As I sit here on the eve of the Showcase, nervously and anxiously anticipating what this year's festival brings. With so much uncertainty in the air, not just politically but with arts funding, cultural and social services being cut, I feel privileged to still be able to be part of our community. Most of you do not know, but we (The Foundation for Asian American Independent Media / Asian American Showcase) work on a volunteer basis with no sponsorship, federal or state funding. We are comprised of less than a handful of people and work on passion, love and the belief in what we are doing is good for our community, and year after year we strive to find you the best films that Asian America has to offer. We have the utmost gratitude and respect for our partner The Gene Siskel Film Center (and all of the staff) to help us make our dream a reality.

Pictured from left to right: Helga, Tim Hugh

Some Notes on the films:

The Tiger Hunter (Lena Khan) Starring Danny Pudi who some might know as Abed from the TV series Community, but most of you will know him from Chicago’s Asian American sketch comedy group - Stir Friday Night. This wacky comedy satirizes an ambitious immigrant’s plight while delivering a winning message about remaining true to your roots.

Motherland (Ramona S. Diaz) Premiered at Sundance this year and is directed by the awarding winning filmmaker Ramona S. Diaz whose other films include Imelda and Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey. The world’s busiest maternity hospital in Manila is the setting for this warm, immersive documentary providing a touching, enlightening, humorous and shocking portrait of motherhood stripped down to its most human essentials.

Resistance At Tule Lake (Konrad Aderer) reminds us of our US history and about our civil liberties and beliefs. Americans of Japanese ancestry, while interned, were forced answer a questionnaire which branded them disloyal to the US government.

Wexford Plaza (Joyce Wong) Winner of the CAAMFEST Comcast Narrative Film Award is possibly my favorite film of this year. Who doesn’t love a quirky and offbeat comedy that’s also witty and moving, just like it’s first time feature director Joyce Wong.

Light (Lenora Lee, Tatsu Aoki) I can’t say how excited I am to be able to bring this special presentation to you. In addition to the film itself about the life of Bessie M. Lee who came to NYC as an indentured servant, but was also responsible for New York’s Chinatown community, we’ll have a live performance of music and dance brought to you by Lenora Lee, Tatsu Aoki and friends. I can not tell you how important Tatsu has been to our community - not just as a musician, or filmmaker, but also an educator and a leader.

Finding Kukan (Robin Lung) A documentary about a documentary? It’s so much more as in telling the story of Li Ling-Ai and her extraordinary determination in making the 1941 Academy Award-winning documentary Kukan, but also Lung examines this important film and places its producer in her rightful place - a place that was denied to Li Ling-Ai at the time of Kukan’s release. Both this story and this film have much to tell us about gender, race, power, and the way that our society worked then and works now.

Gook (Justin Chon) An Audience Award winner at Sundance and CAAMFEST, Many of you might know director Justin Chon from acting in the Twilight Saga, or even last year’s showcase favorite Seoul Searching, but as the writer / director of Gook he offers a bold, honest, and compelling story, that’s also a nostalgia trip of the 1990’s. Nuanced and complex, this film is shockingly present and relevant today, 25 years after Rodney King.

Last but not least, please check out our art exhibit “Fierce Tidings: On Rage and Hope” presents work by contemporary Asian American and Asian Diasporic artists, drawing from their personal experiences of events relating to injustice and trauma. We’ll also have an artist pop-up shop where you can purchase other work from the artist involved.

We have an amazing selection of films this year, pass the word around and we hope to see you soon, and bring a friend or two!

If you can’t make it you can still support us by either buying a ticket or two online, then letting us know and we’ll donate it to one of our community groups or by making a donation thru our Paypal account.

http://www.faaim.org/donate/

A big shout out to Jonathan Laxamana, Huu Ly, Larry Lee and Lydia Fu, and the GENE SISKEL FILM CENTER without any of them, this would not have been possible!

Tim Hugh
Festival Director
Foundation for Asian American Independent Media

By Anum Syed (asyed55@hotmail.com)

What do Superman, Frodo Baggins, and Smith Bhatnagar have in common? They all come from humble beginnings and are in search for a sense of acceptance.

GROWING UP SMITH, directed by Frank Lotito, has been praised for its ability to transcend racial and class barriers in small town America. Anjul Nigam delivers a comical standout performance as head honcho Bhaaskar Bhatnagar, and his involvement in writing and producing the heart-warming film as told through the eyes of a young and optimistic immigrant has captivated audiences.

In honor of GROWING UP SMITH's screening at the Asian American Showcase on April 14th and at the Houston Asian American Film Showcase on April 29th, we had the opportunity to interview the talented Anjul Nigam:

I want to begin by congratulating you on Growing Up Smith’s success. With awards such as the Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature at CAAMFest, and the Audience Award Best Narrative Feature at the Woodstock Film Festival and Naples International Film Festival, why do you think Good Ol’ Boy has been so well received?

I believe there is a need for feel-good films that depict the human experience with humor and truth and are without explosions, profanity and violence. Our movie tells a story that is a tribute to first love, childhood heroes and growing up in Small Town, America... in simpler times. Our world today is filled with so much cynicism that Growing Up Smith offers a well-needed escape from this negativity.

A specific element which separates Growing Up Smith from other movies is its family-friendly approach. How important was it to you that the movie remain wholesome and why?

I have two kids, ages 12 and 6, and when we want to go see a film as a family, the only options we have are animated movies. While I enjoy a well-made cartoon movie, I believe there’s room for stories that can appeal to both kids and adults alike and still live in the real world.

