Festival
BAAFF 2008 Films
Opening Night
Saturday, October 18 at 8:00pm
Planet B-Boy
TRT (total running time): 95 minutes
Genre: Documentary
Year: 2007
Director & Writer: Benson Lee
Producer: Benson Lee and Amy Lo
Featuring: Skwall and Knucklehead Zoo
Synopsis: With compelling characters and vibrant dance sequences, Planet B-Boy is set in the International world of b-boying - the urban dance more commonly known as “breakdancing.” Weaving between the vivid backdrops of Osaka, Paris, Seoul and Las Vegas, spectacular choreography frames the intimate stories of dancers who struggle for their dreams despite being misunderstood by larger society and their own families.
An American dancer in Vegas looks for his big break; a Korean son seeks his father’s approval; a twelve-year-old boy in France confronts his family’s racism - all the b-boys’ lives collide in Germany where their skills are put to the ultimate test: the “Battle of the Year” finals, with crews from 18 nations vying for the title of World Champion. www.planetbboy.com/
Venue: BCNC/Josiah Quincy School
Address: 885 Washington St, Boston Chinatown
T: Orange Line-Tufts Medical Center
Co-Presenters: BCNC, Boston Progress Artist Collective, and NAAAP-Boston
Media sponsor: Hyphen Magazine
BAAFF Special Event
Opening Night VIP After Party
Saturday, October 18, 2008
10pm-12am
LOCATION TBA
$25 in advance/$30 at the door if not sold out
Includes Planet B-Boy Screening and VIP Gift Bag at After Party (Valued at $25+). A limited number of tickets are available. Be sure to get your tickets to this special event before it sells out!
Save the Date! Boston DVD Release Week Event in November with the filmmakers. Stay tuned for more info….
Sunday, October 19 at 6:00pm
Hollywood Chinese: The Chinese in American Feature Films
TRT (total running time): 90 minutes
Genre: Documentary
Year: 2007
Director: Arthur Dong
Producer: Arthur Dong
Screenwriter/writer: Arthur Dong
Featuring: Turhan Bey, Joan Chen, Tsai Chin
Synopsis: Hollywood Chinese is a captivating look at cinema history through the lens of the Chinese American experience. It weaves together a wondrous portrait of actors, directors, writers, and movie icons who have defined American feature films, from the silent era to the current new wave of Asian American cinema. At once entertaining and enlightening, Hollywood Chinese reveals long-untold stories behind the Asian faces that have graced the silver screen, and weaves a rich and complicated tapestry, one marked by unforgettable performances and groundbreaking films, but also by a tangled history of race and representation. http://www.deepfocusproductions.com/HollywoodChinese/
Venue: Museum of Fine Arts
Address: Avenue of the Arts, 465 Huntington Avenue, Boston 617-267-9300
Venue link/directions: http://www.mfa.org/visit/index.asp?key=4
T: Green E Line-Museum of Fine Arts
Co-Presenters: BCNC, Chinese Historical Society of New England, OCA New England
WOMYN’S NIGHT
Monday, October 20, 7:00pm
Too Much Plaid
TRT (total running time): 20 minutes
Genre: Dramatic Comedy
Year: June 2008
Director: Caroline Le
Synopsis: Short dramatic comedy about a woman that breaks up with all her partners because she’s afraid of commitment. Fimmaker Caroline Le, a graduate student at Emerson College, will be present for this screening.
The Grace Lee Project
TRT (total running time): 68 min
Genre: Documentary
Year: 2005
Director: Grace Lee
Producer: Grace Lee and Amy Ferraris
Screenwriter/writer: Grace Lee and Amy Ferraris
Featuring: Grace Lee
Synopsis: Korean American filmmaker Grace Lee wonders why everyone assumes that all Grace Lees were reserved, dutiful, piano-playing overachievers. The film follows a highly unscientific investigation into all those Grace Lees who break the mold.
