CAAMFest in Japantown
Japantown’s Best Spots to Eat, Drink, & Catch CAAMFest 2015
March 13, 2015
The Last Season
Amidst Central Oregon’s seasonal hunt for the rare matsutake mushroom, a Cambodian freedom fighter and refugee, an ailing elderly Vietnam vet and his wife form a new family. The two former soldiers’ friendship is cemented by their shared painful experiences of war in Southeast Asia.
Cicada
As a schoolteacher, Jumpei is surrounded by kids and adults who haven’t quite grown up. When Jumpei finds out he’s infertile, he’s given an opportunity to deepen his relationships with the big and little kids that already surround him every day.
Flowing Stories
Hong Kong Film Awards’ Best New Director Tsang asks us to consider what connects us to a piece of earth time and time again. This documentary weaves a revelatory tale of one family’s ties to place through the 400-year-old Ho-Chung Village Festival held every 10 years.
The Sisterhood of Night
The friendship between three high school girls leads to a series of increasingly dangerous events, throwing their community into a modern-day witch-hunt. SISTERHOOD pulls together a wide variety of cultural touchstones, from the Salem witch trials to cyberbullying, to show the power of silence and finding a voice.
Nuoc 2030
Love, death and global warming all play a role in the sci-fi mystery by acclaimed writer-director Nghiem-Minh Nguyen-Vo (BUFFALO BOY). The film paints a haunting, and cinematically gorgeous, dystopia as a woman fights to learn the truth behind her husband's death.
TALES OF TOMORROW (SHORTS)
In a lifetime, technology can marvel us and then become obsolete; our intervening moments produce desolation or beauty, sometimes both at once. These films offer echoes of an ever-closer future filled with wearable tech, distant planets, mechanized bureaucracy and all-too-fallible humans just trying to find their way.
Partners In Crime
The inadvertent discovery of a schoolmate’s body entwines the otherwise disparate lives of three teenagers as they search for clues of the alleged suicide. A dark tale of adolescent friendship, personal secrets and public tragedies in the second feature of TOUCH OF THE LIGHT’s (CAAMFest ’13) director Chang Jung-chi.
Man Up
Two young deadbeats are forced to grow up quickly and have their friendship tested when unemployed and unschooled 19-year-old Martin (Kevin Wu) finds out his girlfriend is pregnant. This comedic and eccentric film marks the directorial feature film debut of co-star Justin Chon, who plays Martin’s overeager best friend, Randall.
March 14, 2015
FLIPSIDE (SHORTS)
Bold and eye-opening, this mosaic of films takes you to the “Flipside.” These films powerfully illustrate unconventional perspectives, illuminating life’s complexities for all its joy and grief. Created with surprising empathy, these directors assure you that many things, and people, are more than what they seem.
Jalanan
A rare look at the vibrant subculture of Jakarta’s street buskers, JALANAN offers fascinating
and occasionally heartbreaking insight into Indonesian urban life. The camera captures the
beauty and risks of street life as Titi, Ho and Boni struggle to make a living with their music
through prison and personal tragedies.
Bhopal: A Prayer For Rain
Narrating the days leading up to the Bhopal disaster in December 1984, director Ravi
Kumar brings together notable actors from both Hollywood and Indian cinema to tell the
poignant story of the immense pesticide plant gas leak in the heart of the small city of Bhopal, India, in this much-awaited docudrama starring Kal Penn, Martin Sheen and Mischa Barton.
2:30 pm
FAMILY TIES (SHORTS)
In a whirlwind of doubt, rejection, trust and love, these shorts express the struggle and joy that come out of reconnecting with family. With a few autobiographical stories like GIAP’S LAST DAY and narratives like MAMA TANG, histories emerge between generations of disconnect and silence.
In Her Place
A rural teen is pregnant, and her mother has decided to give up the unborn baby to a couple from Seoul. The Seoul woman comes to live with the family of her future baby — to contribute to its prenatal care and to scope out the baby’s flesh and blood.
Winning Girl
Teenage wrestling and judo phenom Teshya Alo resembles a 500-pound sumo master on the mat at a paltry 125 pounds. The tenacious high-schooler has her eyes set on winning two world championships, if she does she would be the first to ever achieve such an honor.
SHORT SHORTS (SHORTS)
CAAM is proud to partner with one of Japan’s premier film showcases: SHORT SHORTS FILM FESTIVAL. Started in 1999, SSFF’s mission is to shine a light on the art of short filmmaking. With prestigious screenings all around the globe, from Malaysia to Mexico, we are thrilled to present these new Japanese storytellers.
