Asian American International Film Festival 2012

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Parent Category: Film Festivals

Category: Previews

Published on Friday, 03 August 2012 20:12

Written by T. Terry Maloney

There's no other film organization in New York that does more to help filmmakers of Asian descent than Asian CineVision (ACV). Over the last35 years, it has been the primary organizer of the Asian American International Film Festival. The 2012 edition of AAIFF takes place on from July 25th -29th and then resume on August 3rd - 5th. Screenings take place at the Clearview Chelsea Cinemas (on 23rd St.), following the Opening Night presentation and Gala at the Asia Society on Park Avenue.

AAIFF 2012 showcases 14 full-length features and five shorts programs that encompass 33 films ranging in length from two to 35 minutes.

Countries represented at the AAIFF 2012 include: Hong Kong SAR, India, Canada, Vietnam, The Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan, Australia, South Korea, Singapore, China, Indonesia and the USA.

Directed by Daniel Hsia and starring Daniel Henney, Eliza Coupe, Alan Ruck, Zhu Zhu and Bill Paxton, Shanghai Calling opens the fest. It is the comedic story of Sam, an ABC (American-born Chinese) lawyer (Henney), who is sent to China to head his firm's Shanghai office. With no familiarity with either the Chinese language or the local culture Sam relies upon a lovely American relocation specialist (Coupe) and his comely assistant (Zhu) to help guide him through the maze of shady business deals and personal relationships.

The Closing Night film, Knots directed by Michael Kang and starring Ileanna Douglas, Kimberley-Rose Wolter and Sung Kang, is described as a Hawaian-based "un-romantic comedy. The story of a young wedding planner (Wolter) with serious commitment phobia it unveils her complicated relationships with a dysfunctional family and both her current (Kang) and former boyfriend.

Several major feature films to have their world or North American premieres at AAIFF 2012 include:  

• Supercapitalist, the fest centerpiece directed by Simon Yin tells the tales of a A maverick New York based Chinese-American hedge fund trader Conner (Derek Ting), who moves to Hong Kong to manages a mega-deal that swiftly escalates beyond his control. 
   
• Invoking Justice, a documentary by Indian director Deepa Dhanraj tells the story of a group of southern Indian women who establish all-female Islamic legal advisory panels (Jamaats) in response to the injustices created by all-male Jamaats where women are forbidden to participate even when they are the focus of the dispute.

Model Minority, a Japanese-American teen's coming of age story directed by Lily Mariye; I Am A Ghost, a haunted house tale directed by Filipino-American H.P. Mendoza, and Viette, the story of a young Vietnamese-American woman living with an oppressive family, directed and starring Mye Hoang, will have their East Coast premieres this year. 

Other films being presented for the first time in New York City at AAIFF 2012 include:

• Mr. Cao Goes to Washington directed by S. Leo Chiang, the story of Rep. Joseph Cao (R-Louisiana)
   
• Pearls of the far East, a Canada-Vietnam produced anthology of seven vignettes directed by Cuong Ngo
   
• Senorita,directed and starring Vincent Sandoval, the story of a transgendered woman in Talisay, The Philippines, a former sex worker "reborn" as a political activist
   
• Touch, directed by Minh Duc Nguyen, is the story of the unlikely friendship between a Vietnamese manicurist and a shy mechanic
   
• Yes We're Open, directed by Rich Wong, is the story of a young couple whose claim to be open-minded free spirits is tested by circumstances

Two other documentaries being presented at AAIFF 2012 are: Seeking Asian Female, directed by Debbie Lum, and A Lot Like You, by Korean-American-Tanzanian director Eliaichi Kimaro.

One of the five shorts programs, Love Interrupted, features five short films dealing with LBGTQ issues and will be presented as part of LBGTQ Cinema Night on July 27.

In addition to the film screenings, the Asian American Media Award will be presented at AAIFF 2012 to producer Janet Yang. Yang's filmography includes Shanghai Calling, The Joy Luck Club, Disney High School Musical (China), Dark Matter, High Crimes and The People Vs. Larry Flynt.

Tickets to AAIFF 2012 screenings can be purchased online at www.aaiff.org or at the Clearview Cinema box office.

Asian American International Film Festival 2012
July 25th -29th and August 3rd - 5th

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