Category Archives: filmfestival

Reel in the Vote 2008

REEL IN THE VOTE is a non-partisan campaign launched by the San Diego Asian Film Foundation to encourage more Asian Pacific Islander Americans (APIAs) to participate in the democratic process during this crucial election year. Through the power of grassroots media and the sheer number of attendees at our annual film festival, they believe REEL IN THE VOTE can make a difference.

If you have access to a video camera and a great idea, here’s your chance to take action in 30 seconds! The San Diego Asian Film Foundation is challenging YOU to submit a 30-second public service announcement that promotes civic responsibility and democratic participation in the electoral and public policy processes. In other words, your PSA should help encourage voter registration and participation in the APIA community. Be creative!

They will choose a winner to receive $1000 and a Sony HDF-FX1 HDV Camcorder (worth $3700), plus bragging rights – the winning PSA will be screened before all film programs at the film festival. Entries must be postmarked by July 31, and no more than 30 seconds in length.

Download contest rules and application.

Watch a sample PSA

2008 DC APA Film Trailer Contest

The 9th Annual DC Asian Pacific American (APA) Film Festival is coming up this September and they neeed your help. DC APA Film and Scion Motors have partnered up again this year to bring you the 2008 DC APA Film Festival Trailer Contest, now in its third year. It’s all pretty simple. You make a 30-second trailer promoting their festival. Your trailer may be highlighted on their site and included as part of their promotional efforts for the festival. The Grand Prize winning trailer will also be screened before most — if not all — screenings throughout the festival. And if that’s not incentive enough for you, they’re awarding cash prizes to the top two finalists, $600 to the grand prize winner and $200 to the first runner up. For details and rules, go here.

Here’s last year’s winner for the 2007 DC APA Film Trailer Contest

72 Hour Film Shootout Award Winners Announced


Here’s the list of winners announce today for the 5th Annual 72 Hour Film Shootout Award:

GRAND PRIZE WINNER

Team Big Egg

“No Holding Back”

1ST RUNNER-UP

Team Fish Grenade

“Drain”

2ND RUNNER-UP

Team Color TV

“Cold War”

TOP TEN FILMS

(Alphabetical Order by Team Name)

Azn Rejects

“Suspense’s How to Jedi Mind Trick the B*tches”

Big Egg

“No Holding Back”

CinemAsia

“Say Goodbye”

Color TV

“Cold War”

Fish Grenade

“Drain”

Inspirasian

“First Goodbye Cleaning Agency”

Last Minute Films

“Killer Headline”

Sans Humor

“A First Goodbye”

Vision

“Say Goodbye”

White Rabbit

“Miles Apart”

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS

Best Actor

Rain Noe

Team Color TV, “Cold War”

Best Actress

Tess Paras

Team Color TV, “Cold War”

Best Cinematography

Nara Garber

Team White Rabbit, “Miles Apart”

Best Direction

Derek Shimoda

Team Fish Grenade, “Drain”

Best Editing

Derek Shimoda

Team Fish Grenade, “Drain”

Best Story

CinemAsia, “Say Goodbye”

Most Original Use of Theme

Team Color TV, “Cold War”

Audience Award

Team Grace, Wtf, “Discard”

Chinatown Award

Team Zeitgeist ArtWorks, “Spofford Alley”

Congrats to all the winners!!

Watch the extended version of “Suspense’s How to Jedi Mind Trick the B*tches” by Azn Rejects

72 Hour Film Shootout voting closes today

The 72 Hour Film Shootout Audience Award voting closes at 11:59pm EST, Friday, July 11. The awards are live this Sunday, July 13, at Asia Society, New York City. The ceremony begins at 12:30pm. Find out who will be in The Top 10 Films, who will be the Best Of, who will win the Chinatown Award, who will claim the Audience Award, and who will be crowned Grand Prize Winner.

You can still vote here.

Watch some behind the scenes footage from Killer Headline

The Princess of Nebraska – AAIFF 2008 Opening Night

Tonite is opening night for the Asian American International Film Festival 2008, which runs July 10–19, 2008 in New York. The opening night film will be “The Princess of Nebraska” co-directed by Wayne Wang (Joy Luck Club, Maid in Manhattan) and Richard Wong (Colma:the Musical, Option 3). The screenign kicks off at 7:30pm with Wayne Wang, Richard Wong, and Ling Li in attendance. Get your tickets here.

Synopsis for The Princess of Nebraska

Based in Yiyun Li’s award-winning book of short stories, The Princess of Nebraska sketches the travails of a young college student, Sasha (Ling Li) who arrived in the San Francisco Bay Area to procure an abortion. With the father, Yang, missing, Sasha seeks out Yang’s male lover, Boshen (Brian Danforth), for support and closure. The intricacies of intimacy have long been Wang’s hallmark, but digital cinematographer and co-director Richard Wong adds a layer of kinetic edginess. Not only does Wong close in on simple, meaning-laden gestures, but sequences of The Princess of Nebraska are shot as if through Sasha’s cell-phone camera. The film is the first narrative feature produced by the Center for Asian American Media.

Watch the teaser for The Princess of Nebraska

Asian American International Film Festival Trailer

Asian CineVision with Asia Society presents the Asian American International Film Festival 2008, July 10–19, 2008. This year’s outstanding lineup includes one world premiere, two U.S. premieres, six East Coast premieres, and seven New York premieres. Debuting a new interdisciplinary program in 2008, Asian CineVision also presents New Landscapes: Media and Its Adaptations, a series of panels examining issues relevant to Asia and Asian diasporas.

The Festival will open on Thursday, July 10 at 7:30PM with PRINCESS OF NEBRASKA, marking acclaimed director Wayne Wang’s return to indie filmmaking. The Centerpiece Presentation will be on Thursday, July 17 at 6:30PM with the U.S. premiere of THE SPEED OF LIFE, directed by Ed Radtke. The Festival will close on Saturday, July 19 at 7:00PM with PING PONG PLAYA, the first narrative feature film from director Jessica Yu.

Here’s some of our recommendations for films to watch :

The Killing of a Chinese Cookie

Kissing Cousins


Pretty To Think So

Always Be Boyz

Watch the trailer for the Asian American International Film Festival