN THE FAMILY

2011, Patrick Wang, USA, 169 min.

With Patrick Wang, Brian Murray

6 Things You Should Know About: H.P. Mendoza (I Am A Ghost, Yes We're Open)

FAAIM — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 21:09:14 +0000

I first met H.P. Mendoza and Rich Wong in Toronto in 2006, at a screening of their film Colma: The Musical. I was in town to play a show for the Reel Asian Film Festival, and just HAD to see their film, because I lived near Colma at the time. I was recording a lot of demos of songs in my bedroom when I saw this, and was blown away that someone could take the songwriting process a few steps further than just pressing CD's and selling them online, or at shows; that one could make a marriage of film and music with a genuine DIY/Indie Rock feel to it. H.P. was kind enough to answer some questions about scary movies, and his creative process. - Goh Nakamura

1. Top 5 scariest movies

In no particular order: The Exorcist, The Shining, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Alien, and The Haunting (the 1961 film by Robert Wise, not the awful 1999 remake by Jan de Bont).

2. What kinds of things scare me

The obvious preoccupations I had are somewhat common, like ghosts and serial killers. But there were a handful of things that really actually haunted me. I used to play this trick on myself, as a kid, in which I'd make myself aware of my awareness. Then everything that would happen before my eyes felt like a dream, or a movie, or reliving a memory. I used to be afraid that whenever I was having fun with my friends, I was actually just stuck in a memory or a dream and that the real situation is that I have no friends and I'm alone. Then, when I hit the 3rd grade, I used to have a fear that my emotions weren't real and we're nothing more than a computer program. I used to freak myself out by fantasizing about ripping off my flesh and revealing a circuit board. And the biggest fear I had as as child, because I went to Catholic school for eight years, was the idea of nothing after death. We were always told, every day, about the afterlife – and I remember thinking, "What if they're lying?"

3. Which came first, music or filmmaking?

Filmmaking was definitely first, as far as dreams and aspirations go. I used to make flipbooks, as a kid, and use my stuffed animals to make Super-8 films of The Wizard of Oz part 2, or Mary Poppins part 2, or even The Hobbit part 2. (I was a child and had never heard of The Lord of the Rings.) I never thought of myself as a musician since I was the only one in the family who never received any formal training. But I was the only one who obsessed over piano and would play video game theme songs by ear, the first one being The Legend of Zelda followed by King's Quest 3. It wasn't until my junior year of high school, when I decided I'd write the high school musical, that I realized that maybe people like the songs I make. And even then, as I wrote songs for my musicals, I dreamed of them being in the films I'd someday make.

4. Do you think visually when you write music? (And vice versa.)

Wow, I've never had to think about my process much. I don't think that I think visually when I write music. It's a completely different part of my body that I'm using that's completely shapeless. But when I write scripts or edit or direct, I think musically. Wow, that's weird, huh? If I stop and think about it, it's like my filmmaking activity is an intense function of my brain and eyes while the music seems to come a general shapeless part of my body. I wonder what that says about me, if anything at all.

5. What are your influences in scriptwriting?

It depends on the script. Generally, I'm attracted to Orson Welles, Woody Allen, David Mamet, Alexander Payne, Paul Schrader, The Cohen Brothers...but I've never set out to make a script that resembles anything that they would do. When I write scripts, I really just have stories that I want to tell, but I write the screenplays the way I'd write a letter to a good friend – I know the function of the letter, but I want to make sure I have his or her attention throughout the page. And I want to make sure that I make him or her laugh in the way that only I know how. I realize that I have a very specific sense of humor, and I'm only parroting what people have told me since I can't pinpoint what that sense of humor is; and not everyone is going to find it funny. Some people find it mean, some people find it arrogant. And that's all right. I didn't write the letter to them.

6. Do you have any insights on the film community in San Francisco?

Not really. I don't really have my finger on the pulse, and I generally think that the only filmmakers I meet in San Francisco are other DIY, cheapo, insular, obsessive types, especially the ones doing documentaries or experimental film. I'm also not always willing to "talk the talk", so I rarely engage in discussions at filmmaker parties where everyone talks about "who shot what with what camera", so maybe I'm missing out on the cinematic zeitgeist in San Francisco. But the circle of local filmmakers I do know in the Bay Area have all had distribution over the past six years, and we've all worked on each other's movies, so maybe there is a community after all.

