CAAMFest in the Mission
March 11, 2016
Kid Kulafu
Before the championships and global success, Manny Pacquiao fought an entirely different battle. Overcoming poverty, abandonment and bullying, KID KULAFU discovers the power of his fists, and the strength of his heart, through the “sweet science.” Paul Soriano’s intensely filmed tale of triumph is a testament to the human spirit.
5:00 pm
Breathin': The Eddy Zheng Story
Arrested at 16 and tried as an adult for kidnapping and robbery, Eddy Zheng served over 20 years in state prison. Ben Wang’s BREATHIN’: THE EDDY ZHENG STORY paints an intimate portrait of Eddy — the prisoner, the immigrant, the son, the activist — on his journey to freedom, rehabilitation and redemption.
Kampai: For The Love of Sake
Three sake connoisseurs — a British sake brewer, an American journalist and the president of a century-old Japanese sake brewery — seek to better understand the mechanics of the present-day sake industry. Filmmaker Mirai Konishi follows them as they also discover the underlying richness and complexity surrounding the Japanese cultural staple.
Drawing the Tiger
DRAWING THE TIGER observes a rural Nepali family over seven years in an immersive tableau of the human experience. Even the filmmakers themselves couldn’t have foreseen how a hopeful story of a teenage girl winning a big city scholarship could lead to the Darnal family eventually being overturned by tragedy.
7:30 pm
Directions in Sound: Korean Showcase
Our Korean showcase is back by popular demand, featuring international groups dripping with rhythmic and vocal talents for your listening pleasure! Raise your arms, close your eyes and feast on the electro-synth, grunge-filled atmosphere pulsing through this unforgettable experience!
Grass
Complacent pushover Cam and her maverick pal, Jinky, find adventure, merriment and revelation with the help of a backpack full of weed. Their sensory trip comically explores the highs, lows and more highs throughout a day at the park. From the award-winning director of PUNCHING AT THE SUN (SFIAAFF ’06).
9:20 pm
Mad Tiger
Making its West Coast premiere, MAD TIGER chronicles the relationship between two bandmates, Peelander-Yellow and Peelander-Red, of the Japanese performance-art band Peelander-Z. When Red quits, their friendship is tested and both are catapulted into finding greater meaning in their lives through their art and relationship with each other.
THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS
At times, the situations we find ourselves in may change everything we know to be true — whether we can suddenly defy the laws of physics or begin to feel as if we’re living in a real-life dream. If you squint at it just right, anything is possible.
10:00 pm
March 12, 2016
Atomic Heart
After a night of excess, Arineh and Nobahar cause a car accident. A mysterious stranger offers help, but in accepting his generosity, a price must be paid. This hyperactive, drugged-up road movie undergoes an atmospheric change into a diabolical and strangely metaphysical game on the streets of Tehran, Iran.
12:10 pm
In Conversation with Randall Okita
CAAM welcomes Okita to the Bay Area with a special screening of his short films and a discussion of the influences and processes involved.
12:30 pm
Painted Nails
Mission District nail salon owner Van Nguyen tackles the cosmetics industry in this provocative documentary. PAINTED NAILS focuses on workers rights and the little-known implications of getting a mani-pedi in America as it raises awareness of the daily health hazards faced by nail techs on the job.
Please Remember Me
How does one care for an ailing life partner while working against the intractable march of old age? Director Zhao Qing follows her octogenarian great-uncle as he tends to his Alzheimer’s-stricken wife with devotion, pragmatism and quiet courage. Executive produced by award-winning filmmaker Ruby Yang.
Ninth Floor
The Sir George Williams riot of 1969 was one of the most pivotal moments in Canada's history. In her debut feature-length documentary, Mina Shum gives a long-anticipated look at this climactic event in race relations. Filled with first-person recollections, NINTH FLOOR explores when one school protest sparked a monumental movement.
2:40 pm
Daze of Justice
Making its world premiere at CAAMFest 2016, Bay Area filmmaker Michael Siv’s DAZE OF JUSTICE follows Khmer Rouge survivors from California to Cambodia. Seeking justice in court for genocide and decades of trauma, their journey sheds light on a painful history and surprises with unexpected redemption.
3:00 pm
The Kids
Bao-Li wants to do what's best for his wife, Jia-Jia, and their infant daughter. The difference between what he wants and what he has may prove too difficult for him to overcome. From director Yu Wei-shan, THE KIDS is a story of how love and sacrifice are often intertwined.
AM I AMERICAN, I AM AMERICAN
What does it mean to be American? Wealth, new beginnings, excitement and uncertainty — sometimes, it isn’t all it seems. From leaving home in search of opportunity and prosperity to having to hide who you really are, these stories illuminate the trials and tribulations of the journey to the American dream.
