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CAAMFest 2013

Economies of Power: Examining Present-Day China

Few topics spark more interest and inquiry as the rising economic power of China. In this intriguing selection, filmmakers provide a human face and layered narratives to the story of Chinese, Americans and Chinese Americans. From the divergent fates of young Chinese women (The Mosuo Sisters) to the real-life test of enjoying an American lifestyle without Chinese goods (Xmas Without China), these programs help provide a larger context to US-China relations.

March 15, 2013


Seeking Asian Female

Steve, an aging white man with “yellow fever,” finds a young Chinese bride named Sandy through the Internet. The couple soon discovers that their dreams of a perfect love and life greatly contrast from their bitter reality. An honest, intimate documentary about culture, love, and the immigrant experience.

Xmas without China

Officially selected to World Premiere at the 2013 SXSW Film Festival, Xmas Without China is a feature documentary about two families living side by side, but worlds apart, collide when pride and mischief inspire Chinese immigrant Tom Xia to challenge his American neighbors to celebrate Christmas without any Chinese products.

March 16, 2013


Mosuo Sisters

After losing their jobs in Beijing, two sisters from a small matriarchal Chinese society must find a way to support their family and negotiate the issues of modern life. A touching documentary from the director of Mai’s America.

When Night Falls

Acclaimed director Ying Liang, “one of the world’s best young filmmakers” (The New Yorker), dramatizes the controversial real-life tale of Yang Jia, a young man who stabbed six policemen to death in Shanghai after being abused by officers. “A movie China doesn’t want you to see” (The New Yorker).

High Tech, Low Life

By way of two citizen reporters, the young and brash Zola and the more seasoned, humble “Tiger Temple,” High Tech, Low Life explores the closing of China’s digital divide, the rise of its netizen culture, and its government’s relationship with the “Great Firewall.”

Beijing Flickers

China’s prosperity may have enriched some people, but not others, and certainly not San Bao and his friends. In the latest film from controversial filmmaker Zhang Yuan, the displaced youth of Beijing may be down and out, but they find solace in a makeshift family—one another. With short Shanghai Strangers.