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CAAMFest2017

Special Presentations

Celebrating CAAMFest’s 35th anniversary, this year’s Special Presentations feature a diverse and timely lineup of local and international spotlights, interactive works, anniversary screenings, a Pacific Islander showcase, community screenings and poignant documentaries on the legacy of Japanese American Internment.

  1. In Search of Perfect Consonance

    Ruby Yang / Special Presentations, Directions in Sound / Hong Kong / 2016 / Documentary, Short / 38 mins
    The latest documentary by Academy Award-winning director Ruby Yang follows hopeful young musicians from across Asia as they form a community under the tutelage of dedicated mentors. The Asian Youth Orchestra, founded during a time of tense pan-Asian relations and rejection of classical music in parts of Asia, illustrates how a shared passion for music can promote peace. Includes live performance.
    In Search of Perfect Consonance

    The Jewish Community Center of San Francisco
    March 16, 2017 7:00 pm Tickets available at jccsf.org/arts-ideas/perfect-consonance/

  2. Lucky Chow

    Francisco Aliwalas / Special Presentations, CAAMFeast / USA / 2017 / 90 mins
    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.
    Lucky Chow

    Gray Area
    March 11, 2017 4:00 pm Buy Tickets Buy Tickets

  3. Memories To Light: Asian American Home Movies from the Central Valley

    Special Presentations / USA / 2017 / 60 mins
    For the fifth CAAMFest iteration of our innovative home movie initiative, we are thrilled to present a compilation of Asian American home movies from California’s Central Valley, with live musical accompaniment by acclaimed jazz musicians Mark Izu, Brenda Wong Aoki, Masaru Koga, George Yamasaki and Moy Eng.
    Memories To Light: Asian American Home Movies from the Central Valley

    New People Cinema
    March 18, 2017 2:40 pm Buy Tickets Buy Tickets

  4. No Vacancy

    Abhi Singh / Special Presentations
    No Vacancy explores the struggles of San Francisco artists as they contend with exorbitant rent prices, developers looking to convert art spaces into luxury condos and a city that isn’t paying attention to them. All the artists in the film face the prospect of being priced out of San Francisco in the near future. These artists are the cultural fabric of a city that doesn’t have room for them anymore.
    Plays In:
    Cinematic SF

    Alamo Drafthouse
    March 13, 2017 6:30 pm At Rush

  5. The People’s Hospital

    Jim Choi & Chihiro Wimbush / Special Presentations / USA / 2017 / Bay Area Connection, Short / 27 mins
    Filmmakers Jim Choi and Chihiro Wimbush explore the endearing story of the Chinese Hospital, the last independent hospital in San Francisco, showing that the heart and soul of a community lies in the unlikeliest of places.

    Preceded by: Caregiving: Circle of Love

    The People’s Hospital

    Great Star Theater
    March 12, 2017 3:00 pm Buy Tickets Buy Tickets

  6. Poi E: The Story of our Song

    Tearepa Kahi / Special Presentations / New Zealand / 2016 / Documentary / 92 mins
    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.
    Poi E

    Alamo Drafthouse
    March 12, 2017 12:20 pm Buy Tickets Buy Tickets

  7. Rabbit in the Moon

    Emiko Omori / Special Presentations / USA / 1999 / Bay Area Connection / 85 mins
    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.
    Rabbit in the Moon

    Gray Area
    March 12, 2017 2:00 pm Buy Tickets Buy Tickets

  8. Relocation, Arkansas — Aftermath of Incarceration

    Vivienne Schiffer / Special Presentations / USA / 2016 / Documentary / 78 mins
    A touching testament to the strength of those who overcame injustice and reconciled their identity in a complicated America, RELOCATION, ARKANSAS follows Japanese Americans as they travel to southern Arkansas, revisiting former Japanese internment camps in order to move forward from a painful past.

    Preceded by: When Rabbit Left The Moon

    Relocation, Arkansas — Aftermath of Incarceration

    New People Cinema
    March 18, 2017 7:00 pm At Rush

  9. Resistance at Tule Lake

    Konrad Aderer / Special Presentations / USA / 2017 / Documentary / 81 mins
    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.

    Preceded by: Yonsei Eyes

    Resistance at Tule Lake

    Roxie Theater
    March 11, 2017 12:10 pm At Rush

  10. She’s the Boss

    Ham Tran / Special Presentations / Vietnam / 2017 / 114 mins
    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.
    She’s the Boss

    Alamo Drafthouse
    March 12, 2017 8:35 pm Buy Tickets Buy Tickets