Hey NYC, the Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF) kicks off today. (See our previous posts on the shorts line up and our recommendations.) The festival will run from July 23 through 26 at Clearview’s Chelsea Cinemas, the Visual Arts Theater and the Museum of Chinese in America. Not only will films be shown, they have also announced a number of non-screening events, including workshops, panels and parties, to be held throughout the Festival in addition to feature and short film screenings.

This year’s Work-in-Progress workshop, which leads filmmakers toward the final stages of a film production, will present a new documentary on Anna May Wong, the first Chinese American actress to reach critical acclaim in Hollywood. New this year is a workshop on Red One cameras, a new tool in digital recording that makes filmmaking technology substantially more accessible and affordable to the general public. (The Lumina Series was shot with Red cameras.)

Carrying on in its mission to engage emerging Asian and Asian American filmmakers, AAIFF will host one of its staple events: a one-on-one conversation with a well known filmmaker. In the spotlight at this year’s Festival is Ivy Ho, Hong Kong screenwriter and director of AAIFF’s Opening Night Presentation, “Claustrophobia”. This event provides a great opportunity for audience to engage in a more intimate dialogue with the writer. AAIFF is also proud to present a staged reading of its ninth Screenplay Competition winner. “The Emperor Has Arrived”, written by Jay Paramsothy and Catherine Torphy, is a fish-out-of-water tale of a young Indian American architect who must fly from New York to Malaysia to perform traditional Hindu rituals for his recently deceased father.

In addition to the informational panels and workshops, parties will be hosted on every night of the Festival. Unique among these events is AAIFF SoundMiX, a party and entertainment event that will feature music videos as well as live performances by local artists Big Phony and P.I.C.

Here’s some details on the events:

*Work-in-Progress Workshop*

Anna May Wong: In Her Own Words dir. Yunah Hong

Time: Friday, July 24, at 7:00 p.m.

Location: Tribeca Cinemas

*Red One Workshop*

Time: Saturday, July 25, at 1:00 p.m.

Location: Museum of Chinese in America

*One-on-One with Ivy Ho*

Time: Saturday, July 25, at 3:00p.m.

Location: Museum of Chinese in America

*Copyright, Independent Media, and the Internet—New Tools and Controversies*

Time: Sunday, July 26, at 3:30p.m.

Location: Museum of Chinese in America

*Screenplay Reading*

The Emperor Has Arrived written by Jay Paramsothy and Catherine Torphy

Time: Sunday, July 26, at 1:00p.m.

Location: Museum of Chinese in America

*Opening Night Gala*

Time: Thursday, July 23, at 9:00p.m.

Location: BLVD, 199 Bowery

Time: Friday, July 24, at 10:00p.m.

Location: Slate, 54 West 21st Street

*Centerpiece Reception*

Time: Saturday, July 25, at 9:00p.m.

Location: 310 Lounge, 310 Bowery

Closing Night Gala

Time: Sunday, 26, at 9:00p.m.

Location: Velour, 297 Tenth Aveune

2009 Asian American International Film Festival Trailer

Asian CineVision (ACV) has announced the full lineup of feature films selected to screen at the 32nd Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF). The festival will showcase 14 feature films and 50 short films during the weekend of July 23 – 26, 2009. You can get tickets here. Here’s some of the highlights:

Opening Night – Claustrophobia (New York premiere)

Centerpiece Presentation – Children of Invention

Closing Night Presentation – Fruit Fly (New York Premiere)

Other Highlights include You Don’t Know Jack, White on Rice, Whatever It Takes, Paper Heart

World premieres: Pastry, Hubad

2009 New York Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF) Trailer

Full Line up for Asian American International Film Festival

*Children of Invention* directed by Tze Chun (USA)

When their home is foreclosed on, the Cheng family moves into a unit in an
unfinished apartment building, pushing mother and children to look for ways
to pull in some extra income.

NYC Premiere of *Claustrophobia* directed by Ivy Ho (Hong Kong)

A sensitive and deceptively serene portrayal of five office colleagues’
relationships marks this intelligently crafted directorial debut by one of
Hong Kong’s best-known screenwriters.

World Premiere of *Formosa Betrayed* directed by Adam Kane (USA)

FBI agent Jake Kelly’s investigation of a loved professor’s murder leads him
to Taiwan, where he finds that the killers are part of a terrible web of
politics that he only starts to cut through when he finds a friend in a
local activist.