5:00 pm
Yeu (Love)
Pop music sensations Chi Pu and Gil Le light up the screen in Vietnam’s first mainstream LGBTQ film. Reunited with her childhood best friend, aspiring singer-songwriter Nhi must grapple with her own burgeoning feelings. A testament to the power of music, friendship and family — and a universal reminder that loves wins.
5:50 pm
Master of None
CAAM is thrilled to host Master of None co-creator Alan Yang and cast member Kelvin Yu as they share details on the show’s inspiration and production as well as their own experiences in an industry full of both opportunity and obstacle.
Crush the Skull
Hapless criminals Ollie and Blair attempt to pull off a seemingly easy heist, but end up in a hilariously life-threatening situation. CRUSH THE SKULL is a comedic horror-thriller of unexpected twists and calculated turns that takes a couple of master thieves on the ride of their lives.
In The Room
Room 27, in a dilapidated Singaporean hotel, is a time capsule for six sensual and melancholy vignettes in Eric Khoo's IN THE ROOM - Singapore's first erotic film. There, several decades of illicit trysts and fantasies are realized, and love and its companion loss swing suspended over each heartbreaking encounter.
Festival Social Club X Kollaboration SF
Rub elbows with filmmakers, artists and fellow attendees at the official CAAMFest after-party! It’s the place to see and be seen.
9:00 pm
Pali Road
After waking up from a car accident, Lily realizes she is living a life she has no recollection of and absent of the boyfriend only she seems to remember. As she desperately searches for the truth, Lily questions her entire existence as she discovers the meaning of true love.
9:10 pm
THE OUT(ER) LIMITS
Engage your senses as you peer through the lens of a kaleidoscope to view a spectrum of stories, ideas and expression. The detailed and experimental elements of THE OUT(ER) LIMITS carry you on an intimate visual journey of dance, music, art and identity in the LGBTQ universe.
Thanatos, Drunk
Precariously swaying on the fringe of existence, Rat never fails to have a beer can and fruit knife in hand, escaping the trials of life and death. In a muddy yet intimate story, this tale develops as undesirables dance with the gods of the netherworld.
March 13, 2016
Yellow Flowers on the Green Grass
Sweeping takes of Vietnam's lush countryside and ragged seaside cliffs set a pastoral scene for Victor Vu's box-office hit about two young brothers who share an inseparable, yet tumultuous bond. When jealousy erupts into violence over a shared love interest, older brother Thieu must seek redemption.
Be About It
BE ABOUT IT follows reporter Alan Wang and athlete AJ Jabonero as they navigate living with hepatitis B. The disease looms both large and minute, captured in life-altering and day-to-day moments. Startlingly intimate, poignant — their paralleled narratives show the reach and cost of hepatitis B in the Asian American community.
Umrika
“Umrika” is how a small village in India refers to “America.” One of their own decides to journey to “Umrika,” inspiring both hope and debate. When the village loses touch with its contested hero, his younger brother Rama and friend Lalu set out on their own to find him.
A Brave New Digital World
With the mainstream success of online platforms like Netflix and Amazon, 2016 will see a record number of new digital services looking to fund and distribute content from and for diverse communities. As traditional opportunities dry up, could digital become the new indie cinema? You Offend Me, You Offend My Family (YOMYOMF) talks to key industry players.
Family Ingredients
There are two things that are unshakable in Hawaiian culture: food and family. Embark on a culinary journey with chef Ed Kenney as he explores the traditional Hawaiian foods poi (a paste-like dish made from taro) and pipikaula (salted dried beef) and how they have influenced culture in Hawaii.
2:30 pm
Colma: The Musical
We mark H.P. Mendoza’s 10-year anniversary of his seminal ground-breaking film, COLMA: THE MUSICAL (written by and starring the Bay Area auteur himself), with an interactive showcase. Join us as we reunite many of the cast and crew with once-in-a-lifetime live performances and a raucous, profanity-laced sing-a-long!
3:00 pm
Good Ol' Boy
It’s 1979, and 10-year-old Smith Bhatnagar’s American dreams — filled with SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER, Darth Vader and the girl next door — clash with his parent’s hopes for his future. A coming-of-age dramedy about enduring first loves and the weighty expectations of immigrant parents. Starring Jason Lee, Samrat Chakrabarti and Anjul Nigam.
ROOTS
This family of short films digs down to the roots of bonds between relatives across all generations. Tender, reflective, happy and even difficult moments between siblings, parents and grandparents reveal the foundations of family that tie each character together from womb to tomb.