H.P. will be present for the screening of I Am A Ghost and the Yes, We're Open - Sun, April 15th screening, along with Actress/Producer Theresa Navarro for a Q&A!

I Am A Ghost - Fri, Apr 13th at 8:30pm

2012, H.P. Mendoza, USA, 72 min.

With Anna Ishida, Jeannie Barroga

Yes, We're Open - Sun, April 15th at 6:00 pm

and April 19th (Closing Night Film) at 8:45

2011, Richard Wong, USA, 80 min.

With Lynn Chen, Parry Shen, Sheetal Sheth, Kerry McCrohan

Five Things You Should Know About: Open Season and Filmmakers Mark Tang and Lu Lippold.

FAAIM — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 07:06:00 +0000

Cinema Asian America: Filmmakers Mark Tang and Lu Lippold On Their Documentary ‘Open Season’

by Chi-hui Yang (originally on Comcast Cinema Asian America on October 15, 2011)

In late 2004 while hunting in northern Wisconsin, Hmong American Chai Vang shot eight white hunters, killing six of them. The event shocked the nation and brought into national conversation the long-standing tension between Hmong and white communities in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Conflicting reports emerged. Was the incident a product of racial animosity? Was Vang defending himself as he claimed, or did he attack the hunters? What exactly happened in the Wisconsin forest and what were the larger social dynamics which would produce such a devastating confrontation? Minnesota-based filmmakers Mark Tang and Lu Lippold’s new documentary, "Open Season" examines the complex roots and explanations for the incident, going beyond news reportage to paint a nuanced portrait of the tragedy.

"Open Season" is a film which you have spent five years making, and which unpacks the very complex and messy dynamics of race, class and assimilation which have developed between the Hmong and white communities in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Can you tell us a bit about why this film was so important for you to make?
MT:
The immediate reactions to the tragedy were mostly divided across racial and cultural (rural vs. urban) lines. The two communities involved were subjected to intense media scrutiny in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy. I felt that there was an urgent need to document the unfolding events and to provide a more balanced and nuanced look beneath the media sound bites and stereotyping. As a Chinese immigrant myself, I can understand the impact of one member’s action on the entire Hmong and Asian American communities throughout the Midwest. I believe that as a democracy we all lose if we don’t look past simplistic notions of good and evil and confront our own uncomfortable notions and feelings about other people. Hopefully the film can provide a space for viewers to process their own feelings that got stirred up by this tragic event.
LL:
The shooting incident took place near a cabin that my parents have been going to for years. It always seemed to me to be a peaceful, beautiful place. The tragedy shattered my notions of a pleasant life "up north" — I had been unaware of the tensions between Hmong and white hunters. So when Mark asked me if I’d co-direct the documentary, I was eager to work on something that I hoped would create greater understanding between cultures. In retrospect, I’m not so sure it was a great idea.
The film creates discomfort in many of its viewers because of the murky political and cultural terrain which it examines. An examination of Chai Vang’s actions is neither straightforward nor black and white and in many ways, provokes more questions than it answers. You sought to present a balanced look at this event, and to understand its root causes. Tell us how you approached dealing with such a complex and nuanced story.
MT:
Giving a lot more time to it, LOL! It’s true in the sense that we were still around for a long time after the news trucks had all packed up and left. We tried to understand and bring out voices from both parties and communities impacted by this tragedy. Most of all we tried to be respectful to people’s losses and help them to speak their mind. To explore more fully the issues brought up by this painful event could make a whole TV mini-series!
LL:
We tried to avoid exacerbating the conflict; we just asked people to talk about their perceptions. People were suspicious of us as documentary filmmakers, and rightly so! They didn’t know where we were going with the story, and they wanted to know whose "side" we were on. The absolute truth is that we didn’t really have a "side," except that we were dedicated to the idea that this kind of tragedy shouldn’t have happened, must not happen again, and that communication between individuals and cultures is crucial to harmony, both in the woods and in the world. That’s a goal that everyone can get behind.
The events examined in Open Season occurred in 2004, and Chai Vang is now serving life in prison. How have relations between Hmong and Anglo communities in Wisconsin and Minnesota been affected by his actions?
MT
: The tragedy raised the public’s awareness that there are people other than white hunters enjoying the woods and that there are tensions and misunderstandings that should have been addressed from the get-go. Field reports indicate that generally people are more mindful and respectful of each other’s presence in public lands. There were still a few incidents and harassments of Hmong hunters the year after because of overzealous vigilantes and law-enforcement efforts. And of course a Hmong hunter was brutally murdered by an openly racist local in the Green Bay area a few years later. For me it illustrates that it’s not enough for the DNRs to educate Hmong hunters on hunting rules, it’s more important that there should be a more comprehensive approach in our education system for people to understand how to be respectful of each other in a multi-ethnic society.
LL:
It’s amazing how awareness of the incident remains extremely high. There’s no deer hunter in the Midwest who hasn’t heard about it. Hmong kids who were very young when it happened have grown up hearing about it. Evidence of whether relations between the cultures has improved is mostly anecdotal, so we can’t really say whether things are improving. One effect of the tragedy I’ve noticed has to do with trespassing: people who have always been very concerned about trespassing are even more concerned about it now. People are even more worried about strangers trespassing on their property, and they’re more careful not to trespass on others’ property. I think there’s a wariness that has increased, for better or for worse.
There are quite significant Hmong and SE Asian communities in Wisconsin and Minnesota, however, the exposure most Americans have had to them has been through Clint Eastwood’s recent film Gran Torino. Can you tell us a bit more about the Hmong media making communities?
MT
: There’s always been a thriving Hmong-American media culture. The Hmong people have been in the US for a little over 30 years. In Minnesota we have had a state senator and representative who are Hmong American. In the early days Hmong filmmaking had been focused to satisfy mostly the needs of 1st generation Hmong folks who missed their homeland and language. The community has always been very supportive of the younger filmmakers’ effort by buying up each new release of a feature love story or an action kung fu drama. We are seeing more modern independent efforts whose stories integrate more with the American milieu and genres coming from young and upcoming film school-trained independents in the Midwest and in California.
LL:
I work at IFP Media Arts, which is a filmmaker support organization. In the past few years, we’ve seen more and more films from Hmong-American filmmakers, some that address Hmong cultural issues and some that don’t. It used to be unusual to see the surnames "Lo" or "Vang" or "Xiong" on a film project, but not anymore. In theater, music, and journalism as well, there’s a huge amount of talent in the Hmong community
What are you working on next?
MT
: A narrative feature on the travails of a Chinese bone collector in the gold-mining days in the American West.
LL:
I’m not making any more films. I’ve had it.

