CAAMFest In The Mission
March 10, 2017
Hang In There, Kids!
A trio of young indigenous boys from rural Taiwan take their last sixth grade field trip to Taipei. They surprise their disabled after-school instructor (Albee Huang) and find answers to some of their own troubles. The 2016 Taipei Film Festival Grand Prize winner is Taiwan’s entry for the 2017 Academy Awards.
5:15 pm
AKA Seoul
Five Korean adoptees, raised all around the world, arrive in Seoul, where their complex identities— professional, sexual, cultural — emerge out of their experiences in the city. AKA SEOUL rewrites the adoption narrative beyond tearful reunions and toward bold new stories of self-determination and self-expression.
Wexford Plaza
Strip mall security guard Betty and restaurant bartender Danny strike up a friendship in their unhappy suburban universe in this dark, quirky comedy. When they have an unexpected encounter that goes beyond the friend zone, we see the impact, intentions and emotional baggage each side brings to the table.
7:20 pm
Cardinal X
In 1984, Angie Wang is both a co-ed and the biggest supplier of Ecstasy on the West Coast. After losing her scholarship to a prestigious college in San Francisco, she starts manufacturing the drug to make ends meet. All the while, she straddles the increasingly fractured line of her double life.
Directions in Sound w/ Kollaboration SF
Crowd favorite Directions in Sound joins forces with Kollaboration SF to bring Asian American hip-hop and rock beats from Los Angeles all the way to the Mariana Achipelago.
9:30 pm
IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE...MAYBE – SHORTS
Chance encounters, poignant goodbyes, turbulent moments and chased dreams weave in and out of characters’ lives in this shorts program, showing how love can be rewarding, confusing and crazy, all at the same time.
9:40 pm
March 11, 2017
Resistance at Tule Lake
Revealing interviews unearth a story eerily relevant to contemporary times. RESISTANCE ON TULE LAKE focuses on the notorious camp where Japanese Americans who were labeled “disloyal” were held. Emotional, wrenching stories told by the “internees” make clear the consequences of race, wartime hysteria and political expediency.
12:10 pm
Finding Kukan
Robin Lung takes us on a winding journey to rediscover the long-lost Academy Award-winning documentary KUKAN, which afforded America a rare glimpse of China before and during the life-altering events of World War II. FINDING KUKAN explores questions of racial and gender prejudice, leaving us with much food for thought.
Who Killed Vincent Chin?
In 1982, Vincent Chin was beaten to death with a baseball bat by two white men in Detroit. Chin’s killers were convicted, but never served a day in prison for their crime. Thirty-five years later, we revisit this Academy Award-nominated documentary that explored the impact of his death and flaws in the justice system in the wake of the outcry from the Asian American community.
1:00 pm
Plastic China
The lives of workers processing infinite amounts of recycled materials are full of dreams and debris. PLASTIC CHINA documents a family as they tread poor living conditions, sorting through mountains of plastic for income. In spite of their struggles, the family hopes for a richer life, seen through the global waste that they comb through every day.
2:40 pm
Chee and T
Living in the tech bubble of Silicon Valley, dynamic duo Chee and T are anything but tech savvy. This charming buddy dramedy captures the growing pains of becoming an adult in an overtly selfish world. CHEE AND T highlights the adventures of two good friends and the odd variable that teaches them about family.
3:10 pm
Lucky Chow
PBS series LUCKY CHOW returns with an all-new season exploring Asian culture and cuisine across America. Indulge in a feast of Bay Area highlights from a few episodes with host and LUCKY RICE founder Danielle Chang. Featuring renowned chefs, culinary stars and breakout food-crafters, LUCKY CHOW will satisfy your cravings.
4:00 pm
FOR THE FAINT OF HEART – SHORTS
Adrenaline-induced conditions lead to the unexpected and impossible in FOR THE FAINT OF HEART. Whether it’s getting trapped in your own story, fighting against a future fate or becoming consumed by your demons, anxiety and urgency make a volatile mix with intensely satisfying results.