Cart
When corporate honchos at a retail superstore lay off their temporary employees without cause, an unassuming cashier discovers her will to fight, joining forces with co-workers to protest their wrongful dismissals. Inspired by a real-life incident, CART raises a defiant fist in support of female solidarity and worker justice.
Top Spin
Dreaming to represent the United States in the 2012 London Olympics, Ariel, Lily and Michael face a lot more than just training and competing in the intense sport of table tennis. They’re all on a journey to get the “top spin,” balancing their teenage lives while focusing on the sport.
Love Arcadia
When his family’s tea shop faces displacement by an alluring real estate mogul, Jake (Anthony Ma) must confront his fear of change. LOVE ARCADIA tells a coming-of-age story — by way of boba straw — that explores the lessons of holding on, letting go and loving with what you got.
Hollow
Keep your morals in check, because they may come back to haunt you. From the director of HOW TO FIGHT IN SIX INCH HEELS, Ham Tran’s HOLLOW features the story of a family terrorized by their dead daughter, Ai, who has come back to life, possessed by a vengeful spirit.
Miss India America
Lily Prasad is a valedictorian who wants to win at all costs — but she’s lost her boyfriend to the reigning Miss India National. She schemes to win him back by winning the beauty pageant herself. This female Frank Underwood rediscovers the importance of family and friends in a hilarious comedy.
FALLING (SHORTS)
FALLING is heartbreak and hilarity, a kiss in the dark, a riot of sound and color. From the glance across a room to the end of the line, these tales touch on what it really means to trip and fall into love.
March 15, 2015
THE HOME PROMISED (SHORTS)
Full of fierce truths and nostalgia, THE HOME PROMISED is elusive. Displaced Japanese internees, undocumented immigrants, children on Treasure Island, homeless people in Marin — all embody the search for home in these poignant shorts. Searching, finding and returning to THE HOME PROMISED.
Man Up
Two young deadbeats are forced to grow up quickly and have their friendship tested when unemployed and unschooled 19-year-old Martin (Kevin Wu) finds out his girlfriend is pregnant. This comedic and eccentric film marks the directorial feature film debut of co-star Justin Chon, who plays Martin’s overeager best friend, Randall.
Tales
TALES is a strategically pieced puzzle of working-class protagonists all trying to get their voices heard. This thoughtful film captures a series of intimate portraits in the lives of interweaving characters. Rakhshan Banietemad’s latest is a treasure box of stories filled with compassionate screenwriting.
Cart
When corporate honchos at a retail superstore lay off their temporary employees without cause, an unassuming cashier discovers her will to fight, joining forces with co-workers to protest their wrongful dismissals. Inspired by a real-life incident, CART raises a defiant fist in support of female solidarity and worker justice.
All Eyes and Ears
A timely exploration into the complex links between the U.S. and China, ALL EYES AND EARS interweaves the stories of U.S. Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman, his adopted Chinese daughter, Gracie Mei, and blind activist Chen Guangcheng as they find purpose, identity and resolve amid the two nations’ evolving relationship.
TALES OF TOMORROW (SHORTS)
In a lifetime, technology can marvel us and then become obsolete; our intervening moments produce desolation or beauty, sometimes both at once. These films offer echoes of an ever-closer future filled with wearable tech, distant planets, mechanized bureaucracy and all-too-fallible humans just trying to find their way.
Tough Love
Filmmaker Stephanie Wang-Breal’s documentary follows two parents as they navigate the American child welfare system to reunite their families. The parents work through their individual situations, which include a harrowing maze of conferences, advocates, attorneys and court hearings, all while trying to prove they should be reunited with their children.
PLAYTIME (SHORTS)
In this collection of exuberant and wildly imaginative short works, global politics, mythologies and simple sensual encounters are the laboratories for playful visual and aural experimentation. Puns, image-rhymes, fabulous logic and transcendent moments of stillness are the ways through which these artists explore everything from the “cloud” to financial meltdowns to filmmaking itself.
0.5MM
0.5MM follows the journey of Sawa (Ando Sakura) a caregiver for the elderly, as she survives by way of enigmatic relationships with old men who test her moral standards. Constantly being subjected to blatant sexism and patriarchy, her astute resiliency eventually leads her full circle.
5:10 pm
Kollaborations SF: Movement in Motion
This energizing documentary explores the making of Kollaboration SF’s annual talent showcase. From exclusive interviews to behind-the-scenes sneak peeks, director Howard Lui delves into what it takes to bring Kollaboration’s motto of “Empowerment through Entertainment” to life.