OPEN SEASON weds april 11 6:00pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceQ_j5TgKOY&feature=player_embedded

YouTube - Videos from this email

Five Things You Should Know About: Suite Suite Chinatown and Project Director Aram Collier.

FAAIM — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 04:35:15 +0000

SUITE SUITE CHINATOWN presents the theme of "What is your Chinatown?" by a group of artistically diverse, promising, award-winning Chinese Canadian filmmakers. What results is a collaboratively produced multi-genre cinematic vision of Chinatown where anything is possible and the unexpected shall be expected. Overseeing the project is our friend Aram Siu Wai Collier, whose work has appeared in our festival numerous times.

By Kevin Lim

1) As the Project Director, could you share with us the impetus for this project? You pull together a very unique group of filmmakers with expertise in various forms of new media, including doc, animation, experimental and performance art. How did you go about selecting these filmmakers? Was it difficult to synthesize a coherent project given that the group came from such diverse backgrounds? How did you manage the day-to-day logistics of communicating and collaborating effectively?

Aram: I’d been working at Reel Asian International Film Festival for a few years on their programming committee and we had been seeing and programming a bunch of work from young Chinese Canadian filmmakers. Over time I got to know them all pretty well. So I thought it’d be great to produce a larger project where we all worked on it together. Finding an appropriate theme was the challenging part, it should have something relevant to us all coming together to make something and I found that Chinatown was often just a theme of our conversations and place we would reference. It’s a place we all had a relationship to in some way or another and also a theme that was accessible to many inside and outside the Chinese community.
There was and always is a challenge to synthesize omnibus work, especially considering the amount of styles involved. We were no different but the music brings it together the most effectively and is probably the most consistent element.　　　

2) Suite Suite Chinatown is a unique project because it continues to change as it tours around the world. Could you share with us in what ways the project has evolved?