4:30 pm
Two Lunes
Displacement and loneliness permeate the shared experiences of two immigrant women in TWO LUNES. Siyeon settles in Los Angeles by way of Korea for art school, and Lan is a Vietnamese ex- change student living and working in Seoul. Their lives unfold with quiet struggle, as past burdens and future hopes converge in the present.
6:10 pm
A Tale of Three Cities
From CAAMFest spotlight filmmaker Mabel Cheung, A TALE OF THREE CITIES transports you to Hong Kong during the turbulent times of war in the 1930s and 1940s, focusing on an epic story of romance and tragedy of the real-life parents of Jackie Chan.
6:20 pm
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: Changing the Channel on Gender Roles
Typecasting has been the bane of existence for many Asian American actors when it comes to finding quality roles. Asian American women are typically reduced to being sexual objects while men are excluded from romantic opportunities, stripping away countless other layers. Chat with CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND'S Vincent Rodriquez III and Vella Lovell to discuss the gradually changing landscape for gender roles and what they hope the future holds.
Operation Popcorn
When a Hmong businessman rises to prominence in his community, he decides to answer a call-to-action to help the Hmong people fighting for their lives against violent attacks from the communist Laos government. What happens next is a strange tale that is more than meets the eye.
7:00 pm
3688
A layered musical dramedy follows the story of parking attendant Fei Fei, who joins a televised singing competition to honor and help her dementia-ridden father. Late Taiwanese singer Feng Fei-Fei’s music is heavily featured in this Singaporean box office hit, which marks Royston Tan’s first feature in seven years.
RELATIONSHIP STATUS: IT'S COMPLICATED
Status updates hide the pain and, often, stupidity that is the search for love. This quest leads us through the most ridiculous, and possibly dangerous, situations. RELATIONSHIP STATUS: IT'S COMPLICATED explores the many ways that finding love today is much like the first human's quest for fire — pretty insane.
9:40 pm
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
Buckle up for the 10th anniversary of the biggest thematic departure in THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS franchise, TOKYO DRIFT. Troubled American teen Sean discovers high-octane Tokyo street racing, and things get complicated when he falls for his rival’s girlfriend. Starring Sung Kang, who also appears in PALI ROAD.
9:40 pm
March 14, 2016
Jasmine
Mixing tragedy, mystery and obsession, JASMINE is a psychological thriller following Leonard, a man distraught after his wife’s murder. His attempts to heal are dashed when he sees a stranger at her grave, whom he believes to be her killer. Bent on justice, Leonard takes matters into his own hands.
6:20 pm
The Soong Sisters
Join us as we revisit acclaimed filmmaker Mabel Cheung’s evocative portrayal of the powerful and influential Soong family in THE SOONG SISTERS. The film details the true story of the Soong daughters’ rise in fame and influence during a turbulent period of war and revolution in 20th-century China.
9:00 pm
March 15, 2016
The Super Story behind Pixar's "Sanjay's Super Team"
Join director Sanjay Patel and producer Nicole Grindle for an insightful peek behind the curtains of Pixar Animation Studio’s latest Academy Award-nominated short, SANJAY’S SUPER TEAM.
6:30 pm
The Royal Tailor
Sartorial rivals Dol-suk (Han Suk-kyu), a master craftsman devoted to tradition, and Kong-jin (Ko Soo), an avant-garde upstart with rakish charm, cross shears for the position of the king’s tailor. High fashion and political intrigue weave together this sumptuous court drama, replete with scenes of rustling hanbok and sensuous embroidery.
March 16, 2016
PORTRAITS FROM THE SCHOOLYARD
From pride and joy to fear and anger, everyone faces these emotional swings as they grow into themselves. PORTRAITS FROM THE SCHOOLYARD is a collection of diverse moments and experiences that magnifies the lives of students in and out of class.
6:20 pm
No Land's Song
Since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, women have been forbidden to sing as soloists. Composer Sara Najafi, determined to organize a concert for solo female singers, collaborates with three French singers in Tehran, opening the door to musical freedom for Iranian women, and building a cultural pathway to the West.
8:40 pm
March 17, 2016
The Name of the Whale
Junior high student Yuta is assigned the task of excavating fossils as a summer school project. The contentment this assignment brings him is abruptly shattered when pieces of his everyday life begin to fall apart, and Yuta must soon find the balance between his old and new worlds.
France is Our Mother Country
FRANCE IS OUR MOTHER COUNTRY illuminates the underlying tones of melancholy and indignation of the French occupation of Cambodia. Oscar-nominated director Rithy Panh delivers a beautifully edited piece detailing the tragedy brought by the brute forces of French colonialism using satirically placed archived footage and old propaganda films.
9:00 pm
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