As You Were
Childhood friends Guohui and Peiling reunite as lovers, seeking refuge from Singapore on a quiet island. Bound by water, they face the transformation of their city and theirlove. With beautiful stillness and vibrancy, Liao Jiekai’s AS YOU WERE tests the inescapability of erosion and the velocity of change.
Storm Children, Book One
Renowned for his insightful films on social and political issues in the Philippines, Lav Diaz returns with STORM CHILDREN, BOOK ONE, an unwavering observational documentary immersing us in the lives of those forgotten or ignored in the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda.
She Lights Up Well
“Can you scream a little more Asian?” is the defining question of Sophie’s acting career. With dwindling funds and no job prospects, Sophie reluctantly leaves New York for her family’s home in Detroit. There, she becomes embroiled in a plot to save the community theater’s production of “The Mikado.”
River of Exploding Durians
In a small Malaysian town, two disparate stories threaten to converge — a tale of young love begins to unwind while a radioactive construction site rises on the city’s edge. In a disquieting coming-of-age, three young women must grapple with the repercussions of love and political activism.
March 16, 2015
In Her Place
A rural teen is pregnant, and her mother has decided to give up the unborn baby to a couple from Seoul. The Seoul woman comes to live with the family of her future baby — to contribute to its prenatal care and to scope out the baby’s flesh and blood.
Dot 2 Dot
After relocating nearby to his childhood home in Hong Kong, Chung deliberately engages in what he calls “slow living.” When his cryptic dot graffiti is deciphered by a lovely Mandarin teacher, they risk arrest in a series of public declarations of love for their city and, ultimately, each other.
She Lights Up Well
“Can you scream a little more Asian?” is the defining question of Sophie’s acting career. With dwindling funds and no job prospects, Sophie reluctantly leaves New York for her family’s home in Detroit. There, she becomes embroiled in a plot to save the community theater’s production of “The Mikado.”
The Sisterhood of Night
The friendship between three high school girls leads to a series of increasingly dangerous events, throwing their community into a modern-day witch-hunt. SISTERHOOD pulls together a wide variety of cultural touchstones, from the Salem witch trials to cyberbullying, to show the power of silence and finding a voice.
Partners In Crime
The inadvertent discovery of a schoolmate’s body entwines the otherwise disparate lives of three teenagers as they search for clues of the alleged suicide. A dark tale of adolescent friendship, personal secrets and public tragedies in the second feature of TOUCH OF THE LIGHT’s (CAAMFest ’13) director Chang Jung-chi.
FALLING (SHORTS)
FALLING is heartbreak and hilarity, a kiss in the dark, a riot of sound and color. From the glance across a room to the end of the line, these tales touch on what it really means to trip and fall into love.
March 17, 2015
Jalanan
A rare look at the vibrant subculture of Jakarta’s street buskers, JALANAN offers fascinating
and occasionally heartbreaking insight into Indonesian urban life. The camera captures the
beauty and risks of street life as Titi, Ho and Boni struggle to make a living with their music
through prison and personal tragedies.
Winning Girl
Teenage wrestling and judo phenom Teshya Alo resembles a 500-pound sumo master on the mat at a paltry 125 pounds. The tenacious high-schooler has her eyes set on winning two world championships, if she does she would be the first to ever achieve such an honor.
THE HOME PROMISED (SHORTS)
Full of fierce truths and nostalgia, THE HOME PROMISED is elusive. Displaced Japanese internees, undocumented immigrants, children on Treasure Island, homeless people in Marin — all embody the search for home in these poignant shorts. Searching, finding and returning to THE HOME PROMISED.
Fred Ho's Last Year
Making its San Francisco debut just shy of the one-year anniversary of Fred Ho’s passing, the film is a tribute to the artist and his battle with cancer. LAST YEAR shows how the titular artist became even more driven to combat his disease and share his insights with the world.
La Salada
Argentina’s bustling La Salada, an enormous discount market just outside of Buenos
Aires, provides the nucleus for Juan Martín Hsu’s affecting directorial debut. His
ensemble cast is comprised of Korean, Taiwanese and Bolivian immigrants, whose
experiences converge and dance parallel to one another with equal parts poignancy
and banality.
Storm Children, Book One
Renowned for his insightful films on social and political issues in the Philippines, Lav Diaz returns with STORM CHILDREN, BOOK ONE, an unwavering observational documentary immersing us in the lives of those forgotten or ignored in the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda.