Aram: The project is constantly evolving in exciting ways. It had a constant ebb and flow during production and changes every time we perform a new version. We’ve set it up so that every time it’s in a new city we partner with a different musician to create an entirely new score, so it’s been really exciting to hear the different versions. And each musician has their own interpretation of the themes. We’ve worked with Jack Tung, John Poon, Jason Min, Jon Monteverde, Zen Lu- all amazing artists and so unique. The collaboration with them furthered the collaborative spirit of the original project. Also, I’d be remiss to not mention that our original musical collaborators were the Mary Ward Catholic High School Stage Band—yeah, a high school band! They were wonderful collaborators to work with and very talented committed young people. When we did another Toronto screening Mary Ward was unavailable, so we enlisted University of Toronto School String Ensemble, who was equally impressive and their string arrangement made for a completely different sound, so there it also changed and was really exciting to see. I’m hoping to work on a soundtrack!

3) Last month, Filipino Canadian Romeo Candido’s Prison Dancer premiered at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival. Like SSC, Prison Dancer was also an interactive/collaborative new media project. A few days before the premiere, the director of the Canadian Film Centre Media Lab, Ana Serrano, was a guest speaker at SFIAAFF’s industry summit to discuss the future of Asian North American media. Could you comment about what appears to be a very strong new media focus coming out of Canada. How do you think projects like Prison Dancer andSSC might inspire or give rise to more new and exciting new media possibilities?

Aram: Prison Dancer is much more of a ‘new media’ project than SSC is. In fact, SSC is more like an "old media" project in that it’s more like a silent movie in the old days of cinema w/ the live musician playing the score.

But Canada in general is a very strong incubator of work that experiments with form - People like Ana have long championed pushing the envelope and how we see work, they definitely did that with Prison Dancer. I think the arts council funding has contributed somewhat to the tradition of experimenting. Artists have some more authority to make their own work. But also perhaps because there’s no Canadian Hollywood or capital "I" industry to push your work to (at least in English Canada), you’ve got to think of alternative channels to produce in. That or you just go get famous in America.

4) Suite Suite Chinatown was a project supported and funded by the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival. In previous years, through pitch competitions and mentoring programs, Reel Asian has done a great job in supporting new and emerging filmmakers. Does RA plan on continuing to commission projects like SSC? And if so, what types of projects in particular do you think are important for the organization to promote?

Aram: The film wasn’t funded by Reel Asian International Film Festival, but by the Canada Council for the Arts (one of the arts councils I mentioned earlier) and it wouldn’t have been possible but for the CCA’s support, or Reel Asian’s for that matter. It is definitely part of our plan to support Asian Canadian filmmakers by commissioning new work. It can be a big support to filmmakers like us, that extra boost of support.

5) Has the film screened in Asia? Do you think it plays differently to Asian audiences? And what’s next for Suite Suite Chinatown?

Aram: We showed the film in Shenzen and Guangzhou. I wasn’t there so I can’t speak specifically to it but from what I heard they did relate to it in a good way. Furthermore they were interested in our very much 2nd generation diasporic experience. Which is refreshing to hear. They were curious as to why there were not more traditional instrumentation; funny to hear that because I thought they’d be more progressively minded. It’s usually us in North American trying desperately to hold on to traditions.

I’m not sure what’s next for the project. It’s been the little engine that could, it’s kept going and going. And it was a very littleengine to start with and it’s gone places I never thought it would and I’m really grateful to all those who’ve supported it.

SUITE SUITE CHINATOWN
2010, Aram Siu Wai Collier, Canada, 37 min.

featuring Lesley Loksi Chan, Lillian Chan, Aram Siu Wai Collier, Heather Keung, Serena Lee, Howie Shia, and Joyce Wong.

^{Suite Suite Chinatown is part of the Sight and Sound : films with live soundtracks
In additon, musicians Arthur Yeung and Jon Monteverde will perform a live soundtrack to the films.
Sunday April 8th Aram Siu Wai Collier will be present for an audience Q & A.}

Five Things You Should Know About: Knots and Director Michael Kang

FAAIM — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 01:44:27 +0000

Director Michael Kang and Knots Writer/Actress Kimberley-Rose Wolter

Michael Kang has been a favorite of the festival, with his movies THE MOTEL (2005) starring Sung Kang, and WEST 32ND (2007) with John Cho and Grace Park. This year he's back with a comedy called KNOTS featuring writer/actress Kimberly-Rose Wolter and re-teaming him with Sung Kang, but in a goofier mood. -Tim Hugh

by Vince Pham

1) Your previous movies (The Motel and West 32nd) took place at off-highway motel and New York City respectively. What was it like filming in Hawaii?