www.gracelee.net
Venue: Simmons College
Address: Linda K. Paresky Conference Center
Venue link/directions: http://simmons.edu/visit/directions.shtml
T: Green E Line-Museum of Fine Arts
Co-Presenters: ASPIRE, QAPA, Simmons Institute for Leadership and Change, Simmons Asian Student Association and Simmons Cinema and Media Studies
Wednesday, October 22 at 7:00pm
Kissing Cousins
TRT (total running time): 98 minutes
Genre: Comedy
Year: 2007
Director: Amyn Kaderali
Producer: Amyn Kaderali and Manish Goyal
Screenwriter/writer: Amyn Kaderali
Featuring: Samrat Chakrabarti, Rebecca Hazlewood, Gerry Bednob, Zack Ward, Jaleel White and David Alan Grier
Synopsis: In this funny, sassy romantic comedy, a young man employed as a “relationship termination specialist” enjoys his single life in Los Angeles amidst his newly engaged friends. But when his gorgeous British cousin visits, she tells everyone that she’s his girlfriend to help him fit in…until he falls for her. kissingcousinsmovie.com
Q&A with producer, Manish Goyal follows this screening.
Venue: MIT
Address: MIT Room 26-100, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
Venue link/directions: Directions to 26-100 from MBTA Subway and MIT Main Entrance
T: Red Line-Kendall Square
Co-Presenters: Network of South Asian Professionals and MIT Lecture Series Committee
Thursday, October 23 at 7:00pm
IMMIGRANT RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS NIGHT
Look Again
TRT (total running time): 7 minutes
Genre: Short Action-Drama
Year: 2008
Director: Jennifer Lin
Producer: Jennifer Lin
Screenwriter/writer: Jennifer Lin
Featuring: Jennifer Justice, Kevin Avery, and Sandra Young
Synopsis: This short narrative tackles obsolete immigration laws that leave same-sex bi-national couples June and Kelly little or no recourse when they want to stay together here in the U.S.
Help Save Maryland From What?
TRT (total running time): 10 minutes
Genre: short Documentary
Year: 2008
Director/Producer: Eric Byler & Annabel Park
Synopsis: The filmmakers hope to promote greater understanding and alleviate hostility in the nation, and wherever the immigration “issue” threatens a peaceful and productive society.
Straight Refugees
TRT (total running time): 75 minutes
Genre: Documentary
Year: 2006
Director: Ian White
Producer: Cardamom Media
Screenwriter/writer: N/A
Featuring: Cambodian Deportees, narrated by Boomer and Borom Chea
Synopsis: Documentary that tells the story of the forced repatriation of Cambodian-born US Refugees being sent back to Cambodia under a repatriation agreement forced in March 2002 between two countries. Under the deal, the U.S. is to deport about 2000 Refugees, currently there are 189 deported people. This film highlights the pain, suffering, confusion, and hope that many of these young deported people are experiencing in Cambodia.
Venue: MassArt Tower Auditorium
Address: 621 Huntington Ave., Boston
T: Green Line E train to Longwood
Q&A with director, Jennifer Lin follows this screening.
Co-Presenters: Deported Diaspora, JACL, QAPA, and Providence Youth Student Movement
Friday, October 24 at 8:00pm
SHORTS PROGRAM
GOOD THINGS COME IN SHORT PACKAGES
Laundromat
TRT (total running time): 12 minutes
Genre: Romantic drama
Year: April 2008
Director & Writer: Edward Gunawan
Producer: David Maurice Gil & Edward Gunawan
Featuring: Keo Woolford, Prince Gomolvilas, and Jack Ong
Synopsis: A Romantic dramedy about a young gay couple who realizes that the little things mean nothing and everything when it comes to love.
25th & Mission
TRT (total running time): 7 minutes
Genre: Experimental documentary
Year: 2007
Director: Julie Mallozzi
Producer: Julie Mallozzi
Screenwriter/writer: N/A
Featuring: N/A
Synopsis: What begins as abstract fields of color gradually emerges into a portrait of four tiny shops in a block of San Francisco’s Mission district. They are as diverse as the community around them: a Chinese-run laundry, a Salvadoran hair salon, a hipster tattoo parlor, an art gallery. As the camera hovers inches from its subjects, we realize that the shops are linked not only by location but by their inhabitants’ loving attention to beautifying the varied surfaces they work with. Filmmaker is Boston-based and will be in attendance.
