Agent/Advocate: Brave Creators Highlights Daring Visionaries & Artists
As we mark a transition from our traditional festival to CAAMFest 2013 (we were previously the SF Int. Asian American Film Festival), we also present an exciting new way to navigate our films and events. An alternative to typical festival sections, CAAM Tides highlight some of the key themes that are threaded throughout the program, enabling the festival-goer to experience the new waves of culture that are hitting shores both in the Bay and beyond.
Our AGENT/ADVOCATE: BRAVE CREATORS section highlights a select crop of visionaries who dare to tap into the most controversial and sensitive issues of our time. More than merely seeking provocation, these artists push their audiences to question troubling political, economic and cultural realities.
“Old places are like lovers to me, you ever forget them.” Says director Roystan Tan. In this sequel to the documentary ‘Old Places’, ‘Old Romances’ takes us on a tour of Singapore through the eyes of its citizens. 
Instead of showcasing grand monuments and tourist destinations, Tan weaves the story of Singapore through sites that have profound significance to local Singaporeans; a crocodile farm, an old style beauty parlor, an old shop where they make glasses to name a few. The idea for ‘Old Romances’ stemmed out of ‘Old Places’ because, according to Tan, “ a good 40 percent of what was featured in ‘Old Places’ don’t exist anymore. So there was an urgent need to shoot ‘Old Romances.’” In a sense, ‘Old Romances’ is not so much about safeguarding these physical places, but more an attempt to conserve the memories and emotions associated with them. “Old Romances isn’t just about nostalgia; it’s a love letter written to all our beloved old places from Signaporeans of all walks of life.” Says Tan. We couldn’t agree more.
“Here’s a movie China doesn’t want you to see.” Claims the New Yorker. Acclaimed director Ying Liang’s ‘When Night Falls’ is a fictionalized account of the controversial true story of Yang Jia, a young man who stabbed six policemen to death in Shanghai after being abused by police officers. 
However, the film does not follow the young man. Instead, the film’s focus is his mother, Wang Jingmei, and begins two days after her release from a mental institution, where she was illegally held against her will in order to prevent her form testifying at her son’s trial. The film examines her struggle to understand the society that she lives in and her frustration with it.
Utilizing long, static takes, Liang creates a suffocating and tedious atmosphere representative of the feelings of sorrow and frustration Wang Jingmei suffers. Powerful, brilliant, and beautiful, ‘When Night Falls’ is a profound and important examination pain, loss and injustice.
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Want more films by brave creators? Then check out the full listing here!
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