MK: Hawaii was everything you think it would be. We had an incredibly tight production schedule (10 days!) and shot on every point of Oahu including infiltrating a live luau. We had an amazing cast and crew that were game for it and what they say about the aloha spirit is true. I think the one thing that helped me get through it was the ability to jump in the ocean every night after we wrapped and take a midnight cleansing swim. I forced as many people from the film that were down to do it with me and by the end we were all swimming every night to get us ready for the next day.

2) This film looks like it’s full of rich female characters in quirky yet increasingly familiar family situation. Can you describe the experience directing such a diverse cast?

MK: I had a great time with the cast. My other two films are very male-centric, so I was hungry for the challenge to take on a female story. What I found though was that all my films are ultimately just people stories. The biggest battle in directing is knowing who to cast and if you do that right, your job on set actually becomes very easy. I was very fortunate to be able to work with everyone in the cast. There were folks that I had worked with before and ones we found by stroke of luck, they all ended up being the perfect choices not only for the roles but for maintaining great energy on and off set.

3) This is your second time working with Sung Kang (most notably in The Motel). More recently, he’s been in movies like Fast Five. What’s it like working with him in this type of movie?

MK: For years, I had told Sung that he needed to do more comedy. Most people know him as the smokey, tall, dark and mysterious bad-ass. But to me, one of his strongest traits is his ability to be goofy. It was a great reunion because we were both so green on The Motel and were still figuring out how to approach our craft. When we got back together, we had both been through a lot and were able to bring that to the table while also remembering the reason we wanted to get into this business in the first place. It was great also because we can now communicate on set in shorthand... or even shorter-hand if such a thing exists.

4) This movie seems like a great little indie romantic comedy. Would you describe the movie as a great first date movie or an awesome 2nd date movie?

MK: I think it is the perfect film for those couples that are in love but have commitment issues. The message of the movie is ultimately that love is more important than marriage.

5) Why is it a great idea to watch Knots at the 17th Annual Chicago Asian American Showcase?

MK: In the spirit of most indie film, you can't forecast the future of this movie. Hopefully, it'll find a way to get out there in the world in a wider release, but there are no guarantees. So there may not be another chance to see the film in a theater the way it was designed to be watched. It's also a black sheep in terms of indie films because it isn't dark and brooding and overly self-serious. The film is a fun little story about family, love and wedding arrangements. So the audience gets the best of both worlds: they can fill up on their indie street cred while watching something that won't make them feel like hiding in a dark corner in existential angst.

KNOTS - Saturday, April 7 at 8:15 & Thursday April 12 at 8:30

2011, Michael Kang, USA, 76 min.

with Illeana Douglas, Kimberly-Rose Wolter, Sung Kang

Preceded by:

INSTANT SLAPPING
2011, Masahiro Sugano, USA, 14 min.
With Mia Park, Elliot TaeSoon Kahng

Five Things You Should Know About: Daylight Savings and Director Dave Boyle

FAAIM — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 06:17:16 +0000

Dave Boyle has been "one to watch" since he burst into the indie film scene in 2006 with BIG DREAMS LITTLE TOYKO. Since then, he's wowed audiences and built up a following with WHITE ON RICE, SURROGATE VALENTINE, and now with DAYLIGHT SAVINGS. He has an obvious gift for comedy, but it's quirky characters and spot on casting that make his films standout. - Tim Hugh

5 things you should know about DAYLIGHT SAVINGS and director Dave Boyle

1) Your film SURROGATE VALENTINE played our festival last year, and
you already have a sequel done. Did you know, when you were shooting
the first film that you had a sequel in mind?

DB: It was in the back of my mind, but it wasn't until near the end of
post-production that I felt strongly that the story could continue. I
am a big fan of the Antoine Doinel series, which revisited the main
character every few year in films like "The 400 Blows," "Stolen
Kisses" and "Bed and Board." I would love to be able to cinematically
"check in" on Goh every few years with a new adventure.

2) What are the benefits and/or challenges of directing non-actors.
Specifically musicians?

DB: The challenges are mostly technical. Trained actors understand how to
hit their marks and move for the camera, but non-actors sometimes have
an authenticity that is difficult to fake. If you give a non-actor
too many technical notes, that's all they can think about and the
performance suffers. It's better to work in a way that makes them
comfortable and just do your best to capture the performance.