NYC Premiere of *Fruit Fly* directed by H.P. Mendoza (USA)

A naughty, fast-paced, punchy romp of a musical, Fruit Fly follows young
performance artist Bethesda on her soul-searching journey to find a place
for herself while trying her luck in the art scene.

World Premiere of *Hubad *directed by Mark Gray and Denisa Reyes
(Philippines)

In a conservative community, theater director Andre tries to break new
ground with a hyper sexual play. He faces obstacles in funding his project
and working with his actors, but passion ignites between the two middle-aged
leads as theater and life become intertwined.

NYC Premiere of *Karma Calling* directed by Sarba Das (USA)

The Raj family is definitely not comprised of stereotypical model minorities
living the American Dream. On top of the family’s troubled finances, the
family hosts a recently widowed relative who is an endless source of comic
disasters.

NYC Premiere of *Li Tong* directed by Nian Liu (China)

A restless young girl loses her bus pass one day after school. Her
meandering trip home is the thread of this poignant “day in the life” tale,
which wends its way through the various homes, personae and urban landscapes
of contemporary Beijing.

East Coast Premiere of *Manilatown* Is In the Heart directed by Curtis
Choy (USA)

A documentary about the Manongs in San Francisco’s Manilatown and a look
into the life of the late poet Al Robles, Manilatown Is In the Heart is a
touching eulogy to an activist/historian who was outlived by the vanishing
subject that he strived to preserve.

*Paper Heart* directed by Nicholas Jasenovec (USA)

Charlyne Yi doesn’t believe in fairytale-like romance but can’t deny that it
may exist for others. With her friend and director, Nick Jasenovec, she sets
out to film a documentary about true love.

World Premiere of *Pastry* directed by Risky Liu (Hong Kong)

The youngest of five daughters traces the story of her life through the
weddings of her sisters. As each member of the family comes to terms with
her own womanhood, a simple egg tart becomes the anchor of their experiences
and emotions.

*Tibet in Song* directed by Ngawang Choephel (USA)

Ethnomusicologist Ngawang Choephel travels across Tibet to record and study
the rich diversity of traditional folk songs but is arrested by the Chinese
government for suspected espionage.

East Coast Premiere of *Whatever It Takes* directed by Christopher Wong
(USA)

The first year of the Bronx Center of Science and Mathematics is documented
in this film. With a stated mission of patching the cracks in the education
system, it’s clear that the odds are stacked against it.

NYC Premiere of *White on Rice* directed by David Boyle (USA)

Hung up over his divorce and sharing a room with his 10 year-old nephew,
Jimmy can’t even keep a job without help from brother-in-law, Tak. When
Jimmy falls for Tak’s niece, Ramona, it seems like he may be heading for
trouble, but all is not yet lost in this quest for love.

East Coast Premiere of *You Don’t Know Jack* directed by Jeff Adachi (USA)

Way before Harold and Kumar’s search for sliders, before we learned about
Drifting in Tokyo’s parking structures, and before the All-American Girl
Margaret Cho’s foray into network television, there was Jack Soo.

Here’s a crazy trailer for the 2009 New York Asian Film Festival Trailer by Subway Cinemas. (They took it up a notch or two from the 2008 trailer.) This year the New York Asian Film Festival says “fiddle dee dee” to the economic apocalypse and they’re singing in the rain of fire and brimstone that heralds the end of the world. It’s their biggest, most ridiculous festival ever!

Highlights include:

Opening Night Film – Written By (Hong Kong) with a special appearance by actor Lau Ching-wan and writer/director Wai Ka-fai

Centerpiece Film – Vampire Girl vs Frankenstein Girl (Japan) with a special appearance by director Yoshihiro Nishimura, action choreographer Tak Sakaguchi and visual effects supervisor Tsuyoshi Kazuno

Closing Night Film – Be Sure to Share (Japan) with special guests, director Sion Sono and the film’s star, Eiji Okuda

These three films will be World Premieres. The festival runs from June 19th to July 5th, and this year they’re screening a record-setting 50+ titles! More films listed here. Sample some of the film in the trailer.

2009 New York Asian Film Festival Trailer