5:10 pm
Who Is Arthur Chu?
WHO IS ARTHUR CHU? Eleven-time Jeopardy! winner, vocal advocate for equal rights, “villain,” writer, tweeter, family member and Asian American. CAAMFest’s Centerpiece Documentary from filmmakers Yu Gu and Scott Drucker explores the past and present of Arthur Chu as he follows his passions and defines his identity.
6:00 pm
Light
Dance, memory, music, and poetry collide in a visual and aural landscape. Inspired by the life of Bessie M. Lee, LIGHT paints a powerful and intimate portrait of an early 20th century migrant who spent two years in servitude and was vital in grounding New York’s Chinatown community.
7:00 pm
OUT/HERE – SHORTS
Breaking the barriers of tradition is not a walk in the park. The ups and downs of this shorts program will guide you through the experiences of diverse LGBTQ protagonists and their quests for acceptance in the face of uncertainty.
7:30 pm
Festival Social Club
Rub elbows with actors, Filmmakers and fellow attendees at the social CAAMFest after-party, hosted by SAG-AFTRA! Meet your favorite festival filmmaker or future collaborators over drinks or a game of pool, and stop by the SAG-AFTRA table to learn how to take your film or career to the next level.
9:00 pm
Gook
Drawn from his own childhood experience, Justin Chon’s sophomore directorial film shines a light on the Korean American experience during the 1992 L.A. Uprising. The film follows two Korean American brothers as they struggle to maintain their family’s shoe repair shop and their unlikely friendship with a young African American girl. Set against brewing tensions in the aftermath of the Rodney King verdict, GOOK highlights the continued relevance of the riots 25 years later.
9:00 pm
I'll Wait
Vietnamese American filmmaker Dustin Nguyen challenges the notion of “love conquers all” with this romantic psychological thriller. When a writer and photographer fall in love, shadows of their past lives begin to plague their dreams threatening the trust and innocence of their new relationship.
9:50 pm
March 12, 2017
Blanka
Hardened street kid Blanka does her best to save enough money to “buy” a mom. In the hopes of overcoming everyday struggles, she joins forces with a blind musician, discovers her singing talent, and realizes that money can’t buy love. Features YouTube star Cydel Gabutero in her acting debut.
12:10 pm
Poi E
In the 1980s, POI E, a simple song with a contagious beat, took New Zealand by storm and became the country’s unofficial national anthem. Envisioned by Dalvanius Prime, the song is a point of pride for generations of New Zealanders and continues to inspire more than 30 years after its release.
12:20 pm
Rabbit in the Moon
Peel back the long-silent veneer covering the incarceration of Japanese Americans and witness an intimately complex and tense history in RABBIT IN THE MOON. Emiko Omori’s award-winning film explores her own childhood experiences within the camps and the political tensions between generations living there.
2:00 pm
Re:Orientations
Richard Fung’s new documentary updates his 1984 film ORIENTATIONS: LESBIAN AND GAY ASIANS. Fung explores experiences of original subjects and fresh faces, documenting a unique blend of voices through three decades of community, politics and identity.
2:20 pm
The Moment
Director Wong Kwok Fai’s first feature film tells the story of four damaged relationships. Set against a picturesque Hong Kong backdrop, the bonds explored in the film span across family, ex-lovers, friends and a couple. Amidst the hope of reconciliation, the protagonists face the challenges of deciding whether to let go, or hold on and make amends.
3:00 pm
Mixed Match
Finding a bone marrow donor match is seemingly impossible for individuals with multiracial heritage. In the eye-opening documentary, MIXED MATCH, award-winning filmmaker, Jeff Chiba Stearns follows individuals through their unique journeys as they explore the role that mixed ancestry plays in medical care.
4:30 pm
IMMEDIATE FAMILY – SHORTS
Family has a tendency to create immediacy in all of us in times of sadness, happiness and everything else in between. The bonds between relatives across all generations are both unique and universal in all cultures. This diversity is what ties us all together in IMMEDIATE FAMILY.