Metro Es Para Todos
TRT (total running time): 10 minutes
Genre: Documentary
Year: 2006
Director: Eurie Chung
Producer: Huong Nguyen, Cha Viloria
Screenwriter/writer: Eurie Chung
Featuring: Hee Pok Kim
Synopsis: Eighty-something year old Hee Pok, “Grandma Kim,” recounts her growing sense of political involvement as a result of her activities with the Bus Riders’ Union. Through close interviews, we hear the inspiring story of Grandma Kim’s dedication to her lifelong dream of organizing for social justice.
Hurting Child
TRT (total running time): 10 minutes
Genre: Narrative
Year: 2007
Director: Rich Truong
Producer: Rich Truong
Screenwriter/writer: Rich Truong
Featuring: Rich Truong
Synopsis: A Vietnamese American man shares his experiences and journey of self discovery as a queer young adult. Film maker is a Boston-based young adult.
The Queer East Project
TRT (total running time): 6 minutes
Genre: Documentary
Year: 2007
Director: Mystic River Films
Featured interviews include: Mesma, Jacob Smith Yang, Melissa Li, Kit Yan, and Geeta Patel
Synopsis: The History Projects documentary, The Queer East celebrates Boston’s GLBT Asian community by recounting the stories of its members. The focal point of the exhibit is a series of innovative multimedia profiles that combine streaming video with text, photographs, and other visual elements including a searchable repository. Profile subjects share their insights on a broad range of topics related to their Asian identity and their sexuality, including issues related to family, racism, culture, politics, and relationships. http://www.queereast.com
Chinese Numbers, Cantonese Style
TRT (total running time): 3 minutes
Genre: Animation
Year: 2005
Director & Writer: Benjamin Chou
Featuring: Joe Ledoux (voice actor)
Synopsis: Animation on learning the Chinese pronunciations of the numbers 1 to 10 while understanding that some pronunciations have different meanings in the Cantonese Language.
Manoj
TRT (total running time): 13 minutes
Genre: Mockumetary
Year: 2007
Director: Zia Mohajerjasbi
Producer: Hari Kondabolu and Zia Mohajerjasbi
Screenwriter/writer: Hari Kondabolu
Featuring: Hari Kondabolu, Toby Crittenden, Carl Warmenhoven, David Cope, Thomas Shortliffe, Sarah Zoref, and Derek Schoomaker
Synopsis: Manoj is a short documentary about the life and remarkable success of Indian-born standup comedian, Manoj Krishnamurthy. What happens in America when you’ll do whatever it takes for a laugh and what if you don’t care? MANOJ examines race and self-representation in standup comedy and the cost of uncritical, exploitative art.
A Peace of Home
TRT (total running time): 5 minutes
Genre: Musical
Year: 2008
Director: Philip Wang
Featuring: Angela Do
Synopsis: A young girl finds a way to feel less homesick after moving from her home in the city to the suburbs.
Damn the Past!
TRT (total running time): 29 minutes
Genre: Musical
Year: 2007
Director: Juli Kang
Producer: Julien Favre
Screenwriter/writer: Juli Kang
Featuring: Jun Hee Lee and Annie Katsura Rollins
Synopsis: Mario Lee , auto mechanic who can sing but can’t talk, leads a lonely life fixing cars at the Miracle Auto Repair Shop until he falls in love with the boss’s daughter Gloria Kim. The path to true love isn’t easy when Gloria’s mother schemes to marry her off to Charlie Cho, who has conned his way into Mrs. Kim’s favor.
Venue: BCNC/Josiah Quincy School
Address: 885 Washington St, Boston Chinatown
T: Orange Line-Tufts Medical Center
Co-presenters: BCNC, MASALA, NAAAP-Boston, QAPA, and The History Project
Saturday, October 25 at TBA in the afternoon
Vincent Who?