Musicians at least have some performance experience, and also
sometimes "act" in music videos or the like. So it's not as hard as
working with someone who has never had any kind of history in the arts
at all. I was blown away by how natural Yea-Ming Chen was in her
screen debut. The entire crew was impressed with how much
professionalism and polish she had despite never having worked on a
movie.

3) I noticed you cast your extras really well, who are usually
non-actors too. What's your secret?

DB: I try to go in without any preconceived notions, and use the resources
that are available, and especially to be open to happy accidents.
Rich Brown, who has a bit part as the Sheriff in "Daylight Savings" is
an actual deputy in San Juan Bautista. I had never met him before he
showed up to shoot that part. He was terrific. I think if we had
done a casting call for a cop, and rented some crummy "Hot Cop"
uniform, it would have been totally unconvincing.

4) You have played a lot of film fests with your last four films. Do
you get to see a lot of films? Are there any indie films that you've
seen recently that stand out to you?

DB: I love Patrick Wang's film "In the Family." I saw it last year at the
San Diego Asian Film Festival, where it rightly won 2 awards. It's a
great movie, and to see it get recognized by the Independent Spirit
Awards and film critics was really heartening. If I had to pick only
one, that's the one I'd go with!

5) What are your future projects?

I'm working on a thriller in Japan called "Osaka Bay Blues," which I'm
really excited about. I'm also doing a film called "Man From Reno."

OPENING NIGHT FILM!

Friday, April 6th, 8:15pm (repeating April 11th, 8:15pm):

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS

(aka SURROGATE VALENTINE 2)

2011, Dave Boyle, USA, 73 min.

With Goh Nakamura, Yea-ming Chen, Michael Aki, and Ayako Fujitani.

Five Things You Should Know About: Daylight Savings and musician/actor Goh Nakamura.

FAAIM — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 08:38:27 +0000

On a chilly Chicago November in 2009, Goh Nakamura and I went to see Dave Boyle and his movie WHITE ON RICE that was playing at the Gene Siskel Film Center. Later that night over pizza, Dave asked Goh if he wanted to be in a movie. Thinking it was a joke, or just a cameo appearance, Goh said sure, why not? Dave laid out a synopsis, of which would soon become SURROGATE VALENTINE, the breakaway hit of 2011. Dave and Goh are back again with the follow-up flim…DAYLIGHT SAVINGS.

5 things you should know about DAYLIGHT SAVINGS and musician/actor Goh Nakamura

1) in surrogate valentine, your character seemed to be a more

"natural" you, but in daylight savings, you're darker and brooding.

Was it easier for you to "act" in this movie, because you weren't

being "yourself"?

Goh: No, it was harder. Dave definitely wanted to challenge me this time

around, so he made the "fictional Goh" a lot different from me.

2) was there any scene that you shot that didn't make it into the

movie that you wished had?

Goh: Yes, a Skype monologue that I wrote for

Ayako Fujitani. She did such a great job, but it didn't fit the final

edit. I'm hoping to incorporate it into a short film.

3) in Surrogate Valentine, you were surrounded by professional actors

(Lynn Chen, Parry Shen, Chad Stoops), but in Daylight Savings, a good

portion of the film is you and another musician now turned actor,

Yea-Ming Chen (from the band DREAMDATE). Were you friends beforehand,

and did it help with your chemistry in the movie?

Goh: Yes, I've been a fan of Yea-Ming and her band Dreamdate for years. I played a few

shows with her, and we always had a blast joking around backstage. I

felt really comfortable talking and hanging out with her, so I had a

bit of a "Eureka!" moment one day while driving around. There was a

female singer songwriter written into the script, and I just knew she

was the one to play that character.

4) i've really liked the music and scoring that you've provided for

both movies, is there any chance that you'll release it?

Goh: Yes, I just released a double soundtrack CD called "Motion from the Music Picture"

that I funded via Kickstarter! You can get it through film festivals,

or exclusively through our current Kickstarter project.

5) Will there ever be a movie where Goh Nakamura ends up happy?

Goh: If I win the lottery in real love or real life, yes. Actually, I'm

writing the third, and final Surrogate Valentine chapter this month.