4:40 pm
Window Horses: The Poetic Persian Epiphany of Rosie Ming
Rosie Ming is an aspiring poet who leads an otherwise dull existence in Vancouver with her loving and overprotective Chinese grandparents. An unexpected invitation to a poetry festival in Shiraz, Iran, turns her perception of the world, her poetry and most importantly, her family, on its head.
6:00 pm
DIS/SPACE/MENT – SHORTS
Sometimes we find home is just where we are. More often, it lies just beyond reach. Despite living with the disorienting feeling of everything being slightly out of place, the subjects of DIS/SPACE/MENT remain determined to create their own space to occupy, with or without permission.
7:10 pm
The Fall of the I-Hotel
Forcible evictions devastated a manong community after the International Hotel was demolished in 1981, marking the destruction of the last block of San Francisco’s Manilatown. Narrated by late poet Al Robles, THE FALL OF THE I-HOTEL tells the story of 50 old-timers displaced by 300 cops in the dead of night and the overall impacts of urban renewal.
7:20 pm
She's the Boss
Fresh from Vietnamese cinemas, SHE’S THE BOSS follows two co-workers whose secret relationship could compromise their jobs. Both want marriage, but neither want to quit, they comically try to sabotage one another into leaving their job. A mix of goofy and endearing characters and situations make SHE’S THE BOSS perfect for date night.
8:35 pm
Yellow
A normal evening turns into a wild and desperate scavenger hunt for eight high school friends in the coming of age dramedy, YELLOW. When the group rallies to help a friend who was robbed, the lines between adolescent and adult are blurred in this 1998 classic. Starring John Cho in his early career, the film celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.
9:40 pm
March 13, 2017
The Lockpicker
Filmed in partnership with a Toronto high school, THE LOCKPICKER orbits around a teenage thief haunted by memories of loss and violence. Pulled along by the ever-present gravity of trauma, he reckons with his hunger for intimacy. Weaving harsh realism and ethereal scene, Randall Okita explores a furious, adolescent desire for escape.
8:30 pm
March 14, 2017
My Next Step
Award-winning director Cheuk Cheung (MY WAY) explores the fading traditions and precarious future of traditional opera in contemporary China through an unflinching and intimate portrait of Yang Yang, the Kunqu Opera’s last young wusheng (martial hero).
6:30 pm
Singing in Graveyards
Having one foot in the grave doesn’t stop musician Pepe from following in the footsteps of his idol, Pinoy rock legend Joey Smith. Out of touch and seemingly out of mind, Pepe faces shaky relationships and various obstacles to his livelihood.
8:50 pm
March 15, 2017
Bitcoin Heist
Set in today’s world of digital devices and complex connectivity, BITCOIN HEIST sends the viewer on an action-adventure ride with a cop in pursuit of a “ghost” hacker who stole billions of dollars in bitcoins. The officer teams up with other criminals to help her plan the ultimate heist.
Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!
Russ Meyer’s 1965 cult classic FASTER, PUSSYCAT! KILL! KILL! has influenced a generation of outcasts, weirdos and badasses. The wildly turbulent story follows three go-go dancers as they break free from their nightclub and take a wild ride through the desert, complete with kidnapping, scheming and murder. At the heart of the movie are mixed race Asian stars Tura Satana and Haji. YOMYOMF is proud to partner with CAAM and the Alamo Drafthouse’s Weird Wednesdays to present the film that made Satana an icon.
10:30 pm
March 16, 2017
Brown Girls
With its BROAD CITY meets INSECURE vibes, this new web series paints an intimate portrait of two young women of color navigating their relationships, families, sexual orientations and the messiness of being in your mid-20s.
6:30 pm
Apprentice
New prison guard Aiman’s personal and professional life collide when he starts an apprenticeship with the chief executioner. The future of this budding partnership is put to the test when Aiman’s moral compass and painful history unravel, revealing hidden ties between the two.
8:50 pm
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