Your portrayal of Bhaaskar Bhatnagar is incredibly witty and humorous. What inspired your character to be so outlandish yet relatable?

A lot of Bhaaskar is based on my own father. We immigrated to the U.S. (to Connecticut), when I was a kid, and I grew up with my parents wanting to preserve our Indian tradition while allowing us opportunities that would help us assimilate so that we would face as few obstacles as possible. Meanwhile, my father’s goal was never to be here permanently, but rather to become professionally established and then return to our homeland. Bhaaskar’s line, “We’ll go back and live the American Dream, in India” is borrowed directly from my father. I think it’s relatable because the immigrant experience is essentially universal in that it’s about finding home away from home.

All the characters in Growing Up Smith are multi-dimensional with their own personal struggles. Which character, aside from Bhaaskar Bhatnagar, do you feel is the most genuine and why?

I would say Smith, the Growing Up Smith himself. His adolescent experience is molded greatly by his parents. From the first moment we meet him, we see that his father is holding up a photograph of a girl Smith will marry when he turns twenty-two. And yet, he’s exposed to everything that America has to offer but his traditional Indian parents would never approve: Kentucky Fried Chicken (he’s from a vegetarian family), views of his hero Butch making out openly on the front lawn, and above all, Amy, his first love. The more Smith immerses himself in these opportunities thrown at him, the more we realize that they are a real part of growing up. And as he responds to them, we’re touched by his unabashed honesty. For instance, when he is so moved by Amy, he can’t help but share with his parents that “I love her!" Smith is an awkward boy, trying to fit in in his new home, and viewing the world with bewildered joy and expectation.

Is there a specific scene in Growing Up Smith that epitomizes your upbringing?

As one of the writers, I borrowed greatly from my own personal upbringing in an immigrant Indian family. There is scene where Smith is handed a traditional punishment known as utthak baithak and it is based on something my brothers and I grew up with. When we had done something wrong, my parents would reprimand us by having us hold our ears and squat up and down a designated number of times. It wasn’t a painful punishment; it was humiliating, and so the emotional impact was greater than being spanked.

Were you ever fearful that the portrayal of Indian immigrants in Growing Up Smith may come off as too stereotypical during the filming process?

Stereotypes are often based on truths and it can be difficult to avoid such a label when telling a story built on certain truths. Moreover, concerns about stereotypes are too often misplaced. The important questions to ask would be whether the characters we portray are three-dimensional and do they have a beginning, middle, and end? Do they fit in the story in an integral way? Roles that perpetuate a negative stereotype are those that are on the fringes of the story and not developed. As such, in Growing Up Smith, we made sure all the Indian immigrant characters are significant and substantial.

What are some movies that have inspired you to continue not only acting, but writing and producing as well?

I was inspired to become an actor by watching The Ten Commandments when I was eight. Charlton Heston in the role of Moses was my childhood hero. I was so moved by the performance, that after seeing the movie, I found a stick in my backyard and called it my staff. As my friends were playing cops and robbers, I was trying to open the Red Sea which was my lawn in Connecticut. From a writing/producing perspective, some of my favorite films are Stand By Me, Billy Elliot, Whale Rider and Big Night. They’re all intimate stories about the human experience, and they have inspirational themes.

“Consider your ethnicity a wardrobe. ...when you put on your favorite pair of jeans, you’ll always feel good about who you are, and others might see it too and want you part of their lives and work.”

While the number of Asian Americans in movies and arts has increased, there is still a considerable lack of diversity of roles given to Asian Americans. What are your thoughts on the lack of diversity?

The issue of diversity is quite complex. On the one-hand, we fight to have opportunities that are based on skill and colorblind to any ethnicity and race. On the other hand, when we see opportunities provided to a white majority in a similarly colorblind way, we tend to have an issue with that. Our world is based on classifications at all levels: male vs. female; white vs. brown vs. black, etc.; young vs. old; straight vs. gay. In implementing an affirmative action directive to a certain class, we’ll always have another form of class that hasn’t been addressed. Take for example, a character that is written as a police officer, and the character’s ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation are not relevant to the storyline. Do we cast the role with a view to affirmative action in all classes? If not, how do we decide which minority class we need to give special consideration to? Or do we just cast the best actor for the role? Is there a balance to be made in accurately reflecting our diverse world and still holding onto colorblind values? I’m not sure what the answers are, but I do know they’re not simple.

What would you say to encourage Asian Americans to continue to participate in the film making process?

Consider your ethnicity a wardrobe. It may not be relevant to some, but to others, the color of your pants may matter. You may not be able to change everybody’s taste, but when you put on your favorite pair of jeans, you’ll always feel good about who you are, and others might see it too and want you part of their lives and work.

Is there anything you would like to tell your fans and to encourage others to watch Growing Up Smith?

Growing Up Smith had a long journey to the screen. It’s a work of passion that was a rollercoaster ride in getting made. And so, it’s fitting that it takes the viewer on a ride, too. One that leaves you feeling inspired by an awkward little Indian boy.

Anjul Nigam to appear in-person at both screenings!

CHICAGO | APRIL 14 | 8:15 PM
21st Annual Asian American Showcase
The Gene Siskel Film Center
164 N State St, Chicago, IL 60601

Buy tickets - chicago

HOUSTON | APRIL 29 | 6:30 PM
Houston Asian American Film Showcase
14 Pews
800 Aurora St. Houston, TX 77009

Buy tickets - houston

Notes from The Festival Director Tim Hugh

Small town hero with an American Dream - Interview with Growing Up Smith’s Anjul Nigam