Tough Love
Filmmaker Stephanie Wang-Breal’s documentary follows two parents as they navigate the American child welfare system to reunite their families. The parents work through their individual situations, which include a harrowing maze of conferences, advocates, attorneys and court hearings, all while trying to prove they should be reunited with their children.
Nuoc 2030
Love, death and global warming all play a role in the sci-fi mystery by acclaimed writer-director Nghiem-Minh Nguyen-Vo (BUFFALO BOY). The film paints a haunting, and cinematically gorgeous, dystopia as a woman fights to learn the truth behind her husband's death.
March 18, 2015
The Last Season
Amidst Central Oregon’s seasonal hunt for the rare matsutake mushroom, a Cambodian freedom fighter and refugee, an ailing elderly Vietnam vet and his wife form a new family. The two former soldiers’ friendship is cemented by their shared painful experiences of war in Southeast Asia.
Cicada
As a schoolteacher, Jumpei is surrounded by kids and adults who haven’t quite grown up. When Jumpei finds out he’s infertile, he’s given an opportunity to deepen his relationships with the big and little kids that already surround him every day.
Miss India America
Lily Prasad is a valedictorian who wants to win at all costs — but she’s lost her boyfriend to the reigning Miss India National. She schemes to win him back by winning the beauty pageant herself. This female Frank Underwood rediscovers the importance of family and friends in a hilarious comedy.
FAMILY TIES (SHORTS)
In a whirlwind of doubt, rejection, trust and love, these shorts express the struggle and joy that come out of reconnecting with family. With a few autobiographical stories like GIAP’S LAST DAY and narratives like MAMA TANG, histories emerge between generations of disconnect and silence.
Dot 2 Dot
After relocating nearby to his childhood home in Hong Kong, Chung deliberately engages in what he calls “slow living.” When his cryptic dot graffiti is deciphered by a lovely Mandarin teacher, they risk arrest in a series of public declarations of love for their city and, ultimately, each other.
Kollaborations SF: Movement in Motion
This energizing documentary explores the making of Kollaboration SF’s annual talent showcase. From exclusive interviews to behind-the-scenes sneak peeks, director Howard Lui delves into what it takes to bring Kollaboration’s motto of “Empowerment through Entertainment” to life.
FLIPSIDE (SHORTS)
Bold and eye-opening, this mosaic of films takes you to the “Flipside.” These films powerfully illustrate unconventional perspectives, illuminating life’s complexities for all its joy and grief. Created with surprising empathy, these directors assure you that many things, and people, are more than what they seem.
March 19, 2015
SHORT SHORTS (SHORTS)
CAAM is proud to partner with one of Japan’s premier film showcases: SHORT SHORTS FILM FESTIVAL. Started in 1999, SSFF’s mission is to shine a light on the art of short filmmaking. With prestigious screenings all around the globe, from Malaysia to Mexico, we are thrilled to present these new Japanese storytellers.
Don't Think I've Forgotten: Cambodia's Lost Rock and Roll
April 17 marks the 40th anniversary of Cambodia’s fall to the Khmer Rouge. This brilliant film reveals the beauty and vibrancy of Cambodian music pre-1975, showcasing talented artists who perished in the genocide. Their music lives on, and their country is once again filled with song: mournful, resilient, hopeful.
Flowing Stories
Hong Kong Film Awards’ Best New Director Tsang asks us to consider what connects us to a piece of earth time and time again. This documentary weaves a revelatory tale of one family’s ties to place through the 400-year-old Ho-Chung Village Festival held every 10 years.
Supper Club
Get ready to eat, drink and be inspired by all things gourmet and culinary! Follow “Demon Chef” Alvin Leung as he visits the Bay Area’s most exciting restaurants and speaks to renowned chefs, including Michael Mina and Corey Lee, about ingredients, craft and personal vision in the restaurant industry.
7:10 pm
River of Exploding Durians
In a small Malaysian town, two disparate stories threaten to converge — a tale of young love begins to unwind while a radioactive construction site rises on the city’s edge. In a disquieting coming-of-age, three young women must grapple with the repercussions of love and political activism.
Love Arcadia
When his family’s tea shop faces displacement by an alluring real estate mogul, Jake (Anthony Ma) must confront his fear of change. LOVE ARCADIA tells a coming-of-age story — by way of boba straw — that explores the lessons of holding on, letting go and loving with what you got.
March 20, 2015
FALLING (SHORTS)
FALLING is heartbreak and hilarity, a kiss in the dark, a riot of sound and color. From the glance across a room to the end of the line, these tales touch on what it really means to trip and fall into love.
FOLLOW US