It will tie things up nicely.
(note: below is a fake commercial featured in the Daylight Savings film,
where Goh's song gets licensed to an imaginary anti-depressant called "Relatrix")

Some Things You Should Know About Tim Hugh and the Festival

FAAIM — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 07:10:38 +0000

This is Tim Hugh and his dog Helga in his kitchen in Chicago. Tim has run the only Asian American Indie Film Fest (i.e. no "imports") for 12 of the 17 years that it's been in existence. In this picture, he's a one man bandleader- running it solo, something I can relate to as a solo musician. I'm in town to promote my film "Daylight Savings" which premiered at SXSW this year, and will be the opening night film this year. Joining me at the screening will be Michael Aki, who plays my cousin in the film. I met Mike at this very festival in 2010, when he was showing his films Sunsets that he directed with Eric Nakamura, and his Film Noir tribute "Strangers".

I asked Tim a bunch of questions:

Goh: Why is this festival important?

Tim: It's one of the only festivals that shows only Asian American films; produced, directed and/or about the Asian American experience. In the midwest more so than the coastal states, you're constantly asked that stupid question "Where are you from?"... so it's important to help define what being Asian and American is. I'm a fourth generation Chinese American. In the midwest, it's usually under the assumption that you're just "Asian"... and not "Asian American." When I see Causasian people I don't ask them "are you from Poland? are you European?" I just see them for who they are, not what they look like.

Goh: How did you get involved in the festival?

Tim: I was just a fan of the band Seam, and Sooyoung Park, Ben Kim and Billy Shin started the festival in 1995 after they released the Ear of the Dragon CD, which was the first Asian American Rock Compliation. I'd always go and watch everything I could. I'd never seen films like this before; Asian American characters that spoke like me; the actors weren't forced to speak with a bad accent. I could relate to these images and characters that I was seeing at this festival. I became obsessed and would watch everything I could, whether it be a feature, documentary, or shorts program. I just wanted to see as much as I could, because I knew I'd never get a chance to see these movies again. Plus, being able to meet the directors and hear them speak about their films was one of the coolest things for me. I remember hanging out with Justin Lin, back when he was just a shorts director. They noticed me being there year after year, and began to recognize me. Eventually, they would ask me to do little things like hand out program booklets, take tickets, watch the table, and take pictures during the Q&A's. Basically, I became a volunteer. I remember standing there back in the day giving out Giant Robot magazines!

Goh: So you "inherited the festival?"

Tim: Yeah, pretty much. Billy and Sooyoung both moved away at the same time for jobs, so they asked me if I could help out Ben Kim, the other founder of the festival. Then Ben moved away too, so I was the only left by default. I was basically the last person left standing.

Goh: So you basically are looking for a young version of you to help you out?

Tim: Ha! That would be nice.

Goh: Any final thoughts?

Tim: I think it's important to provide the audience with these narrative films and documentaries that they'd ordinarily not be able to see, but also to to give the filmmakers and films an outlet and a vehicle for their films to be seen. I think the film festivals are an important resource for students, educators, and community organizations to learn about issues through the films and filmmakers. The images on the screen help to define who we are as Asian Americans, not just "Asians."

Goh: You've been doing this for a long time. How have things changed?

Tim: During the late 90's there was what we called a "Yellow Power Movement" happening in Chicago. It seemed like young people from the East and West Coasts where all moving here, not only because of bands like Seam, and the Chicago indie rock scene that was happening at the time, but also the spoken word group "I was Born With Two Tongues" was breaking here. This all happened as our festival was growing. It felt like a great time to be Asian American in Chicago. The support system was much better.

Goh: Why is that?

Tim: I think there was more cohesion. Everyone was really proud and supportive of what other people were doing. Eventually, we had even started the Asian American Artists Collective in Chicago, that brought in more people from different disciplines to work together and share ideas.

Goh: You don't feel that anymore?

Tim: It's just different. Everything seems to be more fragmented, and segmented. It's possible I'm just getting older too, but maybe I just don't see communities supporting each other as much.

Goh: Maybe it's because facebook scatters people. Destroys the attention span.

Tim: It makes them feel connected without actually have to interact with actual people. Maybe it's a comment on society- not that it's a bad thing, people just seem to interact and support each other differently now. Hell, you've been coming to support our festival even before you were involved in movies.

Goh: I was interested in your festival because it had such a strong music background, and I also liked that you do things differently. You're fighting the good fight.