TRT (total running time): 48 minutes
Genre: Documentary
Year: 2008
Directors: Tony Lam and Curtis Chin
Producer: Curtis Chin
Screenwriter/writer: Curtis Chin
Featured interviews include: Helen Zia, Renee Tajima Pena, Stewart Kwoh, Lisa Ling, Sumi Pendakur, Dale Minami, Doua Thor
Synopsis: In 1982, Vincent Chin was murdered in Detroit by two white autoworkers at the height of anti-Japanese sentiments. For the first time, Asian Americans around the country galvanized to form a real community and movement. This documentary, inspired by a series of town halls organized by Asian Pacific Americans for Progress on the 25th anniversary of the case, features interviews with the key players at the time, as well as a whole new generation of activists including five diverse young APA activists whose lives were impacted by Vincent Chin.. “Vincent Who?” asks how far Asian Americans have come since then and how far we have yet to go.
In attendance will be, producer and co-director Curtis Chin (featured in the documentary) is an award-winning writer and producer who has worked for ABC, NBC, Disney Channel and more. As a community activist, he co-founded the Asian American Writers Workshop and Asian Pacific Americans for Progress. A Q&A will follow the screening, and is being held in conjunction with the LEAP conference.
Venue: Northeastern University, 220 Dockser Hall, 65 Forsyth St.
T: Green E Line-Northeastern or Orange Line-Ruggles
Co-presenters: LEAP, OCA New England, BCNC and New England JACL
Saturday, October 25 at 8:00pm
West 32nd
TRT (total running time): 86 minutes
Genre: Crime, Drama
Year: 2007
Director: Michael Kang
Producer: Teddy Zee
Screenwriter/writer: Michael Kang and Edmund Lee
Featuring: John Cho, Jun Kim, Grace Park, and Jane Kim
Synopsis: “West 32nd” takes the cameras inside New York’s gritty Korean underworld. After hustling his way onto a homicide case, attorney John Kim (Cho) finds himself thrust into a sordid world of hard realities and moral compromises after he is taken under the wing of a ruthless Korean gangster who knows no limits.
Venue: Harvard University, Science Center C
Address: Cambridge
T: Red Line-Harvard Square
Co-Presenters: NAAAP-Boston and Harvard-Radcliffe Asian American Association
Media sponsor: Hyphen Magazine
The Closing Weekend After Party will take place following this screening, at the Hong Kong in Harvard Square.
Sunday, October 26 at 5:30pm
Santa Mesa
TRT (total running time): 82 minutes
Genre: Drama
Year: 2007
Director & Writer: Ron Morales
Producer: Louise Lovegrove and Karin Chien
Featuring: Jacob Shalov
Synopsis: Following his mother’s death, Hector arrives in Manila to live with his grandmother. Unable to speak Tagalog, Hector falls in with a street gang before a photographer takes him under his wing. Haunted by memories of his mother, Hector photographs an anonymous woman when suddenly, these seemingly disconnected lives collide. “SANTA MESA” is a warm tale about family values, love and friendship. It tackles life’s biggest challenge - growing up.
Venue: Brattle Theatre
Address: 40 Brattle St, Harvard Square
T: Red Line-Harvard Square
Co-Presenters: TBA
Our Mission
The Boston Asian American Film Festival (BAAFF), presented by the Asian American Resource Workshop, is dedicated to supporting Asian American films, filmmakers and audiences through opportunities to educate, interact, and engage the Greater Boston community with content relevant to Asian American community and culture.
For more information contact BostonAPAFilm@gmail.com
Volunteers
- Susan Chinsen - BAAFF Chair
- Dimple Rana - BAAFF Coordinator
- Janice Wong - BAAFF Intern
- Gregory Wong - BAAFF Sponsorship Committee Chair
- De Guerrilla - BAAFF Graphic Designer
- Han Yu - BAAFF Web Designer
- Joanne Szeto - BAAFF Programming Committee Member
- Erin Hashimoto - BAAFF Programming Committee Member
- Anthony Loui - BAAFF Programming Committee Member
- Katherine Cho - BAAFF Programming Committee Member
- Samson Lee - BAAFF Sponsorship Committee Member