Tim: Thanks. If you or someone you love is near Chicago, please come and check it out for yourself! Here's the lineup for 2012. Don't forget to check out "Animal Style" a shorts program curated by Giant Robot's own Martin Wong

Five Things You Should Know About: No Look Pass and Director Melissa Johnson

FAAIM — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 06:48:30 +0000

With “LINSANITY” just breaking, the story about another Asian American point guard coming out of HARVARD Basketball might be sounding a little familiar…But NO LOOK PASS tells the story of Emily Tay, and her dreams of playing professional women’s basketball in Europe. This was the last film selected for our Showcase, and is one of my personal favorites! - Tim Hugh

5 Things you should know about…NO LOOK PASS and director Melissa Johnson

1) At first glance your film might seems like a sports documentary, but it’s really so much more personal deeper coming of age story. How would you describe your film to someone?

MJ: NO LOOK PASS is a story about figuring out where you belong in the world. Emily Tay is a kid with extraordinary talent who is trying to live HER version of the American Dream, which is very different than that of her Burmese parents who came to this country with $65 dollars to their name. Basketball is Emily's ticket out of Chinatown -- to Harvard, then to Europe. It's her vehicle for self-discovery and seeing the world.

2) Your subject - Emily Tay, is pretty candid about things like her family life, sexuality and stuff that normally I would think people would want to keep private. How hard was it to get her to open up in front of the camera?

MJ: I'm so grateful that Emily chose to tell her story with me on camera -- I hold that trust as sacred especially concerning the sensitivities around a person's sexuality and family life. We had many conversations late into the night about the risks she was taking by participating in NO LOOK PASS. I had to empower her to be in the driver's seat throughout the entire process.

At the start of one interview when I asked her how things were going with her folks she got emotional about what she called "the whole gay thing." It felt like too much, so I called cut -- but she insisted that we keep rolling, that even though this was hard for her she had to say these things on camera. Despite the very real fear for how her parents could react, Emily has been fiercely determined to help other young people who are struggling in similar circumstances.

3) You were the captain of your Harvard’s Women Division 1 basketball team. How did your film come about?

MJ: I fell in love with documentary films when I was 16 years-old and saw Hoop Dreams. (I recently got the chance to meet Director / Chicago native Steve James on the festival circuit a few months ago. Steve is the greatest.)

Throughout my entire career as a player I knew I wanted to tell a story about the role basketball played in growing up. I'm interested in how it shapes a person's identity and what it all means in the long run. Also, I wanted to show the world of women's sports as I knew it -- hilarious, irreverent, difficult, and fantastic amounts of fun.

I'm not gay or Burmese, but I'm 6'4'' tall and basketball sure as hell shaped me. You don't have to scratch the surface very hard to see how my experiences on the court inform so much about the way I operate in the world. There's a ton of overlap in directing a film -- the burning sense of mission, intense camaraderie and teamwork and pure physicality of shooting cinema verite style.

NO LOOK PASS evolved out of a short film I made about my former coach at Harvard, Kathy Delaney-Smith. ACT AS IF about Kathy's "fake it til you make it" philosophy which not only made her a championship coach after having been a synchronized swimmer in college -- but also helped her overcome breast cancer during my senior year there.

Emily Tay was one of a handful of players that I interviewed for ACT AS IF. During the interview I learned about Emily's story and immediately saw NO LOOK PASS. It was one of those bolts of lightening.

4) Harvard really isn’t known for filmmaking…what did you major in, and how did you end up a filmmaker?

MJ: Ha! Well, it isn't known for basketball either. Until recently with Lin-sanity, that is. (Jeremy Lin and Emily Tay are good buddies from the Big H -- they were one year apart.)

I majored in philosophy, which is useful for everything or nothing depending how you look at it. It wasn't possible for me to be in Harvard's film program because all of the studio courses conflicted with my practice schedule. So I worked film internships during the summer and over Spring Break, took film courses outside of Harvard and generally did a lot of grunt work like transcribing footage, hauling gear, driving vans...anything I could find. Eventually I worked my way up. Fortunately, there's no one way to become a filmmaker.

5) Your film has been playing to sold out crowds, earlier it won an award at the SF Indiefest, and now I hear it just won the audience favorite documentary at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival. Why should people in Chicago not miss your film?

Well...my sister Sarah likes to say, "You'll laugh, you'll cry -- it's better than CATS!"

I like the way your sister thinks...Thanks Melissa!

NO LOOK PASS – Saturday April 7 at 6:30pm and Monday April 9 at 7:45pm